Poster #220 - Leading by Example: Parental Promotion of Prosocial Behavior Predicts Decreases in Social Aggression.

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Social aggression involves behaviors that are carried out directly or indirectly with the intent to harm an individual’s social status or friendships: social exclusion, malicious gossip, and friendship manipulation (Dodge et al., 2006; Underwood, 2003). Social aggression may be socialized by parents during adolescence (Kawabata, et al., 2011). Specifically, exposure to harsh parenting styles and behaviors promotes adolescents’ social aggression (Chang, Schwartz, Dodge, & McBride, 2003; Underwood et al., 2008). However, few studies have examined whether positive parenting practices may prevent youth from developing social aggression, despite a preponderance of evidence linking positive parenting practices to prosocial behavior (Eisenberg, Spinrad, & Knafo-Noam, 2015). This study examines whether parents’ promotion of prosocial behaviors toward peers, via modeling and reinforcement, predicts decreases in adolescents’ social aggression, and whether these effects vary between boys and girls.

Participants were a diverse sample of 183 adolescents (48.6% female) in the southwestern United States. Data were collected during participants’ 9th and 10th grade years. At both time points, teachers reported on participants’ social aggression (4 items, 5-point scale; CSBS-T; Crick, 1996; α=.84, at time 1; α=.86, at time 2), and parents reported on the extent to which they promoted (i.e., through modeling and reinforcement) prosocial behaviors toward peers (3 items, 5-point scale; α=.73, at time 1; α=.71, at time 2). Parents also provided demographic data on their children (i.e., race, sex).

Results from cross lagged panel modeling indicated that parental promotion of prosocial behavior in grade 9 was a negative predictor of changes in social aggression from 9th to 10th grade (ß=-.21, p=.006), controlling for participant demographics. In 9th grade, youth whose parents were high in promoting prosocial behavior (i.e., above the median) were, on average, as socially aggressive (M=1.56, SD=.69) as youth whose parents were low in promoting prosocial behavior (M=1.54, SD=.62), t(131)=-.21, p=.84. However, by 10th grade, youth who had parents who promoted prosocial behavior decreased in their aggression (M=1.37, SD=.52) to be less socially aggressive than youth whose parents promoted prosocial behavior less (M=1.58, SD=.66), t(133)=2.18, p=.03.

Follow-up multiple group modeling revealed differences between boys and girls in the effect that parental promotion of prosocial behavior had on changes in their social aggression. Specifically, parents’ promotion of prosocial behaviors was a negative predictor of changes in social aggression among girls (ß=-.41, p<.001), but was not a significant predictor among boys (ß=-.01, p=.93). Girls whose parents had promoted prosocial behavior the least showed small, albeit nonsignificant, increases in social aggression from grade 9 (M=1.48, SD=.62) to grade 10 (M=1.70, SD=.82), t(25)=1.215, p=.24. In contrast, girls whose parents had promoted prosocial behavior the most showed decreased social aggression from grade 9 (M=1.34, SD=.46) to grade 10 (M=1.17, SD=.29), t(31)=-2.093, p=.045.

These results suggest that in addition to abstaining from negative relational behaviors, which research suggests promotes the development of social aggression, parents should praise and model prosocial behaviors. By doing so they may help steer their children, particularly girls, away from engaging in social aggressive behaviors with peers. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Authors

• Justin William Vollet, University of Texas at Dallas
  Presenting Author

• Madeleine George, University of Texas at Dallas
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allycen R Kurup, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marion K Underwood, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Author