Examining associations between psychological control and proactive and reactive aggression among middle school age youth

Parental psychological control has been linked to aggression, but further research is needed to elucidate specific associations with the functions of aggression. The current study sought to advance the field by examining associations between parental psychological control and reactive and proactive aggression and whether symptoms of anxiety moderated these links in a sample of middle school age youth. Youth (N = 290, 50% male and 50% female) completed self-reported measures at school. Findings indicated that while parental psychological control was linked to both reactive and proactive aggression, the link with reactive aggression was most robust. Further, anxiety symptoms were not found to moderate these associations. Results suggest that parental psychological control is linked to aggressive behavior among middle school age youth, particularly for reactive aggression, and these effects are independent of levels of anxiety symptoms.