The Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Adolescent Aggressive Behavior: The Mediating Roles of Normative Beliefs About Aggression and Aggressive Affect

Abstract

Adolescence is a period in which the frequency of aggressive behavior increases. However, the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and different types of aggression remains unclear. This study explored this relationship among middle school students. It also examined the mediating mechanisms of aggressive cognition and affect, while investigating the gender differences in the relationships among the study variables. A total of 1891 middle school students from Southwest China completed the SES scale, the normative beliefs about aggression questionnaire, the relational aggression behavior questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Buss and Perry aggression questionnaire. Three main findings were obtained. First, SES showed a significant positive correlation with relational aggression (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation with verbal aggression (β = −0.10, p < 0.001), but not with physical aggression (β = −0.02, p = 0.44). Second, normative beliefs about aggression mediated the relationships between SES and two types of aggression (physical and relational); anger/hostility mediated the relationships between SES and all types of aggression (verbal, physical, and relational). Finally, among boys, only the direct effect of SES on relational aggression and the mediating effect of normative beliefs about aggression were significant; however, among girls, the result was the same as that of the total sample. The findings provide support for social learning theory and the general aggression model, highlight the important role of SES in adolescent development, and clarify the distinct patterns underlying physical, verbal, and relational aggression. This study provides empirical evidence that may assist parents and that teachers can use to effectively intervene in adolescent aggressive behavior.