Differential associations between maternal and paternal parenting and physical and relational aggression

Abstract

A large number of studies have demonstrated that negative parenting is associated with greater levels of aggression (relational and physical) among school-age children in Western cultures. However, the investigation of this association for children in non-Western cultures is still in its infancy. The present study examines the associations between maternal and paternal parenting behaviours (conflict with the child, physical aggression toward the child and relational aggression toward the child) and forms of aggression, and explores gender differences in these associations among Japanese boys and girls. The participants were 130 fifth and sixth graders (age range: 10 to 12). Children reported maternal and paternal parenting behaviours, and classroom teachers assessed children's relational and physical aggression. Results show that boys and girls had more conflict, more relationally aggressive parenting experiences and more intimate relationships with their mothers than their fathers. Further, after controlling for grade and gender, greater maternal (but not paternal) relational aggression was associated with more peer-oriented relational aggression for boys only and more peer-oriented physical aggression for boys and girls. Greater paternal (but not maternal) conflict was predictive of more peer-oriented physical aggression for boys and girls. The direction and strength of the associations between parenting behaviours and forms of aggression may be contingent upon the gender of the parent and the child. The findings are discussed from cultural, developmental and social perspectives, and implications for future research are discussed.

Exploring the relationship between paternal co‐parenting behaviors and cyberbullying perpetration in Chinese adolescents: The moderating roles of psychological entitlement and gender

“…Fathers, as role models, may exert a stronger impact on boys, who may witness and experience their fathers' behaviors more directly. The association between negative paternal parenting behaviors and boys' physical attacks (Kawabata & Crick, 2016), as suggested by previous research, further supports the gender-specific influence of paternal co-parenting bias. Researchers exploring the association between paternal coparenting and adolescent cyberbullying perpetration should consider the gender of adolescents, recognizing the differential impact on boys and girls.…”

Parental Corporal Punishment and Peer Victimization in Middle Childhood: A Sex-Moderated Mediation Model of Aggression

“…Finally, although the association between negative parenting and children's physical aggression has been well-documented, the influence of adverse parenting on the development of relational aggression has been less studied (Kawabata and Crick, 2016). Some researchers have analyzed the association between physical punishment and a global measurement including both physical and relational aggression (Söderberg et al, 2016), and several studies have found that parenting characterized by psychological control increases children's relational aggression (Kawabata et al, 2011;Kuppens et al, 2013).…”