TY - JOUR
PY - 2019//
TI - Adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression: the role of father violence and maternal parenting style
JO - Child abuse and neglect
A1 - Zhang, Li
A1 - Cai, Chen
A1 - Wang, Zhuo
A1 - Tao, Mingda
A1 - Liu, Xudong
A1 - Craig, Wendy
SP - e104229
EP - e104229
VL - 98
IS -
N2 - BACKGROUND: Adolescent-to-parent psychological aggression is often a precursor to physical aggression toward their parents. Recently, there have been 4 high-profile matricide cases that happened in China. To date, there is limited research in Confucian filial piety culture on child-to-parent psychological aggression, especially toward the mother who is overwhelming the target of children's aggression.
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to explore the prevalence of adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression and examine the role of father violence and maternal parenting style in contributing to these behaviors in Confucian filial piety culture.
METHODS: Participants were 1134 students from 7 to 12 grade (M = 14 years, SD = 1.5) in Qingdao located in Shandong Province in east side of China where the Confucian Culture began. The instruments used were a demographics questionnaire, adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression questionnaire, father's violent behavior questionnaire and maternal parenting style questionnaire.
RESULTS: Two types of adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression were assessed: contempt and rebellion. The prevalence of adolescent-to-mother contempt and rebellion was 30.7% and 18.7%, respectively.
RESULTS from multiple regression analyses indicated that father's conflict with grandparents, maternal control and over-protection were positively associated with adolescent's contempt for mother. Parents divorced, father's conflict with grandparents, father-to-mother physical violence and maternal rejection were positively associated with adolescent's rebellion against mother. Maternal emotional warmth was negatively associated with adolescent's contempt and rebellion against mother.
CONCLUSION: Adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression occurs within a broader family context of violence and disharmony. Observational learning of father's conflict with grandparents or violent behaviors toward mother maybe the mechanism of violence passing from generations. However, maternal emotional warmth buffered the negative association between father's conflict with grandparents and adolescent's contempt for mother. But maternal control and over-protection exacerbated the positive relationships between father's conflict with grandparents and adolescent's contempt for mother.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0145-2134 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104229 ID - ref1 ER -