The Role of the Family in Bullying Prevention in Early Childhood

A Literature Review Based on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Authors

  • Aulif Zakariya Universitas Muhammadiyah Klaten
  • Mar’atus Sholihah University of Muhammadiyah Klaten
  • Eman Suherman University of Muhammadiyah Klaten and Walisongo State Islamic University of Semarang
  • Tri Wijayani University of Muhammadiyah Klaten
  • Yusuf Rohmat Yanuri University of Edinburgh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59996/al-fiqh.v4i3.1238

Keywords:

Early Childhood Bullying, Family Role, Parenting Styles, Parental Attachment, Emotion Coaching

Abstract

Bullying in early childhood is a real phenomenon with long-term psychosocial consequences that is frequently overlooked. This literature review analyzes the family’s role in preventing early childhood bullying through three focal areas: the role of parenting styles in children’s aggressive tendencies, family environment factors as primary bullying predictors, and parental attachment’s role in empathy development. Twenty-three sources were selected based on topic relevance and full-text availability, covering publications from 2011–2025 across multiple countries including Indonesia, Norway, China, and Spain. The review employs Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, and Bowlby’s Attachment Theory, yielding a four-pillar conceptual model: authoritative parenting, elimination of environmental risk factors, attachment reinforcement through emotion coaching, and instillation of religious-moral values as the macrosystem foundation.

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Published

2026-10-23