The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression
Lack of Support
Disciplinary practices vary widely from family to family. Whatever the style, if the parent is not consistent, the child suffers. For example, if a parent overlooks misbehavior one day yet severely punishes the child the next day for the same behavior, the child does not learn right from wrong. Mixed messages from the parents where one says one thing and the other says something different also can confuse a child. Familial behaviors have the potential to strengthen or weaken a school-aged child's ability to relate to peers and behave appropriately.
Compared with past generations, new mothers today often do not have the social supports of family and community that help provide positive models of child rearing and discipline. They often feel overwhelmed, isolated, and unprepared. When a mother is unable to care for her child early in the child's life, that child does not bond securely with the mother. This often leads to deficiencies that may show up in the child as a lack of empathy, trust, and reciprocity of feelings. Parents also may have problems such as alcoholism or drug abuse and mental illness.
Socioeconomic factors can serve as risk factors for children and youth. Many families need to work more than one job to make ends meet. Often, kids are left for long periods of time after school with little or no adult supervision. The impact can range from a parent being unable to provide homework help to a lack of recreational and cultural opportunities in a violent neighborhood. Limited social and economic resources also contribute to parental stress, child abuse, and family breakups.ref
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Last Updated: 5/19/04
SAMHSA is an Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
