Parenting Styles, Prosocial, and Aggressive Behavior: The Role of Emotions in Offender and Non-offender Adolescents.

Anna Llorca,María Cristina Richaud,Elisabeth Malonda

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01246

Abstract

The aim is to analyse the parenting styles effects (acceptance, negative control and negligence) on prosociality and aggressive behavior in adolescents through the mediator variables empathy and emotional instability, and also, if this model fits to the same extent when we study adolescents institutionalized due to problems with the law and adolescents from the general population, and at the same time, if the values of the different analyzed variables are similar in both groups of adolescents. We carried out a cross-sectional study. 220 participants from schools in the metropolitan area of Valencia took part in the study. Also, 220 young offenders took part recruited from four Youth Detention Centres of Valencia, in which they were carrying out court sentences. The age of the subjects range from 15-18 years. The results indicate that the emotional variables act as mediators in general, in the non-offender adolescents, but it has been observed, in the offender adolescents, a direct effect of support on aggressive behavior in a negative way and on prosociality in a positive way; and of negligence on aggressive behavior and of permissiveness on prosociality in a negative way.

Highlights

Due to its relevance, there has been an increase in interest to research prosocial development in childhood and adolescence in recent years, in particular, as a moderator factor of aggressive behavior and as a disposition that encourages social adaptation.A large number of studies have demonstrated the importance of parenting style in the transmission of values and in the encouragement of prosocial behaviors (Carlo et al, 2010; Richaud de Minzi et al, 2011)
The three indicators of parental monitoring, that is, parental knowledge of the child’s whereabouts, the active tracking and tracing of the child’s whereabouts by parents, and child disclosure, had links to delinquency that were relatively similar in magnitude. According to these theoretical and empirical antecedents, the aim of the present study is to analyse the parenting styles effects on prosociality and aggressive behavior in adolescents through the mediator variables empathy and emotional instability, and if this model fits to the same extent when we study adolescents institutionalized due to problems with the law and adolescents from the general population, and at the same time, if the values of the analyzed variables are similar or different in both groups of adolescents
Negligence from the parents correlates in a positive way to aggressive behavior in both parents and in a negative way with empathic concern only in the case of the mother

Summary

Introduction

A large number of studies have demonstrated the importance of parenting style in the transmission of values and in the encouragement of prosocial behaviors (Carlo et al, 2010; Richaud de Minzi et al, 2011). Parental control helps to shape responsible conformity and self-control in children. The rules and guidelines parents set and enforce teach children about group and societal standards of behavior (Baumrind, 1966). Maccoby and Martin (1983), distinguish different types “styles of parenting” based on the balance between high and low levels of parental responsiveness (i.e., support) and demands (i.e., control). One of them is authoritative parents, which display high levels of both responsiveness and demands. This parents are warm, nurturing, and sensitive to their child’s

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