Anger Inhibition Moderates the Link Between Parental Psychological Control and Peer Victimization

Abstract

Studies examining the link between psychological control and peer victimization are limited. The current study extends knowledge of the role of parental psychological control in predicting children's experiences of peer victimization by longitudinally evaluating the moderating role of emotion inhibition. Gender differences in this effect were also examined. Third-grade and fourth-grade students (N = 177) completed measures at baseline and a 1-year follow-up that assessed demographics, peer victimization, parental psychological control, and anger and sadness inhibition. Parental psychological control predicted peer victimization over a 1-year period, and this relation depended on levels of anger inhibition. That is, at high levels of anger inhibition (+1 SD), parental psychological control showed no associations with peer victimization over time, whereas, at low levels of anger inhibition (−1 SD), parental psychological control was associated with increases in peer victimization. Results were similar across gender. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. Peer victimization is a complex problem involving several social influences (Vernberg & Biggs, 2010). At the family level, for example, research on the association between particular parenting styles and peer victimization has yielded consistent findings. Specifically, supportive and authoritative