Gender differences in the reciprocal relationships between parental physical aggression and children's externalizing problem behavior in China.

Abstract

The study examines gender differences in the reciprocal relations between parental physical aggression and child externalizing problem behavior in China. Four hundred fifty-four Chinese elementary school-age children reported on three forms of their parents' physical aggression toward them (i.e., mild corporal punishment, severe corporal punishment, and physical abuse) and their externalizing problem behavior at two time points, 6 months apart. Structural equation modeling revealed that the three types of parental physical aggression predicted child externalizing problem behavior for girls but not boys, whereas child externalizing problem behavior predicted severe corporal punishment and physical abuse for boys but not girls; child externalizing problem behavior did not predict mild corporal punishment for either gender. The findings suggest that the intervention for and prevention of child externalizing problem behavior may be somewhat different for boys and girls in China.

Parenting stress and harsh discipline in China: The moderating roles of marital satisfaction and parent gender

“…Parents' self-report of discipline strategies were measured using the Chinese version of the ParentChild Conflict Tactics Scales (CTSPC; Leung, Wong, Chen, & Tang, 2008;Straus et al, 1998), a widely used noninvasive measure with established reliability and validity (Leung et al, 2008;Wang & Liu, 2014;Xing et al, 2011). The CTSPC is composed of five subscales: nonviolent discipline (4 items), psychological aggression (5 items), corporal punishment (6 items), physical maltreatment (3 items), and extreme physical maltreatment (4 items).…”

“…In childhood, psychological aggression and corporal punishment were the most common forms of parental harsh discipline (Straus, Hamby, Finkelhor, Moore, & Runyan, 1998;Wang & Liu, 2014). Many studies have found that parental use of harsh discipline is positively related to a number of negative developmental outcomes (e.g., aggression, delinquency, anxiety, and depression) in children (Miller-Perrin, Perrin, & Kocur, 2009;Xing & Wang, 2012;Xing, Wang, Zhang, He, & Zhang, 2011). To prevent and intervene on parental harsh discipline, researchers have tried to identify the causes of parental harsh discipline.…”

Child Negative Emotionality and Parental Harsh Discipline in Chinese Preschoolers: The Different Mediating Roles of Maternal and Paternal Anxiety

“…Despite numerous studies have demonstrated that children exposed to parental harsh discipline (e.g., psychological aggression, corporal punishment, and physical abuse) are at risk for a number of negative developmental outcomes, including aggression, anxiety, and depression (i.e., Fine et al, 2004; Xing et al, 2011; Xing and Wang, 2013), harsh discipline is still the prevalent parental disciplinary technique in modern Chinese families. According to a large sample survey conducted in Mainland China (Wang and Liu, 2014), more than 80% of parents with children aged 3–6 reported the use of psychological aggression, and about 70% of parents reported the use of corporal punishment during the previous year.…”

Parenting stress and children’s problem behavior in China: The mediating role of parental psychological aggression.

“…Poor parenting behavior, in turn, has negative effects on children's behavior (Vissing, Straus, Gelles, & Harrop, 1991;Miller-Perrin, Perrin, & Kocur, 2009;Xing & Wang, 2013;Xing, Wang, Zhang, He, & Zhang, 2011). Based on these two theoretical models and previous empirical research, Deater-Deckard (1998) offered hypotheses about the relationships between parenting stress, parenting behavior, and child adjust ment.…”