Date of Award

9-2-1994

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Aggression is one of the most prevalent childhood behavior problems and makes up a large percentage of referrals to psychological clinics. Mental health professionals are likely to recommend that parents of aggressive children set firm rules for their children and that the parents be consistent in enforcing these rules. While this recommendation is suggested by research on parental discipline, there is a relative dearth of information on the relationship between the number of perceived parental rules, the perceived consistency of their enforcement, and the level of aggressive behavior in boys.This study attempted to confirm the importance of consistency in rule enforcement, as well as to examine the relationship between parent and child perceptions of rules and childhood aggression. The discrepancies between parent and child perceptions on both rule consistency and rule number were also investigated. Sixty pre-adolescent males and their mothers participated in this study. A checklist of aggressive behavior and an inventory of parental rules were used to examine the relationship between aggressive behavior in boys and parental rules.Results indicated that aggressive behavior in boys was associated with discrepancies between parent and child perceptions of rule number and with the child's perceived consistency of rule enforcement. Both were highly correlated with aggressive behavior and both were significant predictors of aggression. Implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.

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