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Adolescent disclosure and concealment: longitudinal and concurrent associations with aggression
Chelom E Leavitt1, David A Nelson, Sarah M Coyne
1School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Aggressive Behavior
|May 31, 2013
Summary
Early physical aggression predicts later disclosure and concealment in girls. Relational aggression in adolescence is linked to concealment in both boys and girls, impacting parent-child communication.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Adolescent Psychology
Background:
- Aggression in early childhood can have long-term impacts.
- Parent-child communication dynamics are crucial for adolescent development.
- Understanding gender differences in aggression and communication is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the longitudinal association between preschool aggression and adolescent disclosure/concealment.
- To investigate the relationship between concurrent adolescent aggression and disclosure/concealment.
- To explore gender-specific patterns in these associations.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design with data collected over 10 years.
- Inclusion of 153 Russian participants (72.2% of initial cohort).
- Measures included peer nominations, teacher ratings of preschool aggression, and self-reported adolescent aggression, disclosure, and concealment.
Main Results:
- Preschool physical aggression significantly predicted adolescent disclosure and concealment patterns in girls.
- Adolescent relational aggression was associated with increased concealment in both boys and girls.
- Gender-specific pathways were observed linking early aggression to later communication behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Early physical aggression is a critical predictor of how girls communicate with parents in adolescence.
- Relational aggression in adolescence is a significant factor in information concealment from parents for both genders.
- These findings highlight the enduring impact of early aggression on adolescent parent-child relationship dynamics.
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