Interviews with more than 1,400 teens revealed that those subjected to derisive parenting were more likely to develop dysregulated anger, which is often a sign of difficulty controlling emotions and puts teenagers at a higher risk for both bullying and for becoming bully victims. Study senior author Dr. Daniel Dickson writes, “Implications from our study are farreaching: Practitioners and parents should be informed of the potential long-term costs of sometimes seemingly harmless parenting behaviors such as belittlement and sarcasm… Parents must be reminded of their influence on adolescents’ emotions and should take steps to ensure that adolescents do not feel ridiculed at home.”

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, July 2019