Parental Orientation, Reactance, and Adolescents’ Motivation to Defend Victims of Bullying: A Mediation Study of Parent-Child Dyads
(2026) PSYP01 20252Department of Psychology
- Abstract
- Bullying involvement in childhood and adolescence is associated with adverse developmental outcomes. Meanwhile, defending victims can reduce or stop bullying in school contexts. Previous research has extensively examined the association between general parenting styles and bullying involvement, whereas little is known on how parental orientations toward regulating adolescents’ social behaviours relate to their willingness to defend victims. This study examined whether parental strategies in the specific domain of (cyber)bullying regulation predicted adolescents’ autonomous and controlled motivation to defend victims, and whether reactance mediated these relationships. The sample consisted of 34 Slovenian adolescents attending upper primary... (More)
- Bullying involvement in childhood and adolescence is associated with adverse developmental outcomes. Meanwhile, defending victims can reduce or stop bullying in school contexts. Previous research has extensively examined the association between general parenting styles and bullying involvement, whereas little is known on how parental orientations toward regulating adolescents’ social behaviours relate to their willingness to defend victims. This study examined whether parental strategies in the specific domain of (cyber)bullying regulation predicted adolescents’ autonomous and controlled motivation to defend victims, and whether reactance mediated these relationships. The sample consisted of 34 Slovenian adolescents attending upper primary school (47% girls, Mage = 12.35 years) and their parents (91% mothers/female guardians, Mage = 43.10 years). Both completed questionnaires assessing parenting styles, parental orientations, and reactance, while adolescents additionally reported participant roles in bullying and motivation to defend victims. Frequentist mediation analyses were conducted using parent- and child-report models. Additionally, one Bayesian mediation model using solely child reports was estimated. No consistent evidence of mediation was found, except for a suppression-like pattern in the parent-report model involving controlling parental orientation and controlled motivation to defend. Parent-report models additionally showed clearer associations between parental orientation and adolescents’ motivation to defend than child-report models. Differences between parent and adolescent reports suggested that adolescents’ subjective interpretations of parenting may play an important role in understanding motivational outcomes in bullying contexts. Given the small sample and low statistical power, results should be interpreted cautiously. Implications of the present findings for bullying prevention programmes involving parents are discussed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9239874
- author
- Kveder, Jakob LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- PSYP01 20252
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- parental orientation, reactance, motivation to defend, bullying, adolescents
- language
- English
- id
- 9239874
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-18 15:40:18
- date last changed
- 2026-06-18 15:40:18
@misc{9239874,
abstract = {{Bullying involvement in childhood and adolescence is associated with adverse developmental outcomes. Meanwhile, defending victims can reduce or stop bullying in school contexts. Previous research has extensively examined the association between general parenting styles and bullying involvement, whereas little is known on how parental orientations toward regulating adolescents’ social behaviours relate to their willingness to defend victims. This study examined whether parental strategies in the specific domain of (cyber)bullying regulation predicted adolescents’ autonomous and controlled motivation to defend victims, and whether reactance mediated these relationships. The sample consisted of 34 Slovenian adolescents attending upper primary school (47% girls, Mage = 12.35 years) and their parents (91% mothers/female guardians, Mage = 43.10 years). Both completed questionnaires assessing parenting styles, parental orientations, and reactance, while adolescents additionally reported participant roles in bullying and motivation to defend victims. Frequentist mediation analyses were conducted using parent- and child-report models. Additionally, one Bayesian mediation model using solely child reports was estimated. No consistent evidence of mediation was found, except for a suppression-like pattern in the parent-report model involving controlling parental orientation and controlled motivation to defend. Parent-report models additionally showed clearer associations between parental orientation and adolescents’ motivation to defend than child-report models. Differences between parent and adolescent reports suggested that adolescents’ subjective interpretations of parenting may play an important role in understanding motivational outcomes in bullying contexts. Given the small sample and low statistical power, results should be interpreted cautiously. Implications of the present findings for bullying prevention programmes involving parents are discussed.}},
author = {{Kveder, Jakob}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Parental Orientation, Reactance, and Adolescents’ Motivation to Defend Victims of Bullying: A Mediation Study of Parent-Child Dyads}},
year = {{2026}},
}