Andrew L. Frazer

An Examination of the Appropriateness of an Adapted Version of the Family Interaction Macro-coding System Psychological Control Scale

ABSTRACT Parental psychological control is associated with a host of negative youth outcomes, including internalizing symptoms and aggression. Measuring parental psychological control, however, is not without its limitations, including self-reporting bias. The current study sought to demonstrate the appropriateness of an adapted brief version of the Family Interaction Macro-coding System (FIMS) to assess parental psychological control. Fifty parent–child dyads completed behavioral observation tasks, which were coded for parental psychological control using the FIMS-PC. Parents and children reported on the child’s withdrawn/depressed symptoms and proactive and reactive aggression. Children also reported on their perceptions of parental psychological control using the Psychological Control Scale (PCS). Intraclass correlation coefficients revealed acceptable inter-rater reliability of the FIMS-PC. The FIMS-PC score was significantly positively related to child-reported psychological control. The FIMS-PC score was related to proactive and reactive aggression; however, results varied across informants, and notable informant differences emerged between the FIMS-PC score and the Psychological Control Scale in their associations with both withdrawn/depressed symptoms and aggressive behavior. Given the importance of accurately assessing the experience of psychological control, assessment instruments that avoid the self-report bias of questionnaires are necessary. Current evidence suggests that the adapted FIMS-PC, being much briefer and easier to access than the entire FIMS protocol, may be an acceptable tool for assessing this construct reliably. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Further Evaluation of Associations Between Reactive and Proactive Aggression and Suicidal Behavior in a Treatment Seeking Sample of Youth

This study examined associations between reactive and proactive functions of aggression and suicidal behavior in a sample of outpatient treatment seeking youth (n = 111, 60.5% male) ranging from 6 to 17 years of age (Mean age = 10.57 years). Additionally, hope was evaluated as a moderator of these associations. Child reports of measures were used to evaluate associations. When also considering the variance associated with child depressive symptoms and hope, reactive, but not proactive, aggression was uniquely associated with suicidal behavior. Moreover, hope moderated this association, such that reactive aggression was only positively associated with suicidal behavior when levels of hope were low. Findings and their implications for targeting hope with aggressive youth for the prevention of suicidal behavior are discussed.

Anxiety symptoms as a moderator of the reciprocal links between forms of aggression and peer victimization in middle childhood

The current short-term longitudinal study evaluated whether anxiety symptoms moderated the bidirectional associations between forms (i.e., physical and relational) of aggression and peer victimization over a 1-year period during middle childhood. Participants were 228 predominantly Caucasian children (50.4% boys; M = 8.32 years, SD = .95 years) in the second through fourth grades and their homeroom teachers. Children completed a self-report measure of anxiety symptoms at Time 1. Peer victimization was assessed using self-reports at Time 1 and approximately 1 year later (Time 2), and teachers provided ratings of childrens aggressive behavior at both time points. A series of cross-lagged path analysis models indicated that high (+1 SD) initial levels of anxiety symptoms exacerbated the prospective link from Time 1 relational aggression to Time 2 peer victimization; conversely, when initial levels of anxiety symptoms were low (-1 SD), relational aggression predicted lower levels of subsequent peer victimization. Time 1 peer victimization was also found to predict lower levels of Time 2 physical aggression when initial levels of anxiety symptoms were low, and Time 1 anxiety symptoms were uniquely related to higher levels of relational aggression over a 1-year period. Regions of significance were calculated to further decompose significant interactions, which did not differ according to gender. Study findings are discussed within a social information processing theoretical framework, and directions for future research and implications for practice are reviewed. Specifically, co-occurring anxiety symptoms may need to be addressed in interventions for both aggression and peer victimization during middle childhood.

Family influences on the use of e-cigarettes

ABSTRACT E-cigarette use among adolescents continues to rise. However, little research has examined factors that influence adolescent e-cigarette use. The goal of the current study was to better understand family influences (i.e., perceptions of parental attitudes and sibling use) of e-cigarette use and determine how these influences on e-cigarette use compared to their influence on other substances (i.e., alcohol, traditional tobacco, and marijuana). A sample of 279 9th to 12th graders completed surveys, and results indicated that adolescents perceive that their parents feel that e-cigarettes are less wrong than traditional tobacco use and similarly wrong to marijuana use. Siblings used traditional tobacco at a higher rate than e-cigarettes and marijuana, which siblings have used at similar rates. Alcohol was perceived to be the substance that parents felt was least wrong to use and the most used substance by siblings. Perceptions of parental attitudes toward substances were related to adolescent use of all substances. Sibling use was positively associated with traditional tobacco, e-cigarette, and marijuana use, but not alcohol use. Thus, it appears that adolescent e-cigarette use is influenced by both parental attitudes and sibling use.

Forms and functions of aggression in early childhood

Evidence supports the distinctions between forms (relational vs. physical) and functions (proactive vs. reactive) of aggression; however, little research has investigated these two subtype frameworks simultaneously or by teacher-report in early childhood. We examined the factor structures, interrelations, and longitudinal associations of teacher-reported forms and functions of aggression in young children. Preschool and kindergarten students (N = 133; ages 3–6 years; 58.6% male) were rated by their teachers during the spring semester and on two subsequent occasions over the following school year (a three-wave cross-sequential design). Bayesian confirmatory factor analyses and path models were estimated, controlling for covariates and cross-classification of students within classrooms. Correlated two-factor models showed acceptable measurement characteristics for both aggression frameworks. Within and between frameworks, aggression subtypes were highly correlated with one another. Physical aggression showed greater stability than, and was a precursor to, relational aggression, whereas both proactive and reactive aggression were stable and bidirectional. All subtypes—especially reactive and physical aggression—were robustly associated with peer rejection but not with academic performance or depressive symptoms. Results suggest that brief, teacher-reported rating scales can be used to measure forms and functions of aggression during early childhood. However, examination of one framework should elicit questions regarding the other (e.g., to what extent are measures of proactive and reactive aggression capturing physical aggression?), and research following a form-by-function approach may be particularly useful. Given their stability and outcomes, physical, reactive, and proactive aggression may be important targets for screening and intervention in early childhood settings.

Acculturative dissonance and risks for proactive and reactive aggression among Latino/a adolescents: implications for culturally relevant prevention and interventions

Abstract There is a dearth of studies concerning the functions of aggression among Latino/a youth despite the fact they are one of the fastest growing youth populations in the United States. We examined individual, peer, cultural, and community level indicators of reactive and proactive aggression and determined whether these relationships were moderated by acculturative dissonance (e.g., culturally specific family conflicts arising from the acculturation process) among a sample of Latino/a adolescents who were predominantly of Mexican heritage. Consistent with prior evidence, results revealed that peer delinquency was uniquely associated with proactive aggression, whereas impulsivity was uniquely associated with reactive aggression. Further, acculturative dissonance was uniquely associated with proactive but not reactive aggression. No moderating effects for acculturative dissonance were found, indicating that the significant risk factors in our study were associated with proactive and reactive aggression regardless of the level of acculturative dissonance experienced. Notably, acculturative dissonance was a unique risk factor for proactive aggression and thus may be an important target for prevention and interventions among Latino/a youth. Consequently, interventions designed to prevent culturally specific family conflicts and promote family functioning may be particularly useful in mitigating the risk of aggression intended to achieve social and material awards among in this population.