Structural Modeling of the Relationship between Parent-Adolescent Conflict and Aggression through the Mediating Role of Perceived Self-Control

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Aggression is one of the most important issues in adolescence and is known as a severe and growing problem among adolescents and young people. Failure to control aggressive behaviors, in addition to causing interpersonal problems, may lead to intrusion and a variety of physical and psychological problems, such as stomach ulcers, migraine headaches, and depression. This study aimed to present the structural modeling of the relationship between adolescents and parental conflicts with aggression through the mediating role of perceived self-control in female adolescents. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted based on the structural equation method. The statistical population of the study included female high-school students in Qom, Iran. In total, 607 students were selected using the stepwise cluster sampling, and they were then asked to respond to the adolescent-parent conflict, perceived self-control, and aggression questionnaires. The reliability and validity of the instruments were confirmed using Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient and confirmatory factor analysis. The structural equation method with Amos software was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed the negative and significant effect of adolescent and parental conflicts on perceived self-control (P<0.01, β=-0.58). However, the effect of adolescent and parental conflict revealed a positive and significant relationship with adolescent aggression (P<0.01, β= 0.54). On the other hand, the effect of perceived self-control on adolescent aggression was negative and significant in this study (P<0.01, β=-0.17). Conclusion: It can be concluded that adolescent-parent conflict leads to decreased levels of perceived self-control and increased levels of aggression among female students. Moreover, perceived self-control affected the relationship between student-parent conflict and aggression.

Keywords

• family conflict
• perceived self-control
• aggression
• problem behavior.