Authoritative or authoritarian parenting: Which one buffers the association between bullying and severe forms of violent behaviors among African-American youth in Chicago's Southside?

This study explored whether authoritarian or authoritative parenting practices for adolescents would mediate the association between involvement in bullying and severe forms of violent behaviors. Cross-sectional data were collected from a matched sample of 120 African-American adolescents, ages 13-24 (M = 14.79 years, 27.5% boys), and their caregivers. The survey included self-report measures of severe forms of violent behaviors, bullying perpetration and victimization, authoritative and authoritarian parenting, and demographic characteristics. Results indicated that authoritative parenting moderated the relationship between bullying perpetration and severe forms of violent behaviors and bullying victimization and severe forms of violent behaviors. Low authoritative parenting was related to higher levels of severe forms of violent behaviors among adolescents reporting higher bullying, while low authoritative parenting was related to lower levels of severe forms of violent behaviors among adolescents reporting lower bullying. In addition, for victims, authoritative parenting was associated with a reduction in severe forms of violent behaviors at both low and high levels of victimization. Results suggest that an authoritative parenting style should be considered in prevention and intervention to avoid the escalation of severe forms of violent behaviors among African-American youth in Chicago.