Controlling parenting and physical aggression during elementary school

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to examine whether controlling parenting contributes to the problem of physical aggression. Developmental trajectories of children’s physical aggression were modeled from yearly teachers’ ratings, from ages 6 to 12. Multinomial logistic regressions (N = 1,508) served to identify risk factors that distinguish children who display different levels of physical aggression throughout grade school. Results revealed that being a boy and having a reactive temperament were important child predictors. Parental separation and an early onset of motherhood were also significant risk factors. Finally, mothers’ controlling parenting increased the odds of following the highest trajectory of physical aggression, above and beyond the previous risk factors.