Adolescent characteristics and parenting style as the determinant factors of bullying in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study

Background: The incidence of adolescents bullying in Indonesia has increased. The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation of demographic characteristics, parental interactions and parenting style as the potential determinants of bullying behavior in adolescents. Method: The research design used was cross-sectional. The study population consisted of adolescents in Indonesia who accessed the Google form, and adolescents who study at a junior high school and a vocational high school in Surabaya. The study sample totaled 705 adolescents based on consecutive sampling with a study period of 3 months. The independent variables were demographic characteristics, parental interactions and parenting style, while the dependent variable was bullying behavior. The data collection method used was a questionnaire filled in by the adolescents through a Google form and a questionnaire sheet. The statistical analysis used the chi-square test for the adolescent's characteristics and Spearman's rank correlation with α = 0.05. Results: The results showed that the characteristics of the adolescents, namely age and place of residence, were related to bullying behavior. A permissive and authoritarian parenting style had a positive correlation with being a bullying perpetrator, while only permissive parenting style had a positive correlation with being a bullying victim. Conclusion: Adolescents experience bullying behavior as both the perpetrators and victims. Adolescents living in rural areas are more likely to commit bullying as the perpetrators. A parenting style that is either too rigid or too free has a high risk of being a bullying behavior factor as the perpetrator. Parents are expected to apply an authoritative parenting style in order to prevent the risk of bullying in adolescents.