Conflict Management and Bullying at School: What do Families Have to Say About it?

Abstract

This study aims to identify how families understand and manage conflict and bullying, as their perspectives on these issues directly influence school coexistence and the construction of a more peaceful society. We examine the views of 1,480 fathers, mothers, and legal guardians with children in compulsory education (6 to 16 years old) in Catalonia. The research is quantitative, with a post-hoc approach, and complemented by qualitative elements. We processed the data using SPSS and conducted descriptive and correlational analyses to identify trends, patterns, and relationships among the studied variables. Non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis) were used. Families tend to endorse compromise and negotiation (M=3.04), flexibility and partial yielding (M=3.01), and talking (M=2.62). They reject “letting time pass” (M=2.39). No significant differences in conflict-management items were found by sex. By age, differences emerged for encouraging force (item 37, p = .031) and setting rules (item 41, p = .014), with higher means among those <30. Several items differed by educational level: item 36 (p = .001); items 37, 40, and 41 (p < .001); item 42 (p = .008); and item 43 (p < .001). Approximately one-third of families consider bullying victims to be weak or to have difficulty interacting with others. Specifically, 26.7% reported direct experience with bullying at home, and men scored higher on the statement “it’s just jokes” (item 44, p<.001). Education level was associated with victim-blaming (item 45, p < .001) and the belief that “my child would tell me” (item 46, p < .001; overall M = 2.86). This recent population snapshot is novel because it links family conflict management styles with bullying beliefs disaggregated by sex, age, and education. Practical implications prioritise parent training, school–family protocols, and campaigns that de-normalise “just jokes,” with a focus on younger families and lower educational levels.