Familial Correlates of Overt and Relational Aggression between Young Adolescent Siblings

• Published in: Journal of youth and adolescence 2008-07, Vol.37 (6), p.655-673
• Main Authors: Yu, Jeong Jin, Gamble, Wendy C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Age Differences; Aggression; Aggressiveness; Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child abuse & neglect; Child and School Psychology; Child development; Child Rearing; Clinical Psychology; Correlation; Early Adolescents; Factor Analysis; Families & family life; Family; Family Environment; Family environment. Family history; Family Influence; Females; Friendship; Gender; Gender Differences; Health Psychology; High School Students; History of Psychology; Law and Psychology; Learning; Learning Theories; Males; Medical sciences; Mothers; Murders & murder attempts; Original Paper; Parent Influence; Parenting Styles; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Secondary school students; Secondary schools; Sibling Relationship; Siblings; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Structural Equation Models; Teenagers; Victimization; Violence
• ISSN: 0047-2891; 1573-6601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10964-007-9208-0

Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group structural equation modeling were used to test correlates of overt and relational aggression between young adolescent siblings across four groups (i.e., male/male, male/female, female/male, and female/female sibling pairs), using 433 predominately European American families. Similar patterns of associations were found across groups when distinguished by gender composition. Family environment emerged as an important factor in explaining internalizing problems as well as overt/relational aggression for both younger and older siblings. While perceived maternal psychological control was significantly positively related to overt/relational aggression and internalizing problems for younger siblings, it was significantly positively associated with only relational aggression for older siblings. Findings also provided partial support for the positive linkages between young adolescents’ aggression and their own and siblings’ internalizing problems above and beyond the aforementioned family and maternal variables. Results of the current study extend the understanding of adolescent aggression to a new relational context, or among siblings, and highlight the role of family factors in promoting or buffering the impact of aggression on internalizing behaviors.