Migrant status, social support, and bullying perpetration of children in mainland China

• Published in: Children and youth services review Vol. 107; p. 104534
• Main Authors: Cui, Kunjie, To, Siu-ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Bullying; Bullying perpetration; Children; China; Community support; Families & family life; Family support; Migrant status; Migrants; Migration; Professional practice; Social policy; Social support; Social work; Structural equation modeling; China; Children; Bullying perpetration; China; Migrant status; Social support
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104534

•Migrant children were more likely than non-migrant ones to engage in bullying perpetration.•Family support and community support significantly mediated the effect of migrant status on children’s bullying perpetration.•Social work practice and social policy should focus on enhancing family support and community support for migrant children.
Nowadays, both theoretical and empirical studies have generated controversial findings on the association between migration and bullying perpetration with varying social and political contexts. Whereas the association between migrant status and bullying perpetration in mainland China remains understudied, and the underlying mechanisms of how migrant status might relate to bullying perpetration remain unclear. This study made an initial effort to examine the direct effect of migrant status and the mediating effects of family support and community support on bullying perpetration among children in mainland China. The sample consisted of 1,132 migrant children (70.8%) and 468 non-migrant children (29.2%) in Grades 4 to 9 in Nanjing and Guangzhou, China. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that migrant children were more likely than non-migrant ones to engage in bullying perpetration. In addition, compared with non-migrant children, migrant children tend to perceive less family support and community support, which consequently predicted more bullying perpetration. The findings of this study provide cross-cultural evidence for theories and pose significant implications for social work practice and social policy in mainland China.