Skip to main content
Log in

Associations among Parental Phubbing, Self-esteem, and Adolescents’ Proactive and Reactive Aggression: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study in China

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Parental phubbing, as a new risk factor for adolescents’ healthy development, has been noticed by scholars. However, few studies have clarified the associations between parental phubbing and adolescents’ proactive and reactive aggression and the potential mediating mechanisms. To address the gaps, the current study explored the longitudinal associations among parental phubbing, self-esteem, and adolescents’ proactive and reactive aggression by using the parallel process latent growth curve model and the cross-lagged panel model. The current study involved 2407 Chinese adolescents (girls were 1202, Mage = 12.75, SD = 0.58 at baseline, range = 11–16). Results indicated that parental phubbing significantly positively predicted adolescents’ reactive aggression but not proactive aggression. Self-esteem significantly predicted the adolescents’ reactive and proactive aggression. Self-esteem significantly mediated the associations between parental phubbing and adolescents’ proactive and reactive aggression, respectively. These findings suggest that intervening with parental phubbing is a promising way to reduce adolescents’ reactive aggression, and promoting adolescents’ self-esteem is an effective approach to prevent their proactive and reactive aggression.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agnew, R. (1985). A revised strain theory of delinquency. Social Forces, 64(1), 151–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amad, S., Gray, N. S., & Snowden, R. J. (2021). Self-esteem, narcissism, and aggression: Different types of self-esteem predict different types of aggression. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(23–24), NP13296–NP13313.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ang, R. P., & Yusof, N. (2005). The relationship between aggression, narcissism, and self-esteem in Asian children and adolescents. Current Psychology, 24(2), 113–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Averill, J. R. (2012). Anger and aggression: An essay on emotion. Springer Science & Business Media

  • Bandalos, D. L. (2002). The effects of item parceling on goodness-of-fit and parameter estimate bias in structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling, 9(1), 78–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barkow, J. H. (1989). Darwin, sex, and status: Biosocial approaches to mind and culture. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press

  • Barry, C. T., Loflin, D. C., & Doucette, H. (2015). Adolescent self-compassion: Associations with narcissism, self-esteem, aggression, and internalizing symptoms in at-risk males. Personality and Individual Differences, 77, 118–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barry, C. T., McDougall, K. H., Anderson, A. C., & Bindon, A. L. (2018). Global and contingent self-esteem as moderators in the relations between adolescent narcissism, callous-unemotional traits, and aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 123, 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barry, T. D., Thompson, A., Barry, C. T., Lochman, J. E., Adler, K., & Hill, K. (2007). The importance of narcissism in predicting proactive and reactive aggression in moderately to highly aggressive children. Aggressive Behavior, 33(3), 185–197.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1–44.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1990). Anxiety and social exclusion. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9, 165–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Smart, L., & Boden, J. M. (1996). Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: The dark side of high self-esteem. Psychological Review, 103(1), 5.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berkowitz, L. (1989). Frustration-aggression hypothesis: Examination and reformulation. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 59–73.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Białecka-Pikul, M., Stępień-Nycz, M., Sikorska, I., Topolewska-Siedzik, E., & Cieciuch, J. (2019). Change and consistency of self-esteem in early and middle adolescence in the context of school transition. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 1605–1618.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Blair, R. J. (2016). The neurobiology of impulsive aggression. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 26(1), 4–9.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables (Vol. 210). John Wiley & Sons

  • Brugman, S., Lobbestael, J., Arntz, A., Cima, M., Schuhmann, T., Dambacher, F., & Sack, A. T. (2015). Identifying cognitive predictors of reactive and proactive aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 41(1), 51–64.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buchmann, A., Hohmann, S., Brandeis, D., Banaschewski, T., Poustka, L. (2013). Aggression in Children and Adolescents. In: Miczek, K., Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (eds) Neuroscience of Aggression. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 17. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • China Internet Network Information Center. (2023). The 51th statistic report of China Internet network development. http://www.cnnic.net.cn

  • Côté, S., Vaillancourt, T., LeBlanc, J. C., Nagin, D. S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2006). The development of physical aggression from toddlerhood to pre-adolescence: A nation wide longitudinal study of Canadian children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 68–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dambacher, F., Schuhmann, T., Lobbestael, J., Arntz, A., Brugman, S., & Sack, A. T. (2015). Reducing proactive aggression through non-invasive brain stimulation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10(10), 1303–1309.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dinić, B. M., & Raine, A. (2019). An item response theory analysis and further validation of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ): The Serbian adaptation of the RPQ. Journal of Personality Assessment, 102, 469–479.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Donnellan, M. B., Trzesniewski, K. H., Robins, R. W., Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi, A. (2005). Low self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Psychological Science, 16(4), 328–335.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., & Coie, J. D. (1987). Social-information-processing factors in reactive and proactive aggression in children’s peer groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(6), 1146–1158.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, A. A. (2020). Child maltreatment and aggressive behaviors in early adolescence: Evidence of moderation by parent/child relationship quality. Child Maltreatment, 25(2), 182–191.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, R. S. (2008). Discovering the lifespan. Prentice Hall

  • Fite, P. J., Colder, C. R., Lochman, J. E., & Wells, K. C. (2008). Developmental trajectories of proactive and reactive aggression from fifth to ninth grade. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(2), 412–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frackowiak, M., Hilpert, P., & Russell, P. S. (2022). Partner’s perception of phubbing is more relevant than the behavior itself: A daily diary study. Computers in Human Behavior, 134, 107323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fung, A. L. C., Raine, A., & Gao, Y. (2009). Cross-cultural generalizability of the reactive-proactive aggression questionnaire (RPQ). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(5), 473–479.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, M. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2017). Frustration-aggression hypothesis. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (pp. 1–3). Springer

  • Girard, L. C., Tremblay, R. E., Nagin, D., & Côté, S. M. (2019). Development of aggression subtypes from childhood to adolescence: A group-based multi-trajectory modelling perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47, 825–838.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hancock, G. R., & Mueller, R. O. (2010). The reviewer’s guide to quantitative methods in the social sciences. New York, NY: Routledge

  • Heine, S. J., Proulx, T., & Vohs, K. D. (2006). The meaning maintenance model: On the coherence of social motivations. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(2), 88–110.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkpatrick, L. A., Waugh, C. E., Valencia, A., & Webster, G. D. (2002). The functional domain specificity of self-esteem and the differential prediction of aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(5), 756–767.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford publications

  • Lay, C., Fairlie, P., Jackson, S., Ricci, T., Eisenberg, J., Sato, T., Teeaar, A., & Melamud, A. (1998). Domain-specific allocentrism-idiocentrism: A measure of family connectedness. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 29(3), 434–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R. (1990). Responses to social exclusion: Social anxiety, jealousy, loneliness, depression, and low self-esteem. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9(2), 221–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). The nature and function of self-esteem: Sociometer theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 32, 1–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., Tambor, E. S., Terdal, S. K., & Downs, D. L. (1995). Self-esteem as an interpersonal monitor: The sociometer hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(3), 518–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., Twenge, J. M., & Quinlivan, E. (2006). Interpersonal rejection as a determinant of anger and aggression. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(2), 111–132.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, E. J. (2014). The relationship between unstable self-esteem and aggression: Differences in reactive and proactive aggression. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 34(8), 1075–1093.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, S., Yu, C., Chen, J., Sheng, J., Hu, Y., Zhong, L., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Deviant peer affiliation mediates the influence of parental psychological control on adolescent aggressive behavior: The moderating effect of self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 186, 111330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, R. J. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198–1202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, T. D., Cunningham, W. A., Shahar, G., & Widaman, K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling, 9(2), 151–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maneiro, L., Cutrín, O., & Gómez-Fraguela, X. A. (2022). Gender differences in the personality correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in a Spanish sample of young adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(7-8), NP4082–NP4107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, N. E. (1941). I. The frustration-aggression hypothesis. Psychological Review, 48(4), 337–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2020). Theories of Adolescent Development. Academic Press

  • Noller, P., & Callan, V. (2015). The adolescent in the family. Routledge

  • Orth, U., Meier, L. L., Bühler, J. L., Dapp, L. C., Krauss, S., Messerli, D., & Robins, R. W. (2022). Effect size guidelines for cross-lagged effects. Psychological Methods. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000499

  • Orth, U., Robins, R. W., Meier, L. L., & Conger, R. D. (2016). Refining the vulnerability model of low self-esteem and depression: Disentangling the effects of genuine self-esteem and narcissism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110(1), 133–149.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrowsky, M. K. (2010). Are violent people more likely to have low self-esteem or high self-esteem? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15(1), 69–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Otte, S., Streb, J., Rasche, K., Franke, I., Segmiller, F., Nigel, S., Vasic, N., & Dudeck, M. (2019). Self‐aggression, reactive aggression, and spontaneous aggression: Mediating effects of self‐esteem and psychopathology. Aggressive Behavior, 45(4), 408–416.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oyserman, D., Coon, H. M., & Kemmelmeier, M. (2002). Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 128(1), 3–72.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pan, Z., Zhang, D., Hu, T., & Pan, Y. (2018). The relationship between psychological Suzhi and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of self-esteem and sense of security. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 12(1), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perez-Gramaje, A. F., Garcia, O. F., Reyes, M., Serra, E., & Garcia, F. (2020). Parenting styles and aggressive adolescents: Relationships with self-esteem and personal maladjustment. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 12(1), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raine, A., Dodge, K., Loeber, R., Gatzke‐Kopp, L., Lynam, D., Reynolds, C., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Liu, J. (2006). The reactive-proactive aggression questionnaire: Differential correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescent boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32(2), 159–171.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, D. B. (1976). Inference and missing data. Biometrika, 63(3), 581–592.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J. F., & Simons, R. L. (1989). Family factors, self-esteem, and adolescent depression. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 125–138

  • Roberts, J. A., & David, M. E. (2016). My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone: Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 134–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, R. W., Donnellan, M. B., Widaman, K. F., & Conger, R. D. (2010). Evaluating the link between self-esteem and temperament in Mexican origin early adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 33(3), 403–410.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg M. (1965) Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Measures Package, 61–62, Woolongong, Australia: University of Wollongong

  • Salmivalli, C. (2001). Feeling good about oneself, being bad to others? Remarks on self-esteem, hostility, and aggressive behavior. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 6(4), 375–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheff, T. J., Retzinger, S. M., & Ryan, M. T. (1989). Crime, violence, and self-esteem: Review and proposals. In A. M. Mecca, N. J. Smelser, & J. Vasconcellos (Eds.), The social importance of self-esteem (pp. 165-199). Berkeley, CA: Univ. of California Press

  • Scheier, L. M., Botvin, G. J., Griffin, K. W., & Diaz, T. (2000). Dynamic growth models of self-esteem and adolescent alcohol use. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 20(2), 178–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schriber, R. A., & Guyer, A. E. (2016). Adolescent neurobiological susceptibility to social context. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 1–18.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, G., Zhang, L., & Fan, H. (2017). The relationship between aggression and self-esteem: A meta-analysis. Advances in Psychological Science, 25(8), 1274–1288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiger, A. E., Allemand, M., Robins, R. W., & Fend, H. A. (2014). Low and decreasing self-esteem during adolescence predict adult depression two decades later. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(2), 325–338.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swogger, M. T., Walsh, Z., Christie, M., Priddy, B. M., & Conner, K. R. (2015). Impulsive versus premeditated aggression in the prediction of violent criminal recidivism. Aggressive Behavior, 41(4), 346–352.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Teng, Z., Liu, Y., & Guo, C. (2015). A meta-analysis of the relationship between self-esteem and aggression among Chinese students. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 21, 45–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomaes, S., Bushman, B. J., Stegge, H., & Olthof, T. (2008). Trumping shame by blasts of noise: Narcissism, self‐esteem, shame, and aggression in young adolescents. Child Development, 79(6), 1792–1801.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tian, L., Dong, X., Xia, D., Liu, L., & Wang, D. (2020). Effect of peer presence on adolescents’ risk‐taking is moderated by individual self‐esteem: An experimental study. International Journal of Psychology, 55(3), 373–379.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tomczyk, Ł., & Lizde, E. S. (2022). Nomophobia and phubbing: Wellbeing and new media education in the family among adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Children and Youth Services Review, 137, 106489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, K. A., & White, B. A. (2015). Contingent on contingencies: Connections between anger rumination, self-esteem, and aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 199–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuvblad, C., Raine, A., Zheng, M., & Baker, L. A. (2009). Genetic and environmental stability differs in reactive and proactive aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 35(6), 437–452.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, M. T., Barry, C. T., Zeigler‐Hill, V., & Green, B. A. (2012). Locus of control as a contributing factor in the relation between self‐perception and adolescent aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 38(3), 213–221.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L., Luo, J., Bai, Y., Kong, J., Luo, J., Gao, W., & Sun, X. (2013). Internet addiction of adolescents in China: Prevalence, predictors, and association with well-being. Addiction Research & Theory, 21(1), 62–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Gao, L., Yang, J., Zhao, F., & Wang, P. (2020). Parental phubbing and adolescents’ depressive symptoms: Self-esteem and perceived social support as moderators. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(2), 427–437.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., & Qiao, Y. (2022). Parental phubbing, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation among Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal mediational analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(11), 2248–2260.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Qiao, Y., Li, W., & Lei, L. (2022). Parental phubbing and children’s social withdrawal and aggression: A moderated mediation model of parenting behaviors and parents’ gender. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(21–22), NP19395–NP19419.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Yang, J., Wang, P., & Lei, L. (2019). Childhood maltreatment, moral disengagement, and adolescents’ cyberbullying perpetration: Fathers’ and mothers’ moral disengagement as moderators. Computers in Human Behavior, 95, 48–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Zhao, F., & Lei, L. (2021). Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction: Self-esteem and marital status as moderators. Current Psychology, 40(7), 3365–3375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weimer, A. A., Warnell, K. R., Ettekal, I., Cartwright, K. B., Guajardo, N. R., & Liew, J. (2021). Correlates and antecedents of theory of mind development during middle childhood and adolescence: An integrated model. Developmental Review, 59, 100945.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, K. K. Y., & Raine, A. (2019). Peer problems and low self-esteem mediate the suspicious and non-suspicious schizotypy-reactive aggression relationship in children and adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(11), 2241–2254.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wood J. V., Forest A. L. (2011). Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain in interpersonal relationships. In Alicke M. D., Sedikides C. (Eds.), The handbook of self-enhancement and self-protection (pp. 258–278). New York, NY: Guilford Press

  • Wrangham, R. W. (2018). Two types of aggression in human evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(2), 245–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Cai, C., Wang, Z., Tao, M., Liu, X., & Craig, W. (2019). Adolescent-to-mother psychological aggression: The role of father violence and maternal parenting style. Child Abuse & Neglect, 98, 104229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y., Lan, X., Cui, G., & Wang, J. (2022). The silver lining in the dark cloud of social status insecurity: The mediating role of popularity goals in the association between social status insecurity and Chinese adolescents’ bullying bystander behaviors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(17-18), NP15851–NP15873.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, J., Li, X., Tian, L., & Huebner, E. S. (2020). Longitudinal association between low self‐esteem and depression in early adolescents: The role of rejection sensitivity and loneliness. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 93(1), 54–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zou, S., & Wu, X. (2020). Coparenting conflict behavior, parent-adolescent attachment, and social competence with peers: An investigation of developmental differences. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(1), 267–282.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Science Project of China (20YJC190021) to X.W. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors. We would like to thank all of the school partners and adolescents who participated in this study.

Funding

Funding

This research was supported by the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Science Project of China (20YJC190021) X.W.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

J.Y. coordinated the data collection, conceived of the study, and revising the draft; X.Z. participated in the interpretation of the data, performed statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; S.W. participated in the interpretation of the data, and drafted the manuscript; X.W. conceived of the study, authored the funding application, participated in the interpretation of the data, conceived of the manuscript, and revising the draft. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xingchao Wang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by Shanxi University Ethics Committee in Taiyuan, China.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, J., Zeng, X. & Wang, X. Associations among Parental Phubbing, Self-esteem, and Adolescents’ Proactive and Reactive Aggression: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study in China. J. Youth Adolescence 53, 343–359 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01850-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01850-2

Keywords

Navigation