Abstract
Child-to-parent aggression (CPA) constitutes a form of aggressive behavior that is the focus of increasing attention. Social information processing (SIP) models of aggression emphasize the role of the cognitive and emotional processes that occur when children address ambiguous social scenarios during the development of aggressive behavior. The present study develops a questionnaire to assess SIP when children cope with conflicts with parents and examines the bidirectional relations among several SIP components and CPA in a 1-year longitudinal study. A sample of 1,272 adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age completed measures of SIP and CPA in two waves, which were spaced 1 year apart. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for a model with five correlated factors for the SIP questionnaire, as follows: hostile attribution, anger, aggressive response access, anticipation of positive consequences for oneself, and empathy. Longitudinal analyses indicated that hostile attribution in male adolescents and anger in female adolescents predicted an increase in CPA over time. In addition, initial levels of CPA predicted a worsening of several SIP components at the follow-up. The results were very similar for psychological and physical CPA. Bidirectional relations between CPA and SIP are discussed from the perspective of the social cognitive model of aggression.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Department of Education, Universities, and Research of the Basque Government (Ref. PI2011-46) and Bizkailab. This research was supported by a Grant from the Gobierno Vasco, Departamento de Educación, Universidades e Investigación and Bizkailab.
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Appendix: The Social Information Processing in Child–Parent Conflicts Questionnaire
Appendix: The Social Information Processing in Child–Parent Conflicts Questionnaire
Below are some scenes that could happen to you. Try to imagine them in detail and then answer the questions describing what you would do.
Scenario 1. It’s Saturday night and you really would like to go to a party with your friends but you have no money. You ask your parents for some but they refuse, saying that they already gave you money this week.
Not at all | Very little | A little | Somewhat | To a great extent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Would you think your mother/father refuse to give you money just to be mean? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
2. Would you think your parents feel satisfied in this situation? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
3. Would you get angry? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
4. Would you shout at or insult your mother/father? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
5. Would you shove, hit, or hurt your mother/father? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
6. If you shoved, hit, or insulted them, do you think you would get some positive result, for instance, that they wouldn’t refuse to give you money in the future? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
7. Do you think your mother/father would feel bad if you hit or insulted her/him? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Scenario 2. It’s Friday and you have been out with your friends. Your mother/father told you to be home by midnight but you were having fun and you get home late. When you arrive, your mother/father is waiting for you and she/he scolds you.
Not at all | Very little | A little | Somewhat | To a great extent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8. Would you think that your mother/father is unfair for scolding you? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
9. Do you think your mother/father would feel good scolding you? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
10. Would you get angry? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
11. Would you shout at or insult your mother/father? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
12. Would you hit or hurt your mother/father? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
13. If you hit or insulted them, do you think you would get some positive result, for instance, that they wouldn’t scold you in the future for getting home late? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
14. Do you think your mother/father would feel bad if you hit or insulted her/him? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Scenario 3. You get up in the morning and go to have breakfast. Your mother/father comes up and begins to tell you to pick up your room and clean it because it’s a mess. You ask her/him to shut up but she/he wants you to pick it up right away and insists, shouting.
Not at all | Very little | A little | Somewhat | To a great extent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15. Would you think your mother/father insists that you should pick up your room just to be mean? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
16. Do you think your mother/father would feel good making you pick up your room? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
17. Would you get angry? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
18. Would you shout at or insult your mother/father? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
19. Would you hit or hurt your mother/father? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
20. If you hit or insulted them, do you think you would gain some positive result, such as they wouldn’t ever insist that you pick up your room? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
21. Do you think your mother/father would feel bad if you hit or insulted her/him? | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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Calvete, E., Gamez-Guadix, M. & Garcia-Salvador, S. Social Information Processing in Child-to-Parent Aggression: Bidirectional Associations in a 1-Year Prospective Study. J Child Fam Stud 24, 2204–2216 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0023-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0023-4