INFLUENCE OF PARENTING STYLES ON BULLYING BEHAVIOUR OF IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN ILORIN METROPOLIS

ABSTRACT

Bullying at school is a serious issue for a long time. The relationship between parents and children possesses certain characteristics that explain permanent impact of one upon the other. This study investigated influence of parenting styles on bullying behaviour of in-school adolescents in Ilorin metropolis.

The study was a survey research. The population of this study comprised all in-school adolescents in Ilorin metropolis while 300 respondents were used as sample size in the study.  A questionnaire titled “Influence of Parenting Styles on Bullying Behaviour Questionnaire” (IPSBBQ) was used as an instrument to collect data needed for the study. The variables taken into consideration were gender, age, religion and class. Mean and rank order analysis were used to answer the main research questions while the nine null hypotheses formulated were tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) statistical techniques.       

The findings of the study revealed that parents do set limits for me in terms of behaviours; interact with me very well; and expect me to follow rules and regulations they set out.  The findings also revealed that in-school adolescents do not engaged in bullying behaviours in the sense that, in the last 6 weeks, respondents were not beaten up by someone stronger than they are; subjected to punishment by someone stronger than they are; threaten by someone stronger than they are.  It was also found that there significant relationship existed between parenting styles and bullying behaviour of in-school adolescents in Ilorin metropolis. Also, there was significant relationship in the parenting styles and bullying behaviour of in-school adolescents in Ilorin metropolis based on age, gender, religion and in-school adolescents from senior school but no significant relationship was found between the parenting styles and bullying behaviour of  in-school adolescents from junior school.

Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that parents are here by encouraged to improve on their relationship with their adolescents and choose the right parenting style that will help the adolescents to behave socially among his peer group and perform well in the academic aspects. The counsellors in educational system should make efforts in ensuring that in- school adolescents’ unwanted behaviours are modified through behavioural modification process. The government  should as a matter of urgency map out programmes that will improve the standard of living of in- school adolescents’ parents so that they can properly cater for their children.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

            Parental strategy in rearing children has a significant impact on children’s developmental outcomes. Theoretically, it could be expected that negative parenting characteristics, including strictness, neglect, control, punishment, and lack of support will potentially lead to subsequent child behavioural problems such as emotional problems and misconduct at school.  Parents provide the contexts for children learn pro-social strategies by scheduling extracurricular activities, nurture social competence and emotional well-being. As per a family systems approach the relationships between siblings is also likely to impact school bullying through shared personal and environmental characteristics (Duncan, 2004; Wolke & Skew, 2012).

            Parenting is a complicated occupation that requires many different skills. It is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood (Davies, 2000). It is a term that summarizes behaviours used by a parent to raise a child. Parenting is the way children are been reared or brought up, that is, child rearing employed by parents in training and bringing up their children from cradle to grave (Olujinmi, 2012). Parenting practices around the world share three major goals: ensuring children’s health and safety, preparing children for life as productive adults and transmitting cultural values. A high-quality parent-child relationship is critical for healthy development. Parenting styles have been found to predict the child’s wellbeing in terms of social competence, academic performance, psychological development and problem behaviour. Its influence on the lives of adolescent is very vital (Alegre, 2008).

            Okpoko (2004) and Utti (2006) defined parenting as the act of parenthood and child upbringing. Wikipedia (2012) also defines parenting as the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. For the present study, the researchers define parenting as the skill of moulding, shaping, guiding and supporting the development of an individual from infancy to adulthood. Parenting provides children opportunities for the acquisition of skills and experiences necessary for the achievement of goals in adulthood. It plays a key role in the overall development of the child. Such roles are social, educational and other adaptive behaviours that prepare the child for future fruitful living (Kelland, 2000). Individuals carry out this function of parenting differently, because of differences in personalities and exposure, giving rise to different parenting styles. Parenting style is a universal climate in which families function and in which child rearing behaviour of parents or other primary care givers revolve (Chiew, 2011). Kelland (2000) observes that where an ideal parenting style is employed in the home, the children are disciplined but where this is not, the reverse is the case. In this study, parenting style is referred to as how a person or a parent interacts with his or her children or wards. It also refers to the different patterns that parents use to bring up their children.

            A parenting style is the overall emotional climate in the home. It is a psychological construct representing standard strategies that parents use in child rearing. Parental investment starts soon after birth. Parenting styles can be said to be the overall approach parents take to guiding, control and socializing their children, the attitudes that parents have about their children and the resulting emotional climate that is created (Spera, 2005). Also, it can be said to be specific practices with which parents influence their children (Gwen, 2010). Parenting style is affected by both the parent’s and the children’s temperaments and is largely based on the influence of one’s own parents, culture, family type and the relationship between the parents (Alegre, 2008). Many parents create their own style from a combination of factors and these may evolve over time as the children develop their personalities and move through life’s stages.

            Basically, parenting style was classified based on four dimensions these include child rearing: parental control, parental communication, parental maturity demands and parental nurturance (Alegre, 2008).  Baumrind (1967) and Olujinmi (2012) classified parent interactive styles into four major groups and they are Authoritarian, permissive, democratic or uninvolved parents.

            Authoritarian parenting is a restrictive, punitive parenting style in which parents makes their children follow their direction and respect their work and effort. It emphasizes obedience above all else. Authoritative parenting is child-centred with parents communicating positive attitudes toward their children and encouraging the development of self-enhancing attribute (Meteyer & Jenkins, 2009). Permissive parenting is one of which parents are very involved with their children but place few demands or control on them. They are nurturing and accepting, and are responsive to the child’s needs and wishes. Permissive parents do not present themselves as authority figures or role models. They try to be friends with their children and do not play a parental role (Rosenthan, 2002). Democratic parenting is characterized by few demands, low responsiveness and little communication. Uninvolved parents are unaware or indifferent to their child’s developmental needs; they are inconsistent with emotion, affection and discipline, and range from not reacting at all to their child’s behaviour to tremendous over reaction (Pellerin, 2005). They are detached and emotionally disengaged.

            Through the long history of research on parenting, significant correlations have been found between parenting styles and children’s typical behaviour. Authoritarian parents tend to have children who are more likely to be irritable and conflicted, showing signs of both anxiety and anger, not socially skilful and are susceptible to being bullied. Authoritative parenting produces many positive outcomes in children: adaptability, competence and achievement, good social skills and peer acceptance and low levels of antisocial or aggressive behaviour. Permissive parents are more likely to have exhibit uncontrolled, impulsive behaviours and low levels of self-reliance, low on cognitive competence and social agency. Children of uninvolved parents are likely to be impulsive, to show high level of both externalizing problems (e.g. aggressive) and internalizing problems (e.g. depression) and to have low self-esteem (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010).

            Parenting styles are different manners of parents’ child relationship. Parenting is a complex activity that includes specific behaviours that work individually and together to influence the child. Although specific parenting behaviours, such as spanking or reading aloud, may influence the child’s development, looking at any specific behaviour in isolation may be misleading. However, there are people who have noted that specific parenting practices are less important in predicting child well-being than is the broad pattern of parenting. Most researchers who attempt to describe this broad parental milieu rely on Diana Baumrind’s concept of parenting style. The construct of parenting style is used to capture normal variations in parents’ attempts to control and socialize their children (Baumrind, 1991; Aunola & Nurmi, 2005). There are two things that are critical in understanding this definition.

            First, parenting style is meant to describe normal variations in parenting. In other words, the parenting style typology developed by Baumrind should not be understood to include deviant parenting, such as might be observed in abusive or neglectful homes. Second, it is assumed that normal parenting revolves around issues of control. Although parents may differ in how they try to control or socialize their children and the extent to which they do so, it is believed that the primary role of all parents is to influence, teach, and control their children but could also lead to children bullying behaviour (Aunola & Nurmi, 2005).

            Bullying has since been regarded as a global behavioural problem that occurs in schools. Indeed, the phenomenon of bullying behaviour has increasingly become a worldwide problem that demands the attention of all stake holders in the educational system. This situation appears to have reached a stage where it can be said that almost every student has been bullied or involved in bullying at one time or another during their educational programme or career (Rigby, 2007).

            Bullying is a distinct form of aggression characterised by a repeated and systematic abuse of power. Bullying occurs when one or more students seek to have power over another student through the use of verbal, physical or emotional harassment, intimidation or even isolation (Zirpoly, 2009). According to Mitsopoulou and Giovazolias (2013), bullying is an intentional, continual aggressive behaviour towards a person, the victim, who cannot defend himself, and this usually involves an imbalance of power between the aggressor and the victim. Any behaviour a person exhibits, with the intention to hurt another person physically or psychologically, for no just cause, is considered an act of bullying (Nwokolo, Ayamene & Efobi, 2011). Giving reference to British legal definition, Kim (2004) saw bullying as a long-standing violence, physical or psychological, carried out by an individual or a group and directed against an individual, who is not able to defend himself in the actual situation, with a conscious desire to hurt, threaten or frighten the individual or put him under stress.