Neighborhood Danger, Parental Monitoring, Harsh Parenting, and Child Aggression in Nine Countries.

Ann T Skinner ,Concetta Pastorelli,Lei Chang,Paul Oburu,Sombat Tapanya,Dario Bacchini,Arnaldo Zelli,Emma Sorbring,Jennifer Godwin,Anna Silvia Bombi ,Liane Peña Alampay ,Maria Concetta Miranda ,Marc H Bornstein ,Laura Di Giunta ,Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado ,Patrick S Malone ,Kenneth A Dodge ,Kirby Deater‐Deckard ,Suha M Al‐Hassan ,Jennifer E Lansford

doi:10.3390/soc4010045

Abstract

Exposure to neighborhood danger during childhood has negative effects that permeate multiple dimensions of childhood. The current study examined whether mothers’, fathers’, and children's perceptions of neighborhood danger are related to child aggression, whether parental monitoring moderates this relation, and whether harsh parenting mediates this relation. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 1,293 children (age M = 10.68, SD = .66; 51% girls) and their mothers (n = 1,282) and fathers (n = 1,075) in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States). Perceptions of greater neighborhood danger were associated with more child aggression in all nine countries according to mothers’ and fathers’ reports and in five of the nine countries according to children's reports. Parental monitoring did not moderate the relation between perception of neighborhood danger and child aggression. The mediating role of harsh parenting was inconsistent across countries and reporters. Implications for further research are discussed, and include examination of more specific aspects of parental monitoring as well as more objective measures of neighborhood danger.

Highlights

Childhood exposure to community violence has a negative impact on child adjustment
We examined whether parental monitoring moderated the relation between neighborhood danger and child aggression by including the interaction between the parental monitoring and danger scales
The relation between exposure to neighborhood danger and child aggressive behavior has been well documented in the United States, but this is the first study to examine this relation across such a wide range of diverse countries and informants

Summary

Introduction

Childhood exposure to community violence has a negative impact on child adjustment. Samples drawn primarily from urban areas in the United States link exposure to community violence with children’s internalizing symptoms [1], academic difficulties [2] and aggressive behavior [3,4,5]. Similar links between community violence exposure and child behavior problems have been found in other countries as well [7,8]. Research on children’s exposure to community violence focused on identifying prevalence rates and documenting direct effects. Recent research has begun to examine mediators and moderators of links between exposure to community violence and child adjustment, aggression [9]

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Conclusion