Parenting Practices as Mediators of the Effect of Mothers' Community Violence Exposure on Young Children's Aggressive Behavior

Abstract

The authors analyzed data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to investigate the direct and indirect effects of mothers' community violence exposure on young children's aggressive behavior. The findings indicate that mothers' community violence exposure was positively associated with psychologically and physically aggressive parenting and child aggression. Aggressive parenting practices were positively related to child aggression, and partially mediated the effect of mothers' violence exposure on child aggressive behaviors.