The role of coercive discipline, monitoring and activity level in explaining aggression in preschool boys

Research indicates that both parental use of coercive discipline, and lack of parental monitoring are associated with aggression in young boys. Although studies have shown variable results, most of the evidence suggests that children's characteristics contribute to the variance in aggressive behavior, as well to the type of parenting that children receive. Considering both parenting and child factors would better enhance our ability to explain aggression in young boys.;Families were recruited from eight private preschools. The final sample consisted of 73 boys between the ages of three and five, and their parents. Parents, usually mothers, completed the Parent Behavior Checklist (PBC), a parental monitoring questionnaire, the BASC-PRS, the Fear and Activity Level scales of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), and demographic information sheets. The BASC-SOS was used to conduct behavioral observations of each child.;Parents' scores on the Discipline scale of the PBC were found to indicate occasional use of corporal punishment, a level that is similar to that of the general population. Multiple regression analysis indicated that, as hypothesized, parental factors and child factors accounted for a significant and meaningful amount of the variance in Observed Aggression. After controlling for the other independent variables, parental Discipline, or use of corporal punishment, had the largest independent effect on Observed Aggression. Contrary to what was expected, the parenting variables and child variables did not account for a significant proportion of the variance in Reported Aggression. Other hypotheses predicting significant contributions for the interaction effects of Activity Level and Monitoring, and Activity Level and Discipline in explaining Reported and Observed Aggression were not supported.;Concerns about the level of corporal punishment in the current sample, given the nature of the questions asked about possible physical discipline was discussed as a major limitation of the current study. However, the finding that even low levels of coercive discipline accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in aggression observed in young boys has implications for therapy. Specifically, teaching parents alternative discipline strategies is recommended. Future directions for research were discussed.