Poster #76 - The Role of Coping Mechanisms in the Relationship Between Perceived Containment and Aggressive Behaviors

• In Event: Poster Session 07

Abstract

Aggressive tendencies among school-aged children are commonly linked to negative consequences for both the aggressor and their victims (e.g., bullying; Powell et al., 2017; Roland & Idsøe, 2001). As such, it is important to identify factors that contribute to aggression among youth to better inform prevention and intervention efforts. Studies informing ways to target aggression in youth, particularly through the identification of internal patterns predictive of initial levels of aggression as well as the trajectory of aggression, could be particularly beneficial to improving the well-being of youths in elementary school. To this end, the current study surveyed 216 elementary-aged children on topics of perceived containment (i.e., perceptions of containment/regulation by authority), coping responses, and reactive and proactive aggression. Coping responses that were examined included adaptive approach behaviors such as problem-solving, friend support-seeking, and adult support-seeking, less adaptive strategies such as revenge and more avoidant techniques (e.g., distancing or passiveness), and neutral techniques, such as humor. Using multilevel modeling, the individual and interactive effects of coping responses and perceived containment on aggression within time and across two school years (4 waves collected in 6-month intervals) were examined. Within time, lower levels of perceived containment were associated with greater reactive (γ = -.25, p = .001) and proactive aggression (γ = -.09, p = .033). Passive coping was also positively associated with reactive aggression (γ = .50, p < .001) and revenge-seeking was positively associated with proactive aggression (γ = .18, p = .005). The relation between perceived containment and reactive aggression within time was dependent on humor (γ = -.40, p = .026), whereas the relation between perceived containment and proactive aggression depended on revenge-seeking (γ = -.32, p = .007) and problem-solving (γ = .22, p = .035). Across time, while time 1 (T1) passive coping predicted the trajectory of both reactive (γ = -.14, p = .018) and proactive (γ = .09, p = .013) aggression , a greater number of T1 coping responses predicted the slope of reactive aggression with problem-solving (γ = -.10, p = .044) and friend support-seeking (γ = .08, p = .019) as well as T1 perceived containment (γ = .11, p = .014) also predicting the trajectory of reactive aggression across two school years. No coping responses moderated the relation between T1 perceived containment and the trajectory of reactive aggression. In contrast, the influence of T1 perceived containment on proactive aggression over time depended on humor (γ = -.24, p < .001). In general, the influence of coping responses on aggression were most evident at low levels of perceived containment. Findings give insight into the ways internal processes of perceived containment and coping are associated with patterns of aggression in elementary-aged youth. This work is valuable in identifying several potential areas for prevention and intervention (e.g., targets for skill-development) for youth to limit subsequent aggression. This information can be utilized to address interpersonal conflict among elementary-aged youth to limit the immediate and long-term impact of aggression for aggressive youth and their peers.

Authors

• Selena Angelita Baca, University of Kansas
  Presenting Author

• Paula Fite, University of Kansas

• Chi-Ning Chang, Virginia Commonwealth University