In this paper, the authors describe a study that examined the perceptions of parents of bullying victims who are in middle- and high school, considering youth relationships in the context of victimization, and whether the parents’ perceptions varied by their racial–ethnic background.
Literature has highlighted that social relationships at school are essential to school success, yet few studies have examined this construct from parents’ perspectives. Even less research has explored perceptions of social relationships in the school among parents whose children are bullying victims and potential racial–ethnic differences in the perceptions. Using self-report data from 3,261 parents of middle and high school youth, this study used multilevel analyses in which parents were nested in their child’s schools and examined parent perceptions of school relationships (including Child–School Connectedness, Parent–School Connectedness, School Outreach and Involvement, and Culture of Inclusiveness and Equity) in the context of youth victimization and whether these perceptions varied by the parent’s racial–ethnic background. Results showed that compared with parents whose child was not a bullying victim (63.5 percent), those whose child was victimized (36.5 percent) had poorer perceptions of school relationships and that this difference was more pronounced in some racial–ethnic groups (e.g., Asian and Black) than in others (e.g., White, bi- or multiracial). These findings underscore the importance of addressing ethnic heterogeneity in how parents evaluate school-based social relationships in the context of peer bullying to effectively engage racial–ethnic minoritized parents of victimized youth in culturally responsive school bullying interventions. (Published Abstract Provided)