Reciprocal influences between maternal discipline techniques and aggression in children and adolescents

Abstract

Most studies assessing the link between parental discipline and child aggression have focused primarily on discipline as a cause and aggression as an outcome. In addition to the pathway from discipline to aggression, however, aggressive behavior on the part of the child may lead to future use of discipline by the parent. In this study, structural equation modeling was used to assess reciprocal influences over time between a mothers' use of discipline and aggression in children. Data were drawn from the Springfield Child Development Project, a longitudinal study of middle childhood and adolescence, focusing on antecedents of aggression. The original sample consisted of 440 mother-child dyads living in the city of Springfield, MA. Children in the sample were between 7 and 14 years of age at the first data collection period and between 12 and 19 years of age at the final data collection period. Four hypotheses were tested: (1) a mother's use of aggressive discipline predicts an increase in later child aggression, (2) child aggression predicts an increase in later use of aggressive discipline, (3) the use of reasoning predicts a decrease in later child aggression, and (4) child aggression predicts an increase in later use of reasoning. All hypotheses except number 3 were supported to some degree. Results suggest that children's early aggressive behavior leads to an increase in their mothers' use of both reasoning and aggressive discipline; in turn, increased use of aggressive discipline leads to an increase in aggression during both childhood and adolescence.

The Impact of Maternal Depressive Symptoms on Adolescents’ Aggression: Role of Parenting and Family Mediators

“…This theory is supported by research indicating that depressed mothers are more likely to use inconsistent, lax, avoidant and ineffective discipline practices (e.g., Gelfand and Teti 1990). Parenting practices, including discipline practices, level of supervision, and parental support, have in turn been linked to aggressive and problem behaviors among youth (Sheehan and Watson 2008). More direct support for this theory is provided by studies showing that parenting practices, such as inconsistent discipline practices, parental nurturance, parental rejection, and low parental monitoring, mediate the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents' aggression (e.g., Barry et al 2009;Elgar et al 2007).…”

Associations between Maternal Physical Discipline and Peer Victimization among Hong Kong Chinese Children: The Moderating Role of Child Aggression

“…Alternatively, children's aggression may be placing them at risk for mistreatment at home and at school. Aggressive children are more likely to evoke more punitive discipline from their parents, and are more likely to be targeted for victimization by their peers (Dodge 1991;Eisenberg and Fabes 1992;Hubbard and Coie 1994;Sheehan and Watson 2008).…”

“…Faced with challenging behavior from their children, some parents respond with punitive discipline and coercive control strategies. Indeed, children's aggression has been shown to predict increases in mothers' use of harsh punishment over time (Sheehan and Watson 2008). These same children are also likely to provoke mistreatment from their peers with their disruptive, off-task behavior.…”

Perception Differences in Violence against Child

“…It will be effective in providing common perception in society if people are educated about not to use violence and how the violence affects the other people. It is a very well-known truth that children who were abused in their childhoods especially by their parents would behave violently in future and tendency to aggression is high [19][20][21][22][23][24]. By these reasons, it is an obligation to provide unity and improve awareness of society not to accept violence as it is a natural notion and to prevent children who were abused in their childhoods to become violence applicators in future.…”