Neighborhood Danger, Parental Monitoring, Harsh Parenting, and Child Aggression in Nine Countries

Authors

Ann T. Skinner, Duke UniversityFollow
Dario Bacchini, Second University of NaplesFollow
Jennifer E. Lansford, Duke UniversityFollow
Jennifer Godwin, Duke UniversityFollow
Emma Sorbring, University West
Sombat Tapanya, Chiang Mai UniversityFollow
Liliana Maria Uribe Tirado, Universidad San BuenaventuraFollow
Arnaldo Zelli, University of Rome
Liane Peña Alampay, Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow
Suha M. Al-Hassan, Hashemite UniversityFollow
Anna Silvia Bombi, University of Rome La Sapienza
Marc H. Bornstein, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentFollow
Lei ChangFollow
Kirby Deater-DeckardFollow
Laura Di Giunta, University of Rome La SapienzaFollow
Kenneth A. Dodge, Duke UniversityFollow
Patrick S. Malone, University of South CarolinaFollow
Maria Concetta Miranda, Second University of NaplesFollow
Paul Oburu, Maseno UniversityFollow
Concetta Pastorelli, University of Rome La SapienzaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-22-2014

Abstract

Exposure to neighborhood danger during childhood has negative effects that permeate multiple dimensions of childhood. The current study examined whether mothers’, fathers’, and children’s perceptions of neighborhood danger are related to child aggression, whether parental monitoring moderates this relation, and whether harsh parenting mediates this relation. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 1293 children (age M = 10.68, SD = 0.66; 51% girls) and their mothers (n = 1282) and fathers (n = 1075) in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States). Perceptions of greater neighborhood danger were associated with more child aggression in all nine countries according to mothers’ and fathers’ reports and in five of the nine countries according to children’s reports. Parental monitoring did not moderate the relation between perception of neighborhood danger and child aggression. The mediating role of harsh parenting was inconsistent across countries and reporters. Implications for further research are discussed, and include examination of more specific aspects of parental monitoring as well as more objective measures of neighborhood danger.

Recommended Citation

Skinner, A.T.; Bacchini, D.; Lansford, J.E.; Godwin, J.W.; Sorbring, E.; Tapanya, S.; Tirado, L.M.U.; Zelli, A.; Alampay, L.P.; Al-Hassan, S.M.; Bombi, A.S.; Bornstein, M.H.; Chang, L.; Deater-Deckard, K.; Giunta, L.D.; Dodge, K.A.; Malone, P.S.; Miranda, M.C.; Oburu, P.; Pastorelli, C. Neighborhood Danger, Parental Monitoring, Harsh Parenting, and Child Aggression in Nine Countries. Societies 2014, 4, 45-67.