Parenting and childhood aggression in the Chinese context: An examination of parental responses, physical coercion and warmth

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Abstract

Parental response, physical coercion and warmth and their relationships with childhood aggression were assessed with 277 children (142 boys; M age = 56.5 months, SD = 10.93 months) in Hong Kong. Results indicated that both fathers and mothers reported significantly more intervention strategies in response to hypothetical vignettes of physical aggression than relational aggression. Both fathers’ and mothers’ self-reported physical coercion was positively correlated with boys’ and girls’ composite scores of physical and relational aggression as reported by teachers, fathers and mothers, whereas fathers’ self-reported warmth was associated with a lower level of physical and relational aggression in boys. Furthermore, maternal warmth moderated the association between physical coercion and girls’ relational aggression. Findings suggest that parents’ normative beliefs regarding relational aggression should be challenged and the general acceptability of parental control in the Chinese context does not necessarily imply the absence of a link with childhood aggression. Copyright © 2017 TACTYC.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)36-50
JournalEarly Years: An International Research Journal
Volume39
Issue number1
Early online dateJul 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Citation

Lau, E. Y. H. (2019). Parenting and childhood aggression in the Chinese context: An examination of parental responses, physical coercion and warmth. Early Years: An International Research Journal, 39(1), 36-50. doi: 10.1080/09575146.2017.1344195

Keywords

  • Intervention strategies
  • Physical coercion
  • Parental warmth
  • Relational aggression
  • Physical aggression

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