How do aggression and conflict in the home relate to bullying behaviour at school?

Exposure to aggression and conflict in the home is consistently linked to aggressive behaviour in children, which often manifests as bullying at school. Research indicates that children raised by parents who are neglectful, engage in frequent conflict, or utilize corporal punishment are more likely to exhibit bullying tendencies.1

This relationship is supported by the theory of social learning, which posits that children acquire behavioral patterns by observing and imitating others. In the landmark Bobo doll experiment, psychologist Albert Bandura demonstrated that children who observed adults acting aggressively were significantly more likely to mimic those behaviors themselves.23

Psychologically, this process involves three stages: exposure to the responses of others, acquisition of those observed behaviors, and the eventual acceptance of those acts as a guide for one's own conduct. Consequently, when children witness conflict or aggression in their home environment, they may internalize these actions as acceptable methods for navigating social interactions or resolving disputes, later applying them to their peer relationships at school.21