How does Mothers' Depression Influence Adolescents' Aggression? The Role of Parenting, Family Functioning, and Informant Discrepancy

Previous research has found that maternal depression is predictive of adolescents’ aggression. The present study examined three mechanisms believed to account for this relation: parenting practices, family functioning, and informant discrepancy. The data for this study are from the Multisite Violenc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pugh, Kelly
Format: Others
Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1811
http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2810&context=etd
Description
Summary:Previous research has found that maternal depression is predictive of adolescents’ aggression. The present study examined three mechanisms believed to account for this relation: parenting practices, family functioning, and informant discrepancy. The data for this study are from the Multisite Violence Prevention Project which collected data from a high-risk sample of sixth grade students, parents, and core teachers. A within-subjects analysis of variance examined the association between maternal depression and informant discrepancy. Structural equation modeling compared the relation between maternal depression and adolescents’ aggression as a function of parenting practices and family functioning. Results indicated that maternal depression was related to adolescents’ aggression and moderated the degree of the discrepancy between reports of aggression. Results indicated that the relation between maternal depression and mother-report of adolescents’ aggression was mediated by parenting practices and family functioning, with parenting practices mediating the relation over and beyond family functioning.