Childhood Physical Aggression Research Articles

Prospective Links Between Friendship and Early Physical Aggression: Preliminary Evidence Supporting the Role of Friendship Quality Through a Dyadic Intervention

Positive friendships have been related to decreasing levels of children's physical aggression over time. While this evidence calls for interventions aimed at helping children build good-quality friendships, tests of causality through experimental manipulations are still needed. The goal of this study was to examine whether an intervention aimed to increase dyadic friendship quality could decrease children's physical aggression at the peer-group level over a school year. A total of 34 aggressive children and each child's best friend were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental condition where the members in each dyad participated together in 12 weekly intervention sessions and a no-intervention control condition. Multiple sources were used to evaluate changes in friendship quality and children's physical aggression. Results showed an indirect effect of the intervention on decreasing levels of physical aggression through the improvement of one specific feature of friendship quality: conflict resolution. These results point to the usefulness of including this relational aspect in intervention programs targeting aggressive children.

Costs and benefits of children's physical and relational aggression trajectories on peer rejection, acceptance, and friendships: Variations by aggression subtypes, gender, and age.

This study examined the associations between children's co-occurring relational and physical aggression trajectories and their peer relations (i.e., peer rejection, peer acceptance, and reciprocated friendships) from late childhood (Grade 4; Mage = 10.0) to early adolescence (Grade 8; Mage = 13.9). Using a sample of 477 children (240 girls), the findings indicated there were multiple heterogeneous subgroups of children who followed distinct co-occurring aggression trajectories. For each of these subgroups, multiple indices of their relational development were assessed and findings revealed notable group differences. These results have implications about the potential costs and benefits of aggression, and how its associations with children's peer relationships may vary as a function of aggression subtype, developmental timing, and gender.

Childhood physical abuse and aggression: Shame and narcissistic vulnerability

This study examined narcissistic vulnerability and shame-proneness as potential mediators between childhood physical abuse (CPA) and adult anger and aggression. Participants were 400 undergraduate students, 134 of whom had a history of CPA. All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing history of CPA, shame-proneness, narcissistic vulnerability, physical aggression, trait anger, and hostility. Results indicated abused participants were more angry and aggressive and experienced higher levels of shame-proneness and narcissistic vulnerability than nonabused participants. Multiple mediation analyses showed that narcissistic vulnerability, but not shame-proneness, partially mediated the relation between abuse and physical aggression. However, narcissistic vulnerability and shame-proneness both emerged as partial mediators between abuse and the anger and hostility variables. These findings suggest that narcissistic vulnerability and shame-proneness may function as mediators of adjustment following childhood maltreatment. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Evaluating the Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Neglect, Interpersonal Hostile-Dominance, and Aggression in Psychiatric Hospitals

This study examined whether interpersonal hostile-dominance (HD) mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and aggression in 200 psychiatric inpatients (M age = 38.32 years, 66% male). Childhood emotional (50.5%), physical (42.0%), and sexual (42.0%) abuse, and emotional (46.5%) and physical (41.0%) neglect of moderate to extreme severity was reported. More severe emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and physical neglect in childhood were associated with higher HD. Higher levels of HD and all forms of childhood abuse and neglect were associated with aggression; HD mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical neglect and aggression. Findings highlight the high prevalence of childhood trauma in adult psychiatric inpatients. Further, childhood trauma contributes to HD, which increases the risk of aggression.

Measuring Effortful Control Using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire–Very Short Form: Modeling Matters

abstractEffortful control (EC) is an important concept in the research on self-regulation in children. We tested 2 alternative factor models of EC as measured by the Children's Behavior Questionnaire–Very Short Form (CBQ–VSF; Putnam & Rothbart, 2006) in a large sample of preschoolers (N = 1,007): 1 lower order and 1 hierarchical second-order structure. Additionally, convergent and predictive validity of EC as measured by the CBQ–VSF were investigated. The results supported a hierarchical model. Moderate convergent validity of the second-order latent EC factor was found in that it correlated with compliance and observed EC tasks. Both CBQ–VSF EC measures were also negatively correlated with child physical aggression. The results have implications for the measurement, modeling, and interpretation of EC applying the CBQ.

Media Violence Exposure and Physical Aggression in Fifth-Grade Children

ObjectiveTo examine the association of media violence exposure and physical aggression in fifth graders across 3 media types. MethodsWe analyzed data from a population-based, cross-sectional survey of 5,147 fifth graders and their parents in 3 US metropolitan areas. We used multivariable linear regression and report partial correlation coefficients to examine associations between children's exposure to violence in television/film, video games, and music (reported time spent consuming media and reported frequency of violent content: physical fighting, hurting, shooting, or killing) and the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale. ResultsChild-reported media violence exposure was associated with physical aggression after multivariable adjustment for sociodemographics, family and community violence, and child mental health symptoms (partial correlation coefficients: TV, 0.17; video games, 0.15; music, 0.14). This association was significant and independent for television, video games, and music violence exposure in a model including all 3 media types (partial correlation coefficients: TV, 0.11; video games, 0.09; music, 0.09). There was a significant positive interaction between media time and media violence for video games and music but not for television. Effect sizes for the association of media violence exposure and physical aggression were greater in magnitude than for most of the other examined variables. ConclusionsThe association between physical aggression and media violence exposure is robust and persistent; the strength of this association of media violence may be at least as important as that of other factors with physical aggression in children, such as neighborhood violence, home violence, child mental health, and male gender.

Parent-to-child physical aggression, neighborhood cohesion, and development of children's internalizing and externalizing

Taking a risk and resilience approach, this study examined (1) whether child age moderates the association between exposure to parent–child physical aggression (PCPA) and initial levels and growth in internalizing and externalizing problems, and (2) whether neighborhood social cohesion is a protective factor for children who experience PCPA. Data came from 2810 caregivers of children aged 3–15 who participated in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Multilevel growth models showed that age moderated PCPA's association with internalizing problems, such that the association was stronger in older children than in younger children. Age also moderated PCPA's association with externalizing problems, such that the association was stronger in younger children than in older children. Neighborhood cohesion partially attenuated the association between PCPA and internalizing but only for older children; living in a neighborhood characterized by high cohesion mitigated levels of internalizing for maltreated children aged 11years and older.

Parenting, relational aggression, and borderline personality features: associations over time in a Russian longitudinal sample.

Crick, Murray-Close, and Woods (2005) encouraged the study of relational aggression as a developmental precursor to borderline personality features in children and adolescents. A longitudinal study is needed to more fully explore this association, to contrast potential associations with physical aggression, and to assess generalizability across various cultural contexts. In addition, parenting is of particular interest in the prediction of aggression or borderline personality disorder. Early aggression and parenting experiences may differ in their long-term prediction of aggression or borderline features, which may have important implications for early intervention. The currrent study incorporated a longitudinal sample of preschool children (84 boys, 84 girls) living in intact, two-parent biological households in Voronezh, Russia. Teachers provided ratings of children's relational and physical aggression in preschool. Mothers and fathers also self-reported their engagement in authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and psychological controlling forms of parenting with their preschooler. A decade later, 70.8% of the original child participants consented to a follow-up study in which they completed self-reports of relational and physical aggression and borderline personality features. The multivariate results of this study showed that preschool relational aggression in girls predicted adolescent relational aggression. Preschool aversive parenting (i.e., authoritarian, permissive, and psychologically controlling forms) significantly predicted aggression and borderline features in adolescent females. For adolescent males, preschool authoritative parenting served as a protective factor against aggression and borderline features, whereas authoritarian parenting was a risk factor for later aggression.

Predicting borderline personality disorder symptoms in adolescents from childhood physical and relational aggression, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Developmental cascade models linking childhood physical and relational aggression with symptoms of depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; assessed at ages 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14) to borderline personality disorder (BPD) features (assessed at age 14) were examined in a community sample of 484 youth. Results indicated that, when controlling for within-time covariance and across-time stability in the examination of cross-lagged relations among study variables, BPD features at age 14 were predicted by childhood relational aggression and symptoms of depression for boys, and physical and relational aggression, symptoms of depression, and symptoms of ADHD for girls. Moreover, for boys BPD features were predicted from age 10 ADHD through age 12 depression, whereas for girls the pathway to elevated BPD features at age 14 was from depression at age 10 through physical aggression symptoms at age 12. Controlling for earlier associations among variables, we found that for girls the strongest predictor of BPD features at age 14 was physical aggression, whereas for boys all the risk indicators shared a similar predictive impact. This study adds to the growing literature showing that physical and relational aggression ought to be considered when examining early precursors of BPD features.

The persistence of early childhood physical aggression: Examining maternal delinquency and offending, mental health, and cultural differences

PurposeTo examine the persistence of physical aggression in preschoolers and associated correlates (i.e., socio-demographic, socioeconomic, criminality, parenting practices, maternal mental health). MethodsOne-year follow-ups are completed with 240 mothers and their preschool children (boys and girls) from the Vancouver Longitudinal Study on the Psychosocial Development of Children. A series of structural equation models are examined. ResultsMaternal psychological symptoms, juvenile delinquency, and adult offending are associated with higher levels of physical aggression in their offspring. Children of non-Caucasian mothers and those born outside of North are less physically aggressive. Cultural differences in the correlates of physical aggression were identified. ConclusionsMaternal past delinquency, current adult offending, and mental health are important factors in the development of children’s physical aggression. The findings suggest that there are multiple pathways leading to chronic physical aggression, which may be culturally-based. Cultural differences should be taken into account when developing programs and intervening with families of children with behavioral problems.

Family predictors of continuity and change in social and physical aggression from ages 9 to 18.

This research examined developmental trajectories for social and physical aggression for a sample followed from age 9 to 18, and investigated possible family predictors of following different trajectory groups. Participants were 158 girls and 138 boys, their teachers, and their parents (21% African American, 5.3% Asian, 51.6% Caucasian, and 21% Hispanic). Teachers rated children's social and physical aggression yearly in grades 3-12. Participants' parent (83% mothers) reported on family income, conflict strategies, and maternal authoritarian and permissive parenting styles. The results suggested that both social and physical aggression decline slightly from middle childhood through late adolescence. Using a dual trajectory model, group-based mixture modeling revealed three trajectory groups for both social and physical aggression: low-, medium-, and high-desisting for social aggression, and stably-low, stably-medium, and high-desisting for physical aggression. Membership in higher trajectory groups was predicted by being from a single-parent family, and having a parent high on permissiveness. Being male was related to both elevated physical aggression trajectories and the medium-desisting social aggression trajectory. Negative interparental conflict strategies did not predict social or physical aggression trajectories when permissive parenting was included in the model. Permissive parenting in middle childhood predicted following higher social aggression trajectories across many years, which suggests that parents setting fewer limits on children's behaviors may have lasting consequences for their peer relations. Future research should examine transactional relations between parenting styles and practices and aggression to understand the mechanisms that may contribute to changes in involvement in social and physical aggression across childhood and adolescence.

Profiles of Maternal Parenting Practices: Exploring the Link With Maternal Delinquency, Offending, Mental Health, and Children's Physical Aggression.

Studies have often linked parenting to children's subsequent antisocial behavior; however, the circumstances under which this might occur are less clear. The current study explores patterns in mothers' parenting practices, and associated correlates including maternal delinquency and offending, mental health, and children's physical aggression. This study is based on the first wave of the ongoing Vancouver Longitudinal Study; the objective of this prospective study is to identify the early risk and protective factors for aggression and violence from the earliest developmental periods. Parenting practices of 287 mothers with preschoolers are examined using a series of latent class analyses. Three different patterns of parenting emerged: Positive, Negative, and Intermittent. Patterns identified are associated with several key criminogenic, socio-demographic, historical, and developmental factors including current maternal adult offending, mothers' mental health, ethnicity, and frequency of children's physical aggression. Importantly, mothers who show parenting in line with the more negative classes also rely on a number of positive practices. Implications of the study suggest that parenting is influenced by mothers' immediate situations and contexts (e.g., current offending rather that past delinquency), which can be targeted for intervention.

Child Adjustment Following Parental Separation: The Role of Maternal Well-Being, Parenting Quality, and Household Income

This study explored the role of parental and environmental factors in the relationship between parental separation and child vulnerabilities. Participants were from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, including 358 children from separated families and 1,065 children from non-separated families. Results demonstrated that parental separation was associated with higher levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity in children over and beyond what was accounted for by child gender, maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety, parenting quality, and household income. However, parental separation no longer predicted child anxiety and physical aggression once these parental and environmental variables were controlled. Results highlight the importance of considering the quality of the family environment as more predictive of child outcomes than parental separation per se.

Can a Family-Focused, Transition-to-Parenthood Program Prevent Parent and Partner Aggression Among Couples With Young Children?

The need for prevention of children's exposure to family aggression is clear, yet studies have not examined effects of family based programs on both partner and parent-child aggression. This study examined moderated effects of an 8-session psychoeducational program for couples on partner psychological aggression and parent-child physical aggression when the child was 3 years old. A community sample of 169 expectant couples was randomized to intervention and control conditions. Significant program effects indicated reduced partner psychological aggression by fathers and reduced parent-child physical aggression by mothers for couples with frequent preprogram partner psychological aggression and reduced partner psychological aggression by fathers for couples with severe preprogram partner physical aggression. Efforts to prevent children's exposure to family aggression may most benefit couples exhibiting preprogram relationship risk.

Differential DNA Methylation Regions in Cytokine and Transcription Factor Genomic Loci Associate with Childhood Physical Aggression

BackgroundAnimal and human studies suggest that inflammation is associated with behavioral disorders including aggression. We have recently shown that physical aggression of boys during childhood is strongly associated with reduced plasma levels of cytokines IL-1α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, later in early adulthood. This study tests the hypothesis that there is an association between differential DNA methylation regions in cytokine genes in T cells and monocytes DNA in adult subjects and a trajectory of physical aggression from childhood to adolescence.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe compared the methylation profiles of the entire genomic loci encompassing the IL-1α, IL-6, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-8 and three of their regulatory transcription factors (TF) NFkB1, NFAT5 and STAT6 genes in adult males on a chronic physical aggression trajectory (CPA) and males with the same background who followed a normal physical aggression trajectory (control group) from childhood to adolescence. We used the method of methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with comprehensive cytokine gene loci and TF loci microarray hybridization, statistical analysis and false discovery rate correction. We found differentially methylated regions to associate with CPA in both the cytokine loci as well as in their transcription factors loci analyzed. Some of these differentially methylated regions were located in known regulatory regions whereas others, to our knowledge, were previously unknown as regulatory areas. However, using the ENCODE database, we were able to identify key regulatory elements in many of these regions that indicate that they might be involved in the regulation of cytokine expression.ConclusionsWe provide here the first evidence for an association between differential DNA methylation in cytokines and their regulators in T cells and monocytes and male physical aggression.

Childhood Hyperactivity, Physical Aggression and Criminality: A 19-Year Prospective Population-Based Study

BackgroundResearch shows that children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder are at elevated risk of criminality. However, several issues still need to be addressed in order to verify whether hyperactivity in itself plays a role in the prediction of criminality. In particular, co-occurrence with other behaviors as well as the internal heterogeneity in ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity and inattention) should be taken into account. The aim of this study was to assess the unique and interactive contributions of hyperactivity to the development of criminality, whilst considering inattention, physical aggression and family adversity.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe monitored the development of a population-based sample of kindergarten children (N = 2,741). Hyperactivity, inattention, and physical aggression were assessed annually between the ages of 6 and 12 years by mothers and teachers. Information on the presence, the age at first charge and the type of criminal charge was obtained from official records when the participants were aged 25 years. We used survival analysis models to predict the development of criminality in adolescence and adulthood: high childhood hyperactivity was highly predictive when bivariate analyses were used; however, with multivariate analyses, high hyperactivity was only marginally significant (Hazard Ratio: 1.38; 95% CI: 0.94–2.02). Sensitivity analyses revealed that hyperactivity was not a consistent predictor. High physical aggression was strongly predictive (Hazard Ratio: 3.44; 95% CI: 2.43–4.87) and its role was consistent in sensitivity analyses and for different types of crime. Inattention was not predictive of later criminality.Conclusions/SignificanceAlthough the contribution of childhood hyperactivity to criminality may be detected in large samples using multi-informant longitudinal designs, our results show that it is not a strong predictor of later criminality. Crime prevention should instead target children with the highest levels of childhood physical aggression and family adversity.

Physical and relational aggression in young children: the role of mother–child interactional synchrony

This study examined the relationships between the quality of parent–child interactions, specifically interactional synchrony (IS), and physical and relational aggression in young children. Seventy-three children (3–6 years; 44 males, 29 females) and their mothers participated in this study. The children's level of aggression was assessed through questionnaires completed by their mothers and teachers/caregivers. Mother–child dyads engaged in a free play task and a structured task that were coded for IS. The level of IS only in the free play task, but not in the structured block task predicted children's parent-rated physical aggression levels, with lower levels of IS predicting more aggression. No significant sex differences were found in the levels of IS, physical or relational aggression. The findings are helpful for better understanding of parent–child relationships and problem behaviours and for making intervention recommendations.

Physical aggression in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Aggression is a clinically significant problem for many children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, there have been few large-scale studies addressing this issue. The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of physical aggression in a sample of 1584 children and adolescents with ASD enrolled in the Autism Treatment Network. The prevalence of aggression was 53%, with highest prevalence among young children. Aggression was significantly associated with a number of clinical features, including self-injury, sleep problems, sensory problems, GI problems, communication and social functioning. In multivariate models, self-injury, sleep problems, and sensory problems were most strongly associated with aggression. The results indicate that aggression is markedly prevalent, and clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Age-dependent effect of the MAOA gene on childhood physical aggression

Age-dependent effect of the MAOA gene on childhood physical aggression

Peer Relationship Adversities and Children’s Aggression During Late Childhood: The Mediating Roles of Self-conception and Peer Beliefs

The development and control of childhood aggression have been among topics that received the most attentions from researchers for more than half a century,and in research on aggression,exploration of the correlated risk factors and mechanisms of aggression is one of the most important tasks.Research indicated that peer rejection and peer victimization,forms of peer relationship adversities,were predictive of children's aggression.There are correlations between peer rejection and victimization,so in investigating associations between peer relationship adversities and children's aggression,it is important to include both the two forms of peer relationship adversities in the statistical models so that the unique associations may be tested.There are physical and relational forms in both aggression and peer victimization,and recent theoretical perspectives recognize the specificity of associations between certain types of peer experience and children's adjustment.Accordingly,research on the associations between peer victimization and aggression should take both of the two forms of victimization and aggression into consideration,so as to examine whether there are type specificity in associations between victimization and aggression.As there are associations between peer relationship adversities and children's aggression,then,we would like to ask which factors and mechanisms are involved in these associations.According to the social information processing(SIP) model,not only deficits in SIP steps but also social knowledge play a role in the development of children's aggression.The existing studies have examined the mediating roles of SIP steps in the association between peer rejection or victimization and children's aggression,but little is known about the possibly mediating role of children's social knowledge such as the self-peer representation in the association between peer relationship adversity and aggression.The current study was to explore the association between both types of peer relationship adversity(pee rejection and victimization) and the development of children's aggression,the mediating roles of children's self-peer representation in the association,and the gender differences in the associations mentioned above.1806 children of grade 5(mean age 11.27+0.36 years old) from 40 classes of 14 primary schools in Jinan,a city in mid-east China,were investigated.The participants finished a self-reported questionnaire on experience of peer victimization,the physical self-conception and social acceptance subscales of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children,and a peer belief inventory.Peer rejection was obtained through peer nomination,and physical aggression and relational aggression were assessed through peer rating.All of the measures showed good reliability.Significant correlations existed between the two forms of peer relationship adversity,children's aggression,and self-conception and peer belief except for that between peer rejection and children's physical self-conception.Latent structure equation modeling revealed significant prediction of peer rejection and relational victimization on children's physical aggression and relational aggression,and significant prediction of physical victimization on physical aggression.Children's physical self-conception,social self-conception and peer belief mediated the associations between peer rejection,peer victimization and aggression.These results indicated that,there was mainly a direct effect from peer rejection to both types of aggression,and specificity of associations between certain types of victimization and aggression.