Cohesion and power in the families of children involved in bully victim problems at school: An Italian replication

A replication was made of the findings of Bowers et al. (1992), relating involvement of children in bully/victim problems at school with characteristics of family systems as revealed by the Family System Test (FAST), on a central Italian sample. The findings regarding father absence, structural plot: characteristics - such as use of corners and no separation of figures - and cohesion scores especially with parents, were consistent across both studies; findings relating to power scores were few and inconsistent. The main findings of the Bowers et al, study appear to be robust and generalizable.