Examining effortful control as a moderator in the association of negative parenting and aggression among Hong Kong Chinese preschoolers

Examining effortful control as a moderator in the association of negative parenting and aggression among Hong Kong Chinese preschoolers

• Lau, Yi Hung Eva The Education University of Hong Kong
• Chang, Lei University of Macau
• Casas, Juan F. University of Nebraska at Omaha

Early Education and Development, 2022

Routledge

2022

• A Human Growth & Development
  • AF Family & Development, Family Relationship, Reproduction & Child Rearing, Family Education, Parental Involvement
• B Human Behaviour
  • BE Behavioural Problems, Unruly & Criminal Behaviours, Juvenile Delinquency, Children & Youth at Risk, Triad Society

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

Research Findings: This study examined whether physical coercion and psychological control by mothers and fathers can influence preschoolers’ use of physical and relational aggression, and whether the relations are moderated by children’s effortful control in a Hong Kong Chinese sample. Data were collected from a sample of 168 children (88 girls; M = 60.97 months, SD = 5.51 months) and their parents twice, six months apart. At Time 1, mothers and fathers reported on their spouse’s, as well as their own use of physical coercion and psychological control, and a puzzle box task was administered to assess child effortful control. At Time 2, mothers, fathers, and teachers completed questionnaires to assess child physical and relational aggression. Results show that mothers’ physical coercion was associated with child physical and relational aggression. In contrast, fathers’ physical coercion was significantly related to child physical aggression but its relation with child relational aggression was not statistically significant, and both these two associations were moderated by effortful control. Practice or Policy: These results suggest that general intervention efforts are needed to prevent aggression among children of physically coercive parents, and particularly among children with low effortful control and physically coercive fathers. Copyright © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

• English

Journal Articles

• 10409289

• 10.1080/10409289.2022.2076050

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/3ecbd533

2022-10-07