Examining the Relationship Between Adolescent Girls’ Perception of Their Fathers and Father Attachment with Peer Bullying Experiences

Objective: This study examined the relationships between father-related attachment and parenting variables and peer bullying among adolescent girls. Secure and insecure attachment styles, paternal caregiving styles, paternal autonomy support, and paternal involvement were investigated in relation to bullying victimization and bullying perpetration. Method: The study employed a correlational design with 200 adolescent girls aged 16–18 years attending vocational high schools in Bursa, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Adult Attachment to Father Scale, the Father Caregiving and Attachment Styles Scale, the Father Perception Scale, and the Peer Bullying Identification Scale. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses, partial correlations, and Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) corrections were conducted. Results: Secure attachment, paternal warmth/responsiveness, paternal involvement, and paternal autonomy support were negatively associated with bullying victimization and perpetration. In contrast, cold/rejecting and inconsistent/incongruent paternal attitudes were positively associated with bullying variables. Most findings remained significant after controlling for demographic variables and applying robustness and FDR correction analyses. However, some associations involving the Fearful Attachment subdimension appeared less robust. Conclusions: The findings suggest that supportive father–daughter relationships are consistently associated with lower levels of bullying involvement against peer bullying among adolescent girls. Interventions aimed at strengthening secure attachment and supportive parenting practices may contribute to reducing bullying behaviors and victimization.