Exploring Immigrant Youth Bullying Behaviors Through a Socio-Ecological Lens to Inform Culturally Responsive Anti-Bullying Programs and Services
Faculty Mentor
Rebecca Rivera
Major/Area of Research
Doctorate of Social Work
Description
INTRODUCTION: Understanding bullying behaviors among youth from immigrant families represents an understudied yet critical public health and social welfare concern. Existing research has largely focused on identifying individual-level risk factors; however, a significant gap remains in understanding how cultural, familial, and systemic forces shape these behaviors. Using a socio-ecological lens, this study examines the factors influencing immigrant youths' engagement in bullying behaviors in order to inform culturally responsive school-based anti-bullying programs and services.
METHOD: A systematic literature review examined peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025 to explore bullying behaviors among first- and second-generation immigrant youth in the United States through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological framework. Searches were conducted across five electronic databases — SocINDEX, PsycINFO, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and ERIC — using Boolean search terms related to bullying, peer aggression, immigrant status, and socio-ecological theory. Using a mixed-methods approach, 15 peer-reviewed studies meeting inclusion criteria were systematically identified, reviewed, and synthesized. Six themes were identified: (1) generational differences in risk and protective factors exist for first- versus second-generation immigrant youth; (2) family dynamics, parenting styles, and parent-child acculturation gaps influence bullying involvement; (3) school climate plays a significant role in shaping safety, belonging, and prosocial behavior; (4) socioeconomic status and neighborhood characteristics function as important moderators; (5) schools demonstrate a systemic absence of culturally responsive practices; and (6) significant inconsistency persists in how bullying is defined and operationalized across studies.
RESULTS: Six interconnected themes were discovered. First, generational status emerged as a significant variable, with first- and second-generation immigrant youth demonstrating distinct risk and protective profiles related to bullying perpetration. Second, family dynamics — including parenting styles, family cohesion, and parent-child acculturation gaps — consistently functioned as either risk or protective factors depending on the degree of intergenerational conflict present. Third, school climate, including perceived safety, sense of belonging, and teacher responsiveness, played a meaningful role in shaping prosocial versus aggressive peer behaviors. Fourth, socioeconomic status and neighborhood-level stressors moderated bullying involvement, reflecting the influence of exosystem-level forces on youth behavior. Fifth, a systemic absence of culturally responsive anti-bullying programming was documented across studies, revealing a persistent gap between existing school-based interventions and the cultural realities of immigrant youth. Sixth, significant definitional inconsistency in how bullying was conceptualized and measured across studies limited cross-study comparability and generalizability of findings. Taken together, these themes illustrate that bullying behavior among immigrant youth is shaped by multilevel ecological forces rather than individual pathology alone.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Findings reveal that bullying behaviors among immigrant youth are shaped by intersecting systemic, cultural, and relational forces that extend beyond individual pathology, underscoring the need for culturally responsive social work practice and school-based interventions that move away from punitive approaches and toward strategies that recognize the unique stressors faced by racial and ethnic minority immigrant youth. Developing effective anti-bullying programs requires moving beyond surface-level behavioral responses to address the ecological, cultural, and structural forces that shape immigrant youth's experiences. This review is limited by heterogeneity across the 15 included studies, variability in how bullying was defined and measured, and a primary focus on the United States context, which constrains generalizability. Future research should prioritize longitudinal, community-based studies that center immigrant youth voices and adopt standardized, culturally inclusive definitions of bullying. The well-being of immigrant youth demands nothing less than interventions that fully honor the complexity of their lives.
Keywords: bullying, peer aggression, immigrant youth, socio-ecological framework, Bronfenbrenner
Keywords
bullying, peer aggression, immigrant youth, socio-ecological framework, Bronfenbrenner
Exploring Immigrant Youth Bullying Behaviors Through a Socio-Ecological Lens to Inform Culturally Responsive Anti-Bullying Programs and Services
INTRODUCTION: Understanding bullying behaviors among youth from immigrant families represents an understudied yet critical public health and social welfare concern. Existing research has largely focused on identifying individual-level risk factors; however, a significant gap remains in understanding how cultural, familial, and systemic forces shape these behaviors. Using a socio-ecological lens, this study examines the factors influencing immigrant youths' engagement in bullying behaviors in order to inform culturally responsive school-based anti-bullying programs and services.
METHOD: A systematic literature review examined peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025 to explore bullying behaviors among first- and second-generation immigrant youth in the United States through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological framework. Searches were conducted across five electronic databases — SocINDEX, PsycINFO, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and ERIC — using Boolean search terms related to bullying, peer aggression, immigrant status, and socio-ecological theory. Using a mixed-methods approach, 15 peer-reviewed studies meeting inclusion criteria were systematically identified, reviewed, and synthesized. Six themes were identified: (1) generational differences in risk and protective factors exist for first- versus second-generation immigrant youth; (2) family dynamics, parenting styles, and parent-child acculturation gaps influence bullying involvement; (3) school climate plays a significant role in shaping safety, belonging, and prosocial behavior; (4) socioeconomic status and neighborhood characteristics function as important moderators; (5) schools demonstrate a systemic absence of culturally responsive practices; and (6) significant inconsistency persists in how bullying is defined and operationalized across studies.
RESULTS: Six interconnected themes were discovered. First, generational status emerged as a significant variable, with first- and second-generation immigrant youth demonstrating distinct risk and protective profiles related to bullying perpetration. Second, family dynamics — including parenting styles, family cohesion, and parent-child acculturation gaps — consistently functioned as either risk or protective factors depending on the degree of intergenerational conflict present. Third, school climate, including perceived safety, sense of belonging, and teacher responsiveness, played a meaningful role in shaping prosocial versus aggressive peer behaviors. Fourth, socioeconomic status and neighborhood-level stressors moderated bullying involvement, reflecting the influence of exosystem-level forces on youth behavior. Fifth, a systemic absence of culturally responsive anti-bullying programming was documented across studies, revealing a persistent gap between existing school-based interventions and the cultural realities of immigrant youth. Sixth, significant definitional inconsistency in how bullying was conceptualized and measured across studies limited cross-study comparability and generalizability of findings. Taken together, these themes illustrate that bullying behavior among immigrant youth is shaped by multilevel ecological forces rather than individual pathology alone.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Findings reveal that bullying behaviors among immigrant youth are shaped by intersecting systemic, cultural, and relational forces that extend beyond individual pathology, underscoring the need for culturally responsive social work practice and school-based interventions that move away from punitive approaches and toward strategies that recognize the unique stressors faced by racial and ethnic minority immigrant youth. Developing effective anti-bullying programs requires moving beyond surface-level behavioral responses to address the ecological, cultural, and structural forces that shape immigrant youth's experiences. This review is limited by heterogeneity across the 15 included studies, variability in how bullying was defined and measured, and a primary focus on the United States context, which constrains generalizability. Future research should prioritize longitudinal, community-based studies that center immigrant youth voices and adopt standardized, culturally inclusive definitions of bullying. The well-being of immigrant youth demands nothing less than interventions that fully honor the complexity of their lives.
Keywords: bullying, peer aggression, immigrant youth, socio-ecological framework, Bronfenbrenner