Family environment

Lack of attention and warmth in family relationships, child witnessing violent behavior at home, insufficient supervision and parental care of the child are risk factors for the development of violent behavior in children. Also, by practicing physical punishment and verbal aggression, the message is sent to the child that this kind of behavior gets what one wants to get. It is very likely that when a child experiences the listed experiences, he will use these experiences in his behavior with his peers. Through an Australian study, it was concluded that a child, regardless of his gender, who lives in families that function less well, is more likely to abuse other children. Worse family functioning was described through:

-        lack of sympathy of the parents with the child,

-        the lack of honesty and sincerity values in the family,

-        reluctance to solve family problems together,

-        non-freedom of expression of opinion, etc.

When talking about the connection between the family situation and peer violence, it is often heard that children who commit violence come from so-called, unsettled families, that is, families with a worse economic status or a lower level of education and the like. However, this is not always the case, and for this reason the position is once again confirmed that peer violence is a very complex phenomenon and that each case of violence should be approached individually, familiarized with the situation and act accordingly.

In the family environment, particularly aggressive behaviour by parents or incorrect educational styles such as permissive, or overly authoritative, distracted, or authoritarian, can lead to bullying.

Parents who often have aggressive attitudes or frequently resort to violence provide the wrong role model. For this reason, children who live in hostile family environments are more likely to develop bullying behaviour later. Thus, families in which borderline or clearly delinquent attitudes are widespread are obviously higher risk environments. But also, a lack of attention to their children's habits, needs, passions and interests, and educational disinterest or disengagement with them, affect the development and behaviour of children: sometimes parents are totally unprepared for what happens to their children daily. 

Also, the imposition of strict rules on their part, which are then not enforced, promises of punishments that are then not followed up, or even exaggerated reactions that alternate with attitudes of indifference, lead to an increase in misconduct on the part of the children, who, as a result, are not fully able to understand and comprehend the seriousness of their actions.