Bullying victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescence: The moderating role of parent-child conflicts among boys and girls

Introduction The association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms has been studied extensively over the years. Among the variables studied as having an impact on this association were different characteristics of the parent-child relationship. The current study was the first to specifically examine parent-child conflicts as a moderator in the association between victimization and depressive symptoms among adolescents. In addition, it was the first to examine the roles of the child and parent's gender in this moderation. Methods: 505 7th-9th graders from two schools in two different cities across Israel (mean age = 12.736, SD = 0.8154) participated in this study. 223 (44.2%) of the participants were male. The participants filled out a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing the different study's variables. Results: Significant gender differences were found: among girls, the association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms was stronger when the level of parent-child conflicts was high, while among boys, it was stronger when the level of conflicts was low. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the psychological outcomes for victims depend on their relationship with their parents. Bullying intervention programs should include the victims' parents. Furthermore, intervention programs should be designed to fit the different needs of girls and boys.