From Home to Campus: How Parental Maltreatment Shapes Bullying Victimization through Social Integration and Mental Health

Abstract

Prior research consistently demonstrates that victimization increases the risk of subsequent victimization across the life course. Parental maltreatment has rarely been examined as an early risk factor for bullying victimization in emerging adulthood. The current study uses survey data collected from 859 undergraduate students at a mid-sized Midwestern university. and employs analyses to examine these relationships. Specifically, logistic and OLS regressions were estimated to explore whether parental maltreatment and vicarious parental maltreatment may predict types of bullying victimization. Results indicate that personal parental maltreatment is associated with increased odds of bullying victimization and higher levels of mental health issues, with mental health partially mediating these relationships. Implications for revictimization scholarship and campus-based prevention efforts are discussed.