Bivariate Growth of Perceived Containment and Functions of Aggression Over 2 Years

Perceived containment is the belief that one can be controlled by the limits set by authority figures, with low levels of perceived containment indicating that one does not believe they can be controlled by others. Low levels of perceived containment have been associated with a range of problem behaviors in youth, including proactive and reactive aggression. However, the stability of perceived containment across time and authority figures in middle childhood is not well understood. Additionally, more research is needed to understand how perceived containment is associated with the trajectories of related problem behavior, such as proactive and reactive functions of aggression. Thus, the current study evaluated univariate and bivariate growth trajectories of perceived containment and proactive and reactive aggression across 2 years in middle childhood. Participants were 249 elementary school youth (41% female, 7–10 years old). Children self-reported on perceived containment and proactive and reactive aggression at 4 time points across a two-year period. Results indicated that perceived containment and proactive aggression remained stable, while reactive aggression increased over a two-year period. Bivariate models indicated that perceived containment was negatively associated with the latent intercept of proactive and reactive aggression; however, perceived containment was not significantly associated with growth of reactive aggression. Findings and implications for treatment and prevention are discussed in turn.