Parenting, Aggressive Behavior in Children, and Our Violent World

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2014) | Viewed by 103703

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Justice, Law and Society, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016-8043, USA
Interests: criminology; violent crime; causes of crime; parenting and the development of violence; media violence; persistent, chronic offending; socioeconomic factors and crime; long-term violent crime trends in Washington, D.C.
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Good parenting has been seen by many as the cornerstone of a healthy society. As part of the social contract, parents are expected to raise their children to comply with norms of ethical behavior to promote the common good. In some cases, parental neglect, abuse, rejection, poor role modeling, mental illness, and the like are thought to cause physical aggression in children which is associated with more serious violent behavior in youth. This special issue of Societies is dedicated to the role of parenting in the social problem of violent crime. We invite a broad range of contributions related to parents or parenting and aggressive behavior in children, parenting and violent behavior in juveniles, relevant theory, including papers which might question the importance of parenting or relate it to other social problems such as mental health, neighborhood deterioration, or alcohol and drug abuse.

Dr. Joanne Savage
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • parenting
  • parent criminality
  • parent alcohol and drug abuse
  • parent mental illness
  • parental abuse

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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522 KiB  
Article
Gender Differences in Longitudinal Links between Neighborhood Fear, Parental Support, and Depression among African American Emerging Adults
by Shervin Assari, Jocelyn R. Smith, Cleopatra Howard Caldwell and Marc A. Zimmerman
Societies 2015, 5(1), 151-170; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc5010151 - 16 Mar 2015
Cited by 60 | Viewed by 13185
Abstract
The transition to adulthood is a developmental period marked by increased stress, especially among African Americans. In addition to stress related to emerging adulthood, neighborhood fear may contribute to depressive symptoms for African Americans. We examined gender differences in longitudinal associations between changes [...] Read more.
The transition to adulthood is a developmental period marked by increased stress, especially among African Americans. In addition to stress related to emerging adulthood, neighborhood fear may contribute to depressive symptoms for African Americans. We examined gender differences in longitudinal associations between changes in perceived neighborhood fear, parental support, and depressive symptoms among African American youth who were in transition to adulthood. Five hundred and thirteen African American youths (235 males and 278 females) were included in the study. An increase in perceived neighborhood fear was associated with an increase in depressive symptoms, and change in perceived maternal support was predictive of depressive symptoms among males, but not females. The findings suggest that policies and programs should help parents provide support to young adult children who live in violent neighborhoods as a strategy to prevent depressive symptoms during emerging adulthood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parenting, Aggressive Behavior in Children, and Our Violent World)
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151 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Parental Divorce on the Intergenerational Transmission of Crime
by Steve G.A. Van de Weijer, Terence P. Thornberry, Catrien C.J.H. Bijleveld and Arjan A.J. Blokland
Societies 2015, 5(1), 89-108; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc5010089 - 10 Feb 2015
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 12359
Abstract
This study first examines the effects of parental divorce and paternal crime on offspring offending. Then, it tests whether parental divorce moderates the intergenerational transmission of crime. Diversity within the offending population is taken into account by examining whether effects are different for [...] Read more.
This study first examines the effects of parental divorce and paternal crime on offspring offending. Then, it tests whether parental divorce moderates the intergenerational transmission of crime. Diversity within the offending population is taken into account by examining whether effects are different for fathers who commit crimes at different points of the life-course and by distinguishing between violent and non-violent offending. A sample of 2374 individuals from three consecutive generations from 198 Dutch families was used. The results show that parental divorce increases offspring non-violent offending, but does not increase offspring violence after controlling for parental violence. Moreover, the intergenerational transmission of violence is moderated by parental divorce: empirical evidence for intergenerational transmission of violence is only found for children who did not experience parental divorce during their youth. This moderating effect of parental divorce is even stronger if the father committed violent crimes during the child’s youth. The moderating influence of parental divorce on the intergenerational transmission of non-violent crime is less clear, and the effects are overall stronger for violent crime than for non-violent crime. These results suggest that social learning mechanisms play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of violent crime, although genetic influences cannot be ruled out. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parenting, Aggressive Behavior in Children, and Our Violent World)
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316 KiB  
Article
The Challenge of Parenting Girls in Neighborhoods of Different Perceived Quality
by Lia Ahonen, Rolf Loeber, Alison Hipwell and Stephanie Stepp
Societies 2014, 4(3), 414-427; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc4030414 - 13 Aug 2014
Viewed by 5560
Abstract
It is well-known that disadvantaged neighborhoods, as officially identified through census data, harbor higher numbers of delinquent individuals than advantaged neighborhoods. What is much less known is whether parents’ perception of the neighborhood problems predicts low parental engagement with their girls and, ultimately, [...] Read more.
It is well-known that disadvantaged neighborhoods, as officially identified through census data, harbor higher numbers of delinquent individuals than advantaged neighborhoods. What is much less known is whether parents’ perception of the neighborhood problems predicts low parental engagement with their girls and, ultimately, how this is related to girls’ delinquency, including violence. This paper elucidates these issues by examining data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study, including parent-report of neighborhood problems and level of parental engagement and official records and girl-reported delinquency at ages 15, 16, and 17. Results showed higher stability over time for neighborhood problems and parental engagement than girls’ delinquency. Parents’ perception of their neighborhood affected the extent to which parents engaged in their girls’ lives, but low parental engagement did not predict girls being charged for offending at age 15, 16 or 17. These results were largely replicated for girls’ self-reported delinquency with the exception that low parental engagement at age 16 was predictive of the frequency of girls’ self-reported delinquency at age 17 as well. The results, because of their implications for screening and early interventions, are relevant to policy makers as well as practitioners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parenting, Aggressive Behavior in Children, and Our Violent World)
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433 KiB  
Article
Neighborhood Danger, Parental Monitoring, Harsh Parenting, and Child Aggression in Nine Countries
by Ann T. Skinner, Dario Bacchini, Jennifer E. Lansford, Jennifer W. Godwin, Emma Sorbring, Sombat Tapanya, Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado, Arnaldo Zelli, Liane Peña Alampay, Suha M. Al-Hassan, Anna Silvia Bombi, Marc H. Bornstein, Lei Chang, Kirby Deater-Deckard, Laura Di Giunta, Kenneth A. Dodge, Patrick S. Malone, Maria Concetta Miranda, Paul Oburu and Concetta Pastorelli
Societies 2014, 4(1), 45-67; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc4010045 - 22 Jan 2014
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 10287
Abstract
Exposure to neighborhood danger during childhood has negative effects that permeate multiple dimensions of childhood. The current study examined whether mothers’, fathers’, and children’s perceptions of neighborhood danger are related to child aggression, whether parental monitoring moderates this relation, and whether harsh parenting [...] Read more.
Exposure to neighborhood danger during childhood has negative effects that permeate multiple dimensions of childhood. The current study examined whether mothers’, fathers’, and children’s perceptions of neighborhood danger are related to child aggression, whether parental monitoring moderates this relation, and whether harsh parenting mediates this relation. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 1293 children (age M = 10.68, SD = 0.66; 51% girls) and their mothers (n = 1282) and fathers (n = 1075) in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States). Perceptions of greater neighborhood danger were associated with more child aggression in all nine countries according to mothers’ and fathers’ reports and in five of the nine countries according to children’s reports. Parental monitoring did not moderate the relation between perception of neighborhood danger and child aggression. The mediating role of harsh parenting was inconsistent across countries and reporters. Implications for further research are discussed, and include examination of more specific aspects of parental monitoring as well as more objective measures of neighborhood danger. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parenting, Aggressive Behavior in Children, and Our Violent World)
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Review

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434 KiB  
Review
Consequences of Parenting on Adolescent Outcomes
by Donna Hancock Hoskins
Societies 2014, 4(3), 506-531; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc4030506 - 18 Sep 2014
Cited by 112 | Viewed by 61463
Abstract
In recent years, substantial gains have been made in our understanding of the influence of parenting behaviors and styles on adolescent emotional and behavioral outcomes. Empirical work focusing on the associations between parenting and adolescent outcomes is important because the influence of parenting [...] Read more.
In recent years, substantial gains have been made in our understanding of the influence of parenting behaviors and styles on adolescent emotional and behavioral outcomes. Empirical work focusing on the associations between parenting and adolescent outcomes is important because the influence of parenting during adolescence continues to affect behaviors into adulthood. Additionally, there has been considerable attention paid to the mechanisms that shape parenting that then influence adolescent outcomes. For instance, researchers have found that neighborhood conditions moderated the association between parenting and adolescent development. In this paper, several covariates and contextual effects associated with parenting and adolescent outcomes will be discussed. Also, parental behaviors, parental styles and adolescent outcomes are discussed in this literature review. This review provides an assessment of the literature on parenting and adolescent outcomes from the past decade and includes advancements in parenting research. The review concludes with a summary of major research findings, as well as a consideration of future directions and implications for practice and policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parenting, Aggressive Behavior in Children, and Our Violent World)
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