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The Moderating Effects of Child-Perceived Parental Psychological Control on the Association between Functions of Aggression and Peer Victimization in Elementary School Children

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Abstract

The current study examined whether associations between functions of aggression (proactive and reactive) and peer victimization (physical and relational) were moderated by parental psychological control in a sample of elementary school-aged children. Analyses were based on a sample of 279 children in grades three through five. Data was collected in the fall and spring of a single academic year. Peer victimization was assessed through child- and teacher-report, and functions of aggression and parental psychological control were measured through child-report. Multiple group models, with student sex as the grouping variable, were estimated to address study hypotheses. Findings from multiple group path models revealed significant effects for boys only. For boys who reported a high level of parental psychological control, proactive aggression was a negative predictor of child-reported physical victimization. Additionally, parental psychological control moderated the association between boys’ reactive aggression and teacher-reported relational victimization. At low levels of parental psychological control, reactive aggression was a positive predictor of relational victimization whereas reactive aggression was a negative predictor of peer victimization at high levels of psychological control. Our results suggest that for boys who endorse a high level of parental psychological control, aggression is negatively associated with peer victimization. We argue that children who experience a high level of parental psychological control are more likely to apply those same strategies in their peer relationships, which makes them less likely to be targets of relational and physical victimization. This study helps inform our understanding of the role of parental psychological control in the relation between aggression and peer relationship difficulties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, 1404 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Cara M. McClain, Sam Manring & L. Christian Elledge

  2. Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Ave, Dole 2015, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Andrew L. Frazer & Paula J. Fite

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  1. Cara M. McClain
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Cara M. McClain, Sam Manring, Andrew L. Frazer, L. Christian Elledge, and Paula J. Fite declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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This work was supported by the University of Kansas. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This project was approved by the University Institutional Review Board, and written parental consent and child assent were obtained for all participating children prior to study participation.

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McClain, C.M., Manring, S., Frazer, A.L. et al. The Moderating Effects of Child-Perceived Parental Psychological Control on the Association between Functions of Aggression and Peer Victimization in Elementary School Children. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 42, 281–295 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09771-w

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