The relationship between harsh parenting and junior high school students’ displaced aggression: a moderated mediation model

The current study examined a moderated mediation model to test the mediating role of hostile attribution bias between harsh parenting and junior high school students’ displaced aggression, as well as the moderating role of self-control. A total of 2003 junior high school students were recruited to complete questionnaires on harsh parenting, a word association paradigm scale for hostility, a self-control scale, and a displaced aggression questionnaire. The results revealed that (1) harsh parenting positively predicted displaced aggression; (2) hostile attribution bias partially mediated the relationship between harsh parenting and displaced aggression; and (3) self-control negatively moderated the relationship between hostile attribution bias and displaced aggression and negatively moderated the relationship between overall harsh parenting and displaced aggression, as well as maternal harsh parenting and displaced aggression. These findings suggest that harsh parenting is a risk factor for junior high school students’ displaced aggression and that self-control could mitigate the negative effects of harsh parenting and hostile attribution bias on displaced aggression.