ABSTRACT
This study sought to find out if family educational style influences on the onset of bullying. In order to achieve that, the percentage of bullying cases and family educational style were assessed, being established a relationship between both variables. A broad study was performed in the autonomous community of La Rioja, with application of a questionnaire to 348 high-school students and to four focus groups comprised of parents and students in Compulsory Secondary Education, and conduction of interviews with 30 education professionals. The results show that most families in La Rioja have a democratic relationship with their children and that the percentage of bullying in this community is relatively low. The main conclusion is that democratic parenting styles are strongly related to low rates of bullying, which was widely supported by all participants.
KEYWORDS:
bullying; prosocial behaviors; family educational styles