Parent-child communication, social norms, and the development of cyber aggression in early adolescence

Bullo, Anna; Schulz, Peter J.

doi:10.1007/s10964-022-01625-1

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Journal article

Parent-child communication, social norms, and the development of cyber aggression in early adolescence

Bullo, Anna ORCID Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
Schulz, Peter J. ORCID Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland - Department of Communications and Media, Ewha Womans Univeristy, Seoul, South Korea

2022

Published in:

Journal of youth and adolescence. - 2022, vol. 51, p. 1774–1786

English To understand the development of cyber aggression during adolescence, it is important to consider the temporal variability of its potential predictors. This study uses a four-wave survey to investigate how changes in peer norms, parental norms, and parental communication are associated with two-year trajectories of online peer aggression. The sample includes 1521 Swiss middle school students (Mage T1 = 11.54, SD = 0.40; 48% female). The results showed that over time a better parental communication quality and anti-aggression norms predicted lower rates and slower development of cyber aggression. Moreover, parental variables emerged as a quite stable deterrent of aggressive conduct. Although entrance into adolescence is characterized by the rise of peer influence, results from this study suggest that parents maintain an important protective role.

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