The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Peer Bullying Victimization in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Parenting Styles

Saeideh Soltani Nejad; Marjan Albehbahani

Authors

Saeideh Soltani Nejad M.A., Department of Clinical Psychology, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0255-7186
Marjan Albehbahani Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7926-5428

Keywords:

Childhood trauma, Peer bullying victimization, Parenting styles, Adolescents, Mediation, Structural equation modeling

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and peer bullying victimization among adolescents and to examine the mediating role of parenting styles in this relationship. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted among adolescents enrolled in upper-secondary schools in Shiraz, Iran, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Using multistage cluster sampling, 250 students were selected from educational districts 2 and 4. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Parenting Styles Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 and AMOS version 26. Pearson correlation coefficients, simultaneous multiple regression, path analysis, and structural equation modeling were applied. Indirect effects were assessed using bootstrap resampling with 2,000 samples. Childhood trauma was positively correlated with peer bullying victimization (r = .40, p < .01), permissive parenting (r = .39, p < .01), and authoritarian parenting (r = .38, p < .01), and negatively correlated with authoritative parenting (r = −.54, p < .01). In the structural model, childhood trauma significantly predicted permissive parenting (β = .32, p < .001), authoritarian parenting (β = .32, p < .001), and authoritative parenting (β = −.43, p < .001). Permissive parenting (β = .47, p < .001) and authoritarian parenting (β = .33, p < .001) positively predicted peer bullying victimization, whereas authoritative parenting negatively predicted victimization (β = −.22, p < .001). The direct effect of childhood trauma on peer victimization was not significant (β = .04, p = .477), but its indirect effect through parenting styles was significant (β = .35, 99% CI [.22, .48], p < .001). The model showed acceptable fit (CMIN/DF = 2.34, RMSEA = .07, CFI = .96). Parenting styles appear to constitute an important mediating pathway linking childhood trauma to peer bullying victimization, suggesting that family-based interventions aimed at promoting authoritative parenting and reducing maladaptive parenting patterns may help decrease adolescents’ vulnerability to bullying.

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