Executive functions, parental punishment, and aggression: Direct and moderated relations

Abstract

The main focus of the current study was to assess whether executive functions (EFs) moderate the effect of parental punishment on adolescent aggression. The sample were 370 participants (53% girls, 47% boys) enrolled at secondary and higher secondary levels and ranged in age between 13-19 years (M = 15.5, SD = 1.3). Participants were assessed on a self-report measure of aggression and two punishment measures, in addition to a demographic sheet. Then, they were individually assessed on four tests taken from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System (D-KEFS) namely Trial Making Test (TMT), Design Fluency Test (DFT), Color Word Interference Test (CWIT), and Card Sorting Test (CST) to assess cognitive flexibility, nonverbal fluency, inhibition, and problem-solving ability, respectively. Correlation coefficients indicated that all four executive functioning measures and the two punishment measures were significantly correlated with aggression. Moderation analysis indicated that all EFs moderated the relationship between physical punishment and aggression, and only inhibition and problem-solving ability, but not cognitive flexibility and nonverbal fluency, moderated the relations between symbolic punishment and aggression. The findings support the hypothesis that EFs are protective personal factors that promote healthy adolescent adjustment in the presence of challenging environmental factors.

A Cluster Analysis of Neuropsychological Impairment in Borderline Personality Disorder: Identifying a Neurocognitive Subtype Linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

“…However, no significant differences were observed between both clusters in this type of behaviours. This contradicts the existing literature, which establishes how these types of behaviours are due to a global impairment of EF mainly, in addition to a deficit in visual memory in the case of self-injurious behaviours (Fatima and Sharif 2017;Kaplan et al 2020). The differences found between our work and previous studies could give greater importance to the EF role of cognitive flexibility, present in both groups, along with memory, in this type of behaviours.…”

“…Specifically, the impulsive-aggressive behaviour characteristic of BPD patients has been related to a global impairment of EF, being associated with worse performance in tasks of cognitive flexibility, planning, working memory and response inhibition (Fatima and Sharif 2017;Molavi et al 2020). Also, the emotional dysregulation observed in these patients has been related to a deficit in the EF of cognitive flexibility and working memory, especially when emotional instability appears in interpersonal conflicts and in the most obsessive and mentally rigid patient profiles (Zegarra-Valdivia and Vilca 2019).…”

Aggressive behavior during toddlerhood: Interrelated effects of prenatal risk factors, negative affect, and cognition

“…The aforementioned cognitive abilities might serve as moderators between environmental risk and behavioral outcomes: in case of high early life risk, poor cognitive abilities might increase the risk of externalizing behavior problems, while good cognitive abilities could protect against the development of externalizing behavior problems (Masten, 2001). Whereas a number of studies show support for interactions between inhibitory control and parenting as a potential environmental risk factor in the prediction of externalizing behavior problems (Fatima & Sharif, 2017;van Aken et al, 2007;Yu et al, 2018), only one study used a cumulative risk index. Here, it was found that low inhibitory control and low attention both strengthened the positive relation between number of risk factors and a combined score of internalizing and externalizing problems (Lengua, 2002).…”

Posebnosti Roditeljskog Ponašanja Prema Djetetu S Poremećajem Iz Spektra Autizma (Psa) S Obzirom Na Njegovu Dob

“…Osobito težak oblik simboličkog kažnjavanja za dijete može biti uskraćivanje pažnje i topline, ignoriranje i sl. (Fatima i Sharif, 2016;Bilić i Bilić, 2013). Ovih je sedam odrednica, zbog učinkovitije operacionalizacije, objedinjeno u tri globalne dimenzije (roditeljska podrška, restriktivna kontrola i popustljivost), o čemu će biti govora u poglavlju o mjernim instrumentima.…”