Relations between Childraising Styles and Aggressiveness in Adolescents

Introduction: Physical and aggressive behavior which children and adolescents show toward peers is associated to parenting styles. The aim of this research was to examine the relation between perceived parenting styles (from mothers and fathers) and the level of physical and verbal aggressive behavior, anger and hostility showed towards the peers. Method: Thirty hundred and seventy-one students, aged 12-16 years old, answered to several self-report measures: Escala de Afecto (EA) and Escala de Normas y Exigencias (ENE) as well as, Aggressive Questionnaire. Results: Analysis of variance revealed that adolescents whose parents showed an authoritative parenting style obtained lower scores in physical and verbal aggressive behaviors than peers whose parents showed an authoritarian style. Moreover, boys scored higher than girls in physical aggressive behavior. Discussion and Conclusion: A perceived authoritarian parenting style was associated with a higher aggressive behavior. Low levels of affectio and high levels of control, which define an authoritarian style, were associated with higher levels of aggressive behavior, which could negatively affect the behavior exhibited by adolescents in different context as peer interactions.