Abstract
Abstract
Bullying research has predominantly focused on interactions among peers, while harmful behaviours by adults towards children are more often conceptualised as abuse, maltreatment, violence, or inappropriate discipline. This study explored how parents and teachers understand bullying when adults are involved, focusing on how they distinguish bullying from discipline, interpret adult authority and intention, and understand the influence of adult behaviour on children’s peer relationships. Five focus groups with parents and teachers were conducted in Hungary and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified. First, participants negotiated the boundaries of adult-to-child bullying, with behaviours interpreted differently depending on their severity, repetition, intention, and whether they were perceived as legitimate expressions of adult authority. Second, participants understood bullying as embedded within wider relational and social systems, describing connections between children’s experiences at home, at school, and with peers and recognising adults as behavioural models. Third, recognition and intervention were complicated by the normalisation of some adult behaviours, institutional dynamics, and barriers to disclosure and help-seeking. The findings suggest that restricting bullying primarily to peer relationships may obscure harmful relational dynamics involving adults. Broadening bullying research and prevention to consider how adults exercise power, model behaviour, and define acceptable conduct may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of bullying within children’s social environments