Psychological Development and Education ›› 2016, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (4): 503-512.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2016.04.15

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The Effects of Interparental Conflicts on Adolescents' Aggressive Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

XIA Tiansheng1, LIU Jun3, GU Honglei2, DONG Shuliang4   

  1. 1. School of Business, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275;
    2. School of Education Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000;
    3. Guangzhou Tieyi Middle School, Guangzhou 511447;
    4. Guangde Rural Commercial Bank, Xuancheng 242200
  • Online:2016-07-15 Published:2016-07-15

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Abstract: Aggressive behavior has been widely studied so far. Previous studies have found that the aggressive beliefs were enhanced with increased interparental conflict and subsequently induced more aggressive behavior of adolescents. In addition, parent-adolescent relationship was an important protective factor for adolescents' aggressive behavior which can buffer the influence from the interparental conflict. The present study is to investigate: whether the aggressive beliefs would work as mediated effect between the interparental conflict and adolescent aggressive behavior, and whether the mediated effect of adolescents' aggressive beliefs could be moderated by parent-adolescent relationship. In present study, the Aggressive Beliefs and Behaviors in Adolescence Scale, Family Adaption and Cohesion Evaluation Scales and Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale were administered to 506 adolescents (mean age=13.91years, 271 boys and 235 girls) by using structural equation model analysis method for data processing. The results showed that: (1) The interparental conflict had a significant positive prediction for adolescent aggressive beliefs and aggressive behavior. With increased interparental conflict, adolescent aggressive beliefs had significantly enhanced and aggressive behavior had significantly increased. (2) The aggressive beliefs mediated the relationship between interparental conflict and adolescent aggressive behavior. (3) The relationship between adolescent aggressive beliefs and aggressive behavior (during the second half of the mediation effect) was moderated by parent-adolescent relationship. The present study enriched the theory of adolescent aggressive behavior by confirming the moderating role of parent-adolescent relationship and aggressive belief in the relationship between interparental conflict and aggressive behavior.

Key words: interparental conflict, aggressive behavior, aggressive belief, parent-adolescent relationship, adolescent

CLC Number: 

  • B844

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