Families, Parenting and Aggressive Preschoolers: A Scoping Review of Studies Examining Family Variables Related to Preschool Aggression

Raúl Navarro (), Elisa Larrañaga, Santiago Yubero and Beatriz Víllora
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Raúl Navarro: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de los Alfares, 42, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
Elisa Larrañaga: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de los Alfares, 42, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
Santiago Yubero: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de los Alfares, 42, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
Beatriz Víllora: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Humanities, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Avda de los Alfares, 42, 16071 Cuenca, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-34

Abstract: Background: A growing body of research has shown that children behave aggressively from an early age. In recent decades, such behaviour has become a focus of scientific interest, not only because of the adverse consequences of these interactions, but also because high levels of aggression, especially at an early age, may be a risk factor for the use of other forms of aggression, such as bullying, later on during their development. These behaviours are related not only to individual characteristics, but also to peer relationships, teacher behaviours, school variables, family factors and cultural influences. Method: In order to find out which family variables have been researched in relation to preschool aggression and which family variables are associated with perpetration and victimisation, a scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Four databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and PsycINFO) were used to map the studies published between 2000 and 2022. Results: This scoping review included 39 peer-reviewed articles from an initial sample of 2002 of them. The majority of studies looked only at perpetration behaviours. The main family variables covered in the articles concern parental behaviours, adverse childhood experiences in the family environment, and the household structural and sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion: This scoping review shows that different factors within the family environment increase the risk of developing aggressive and victimising behaviours in the preschool setting. However, the relationship between the family variables and preschool aggression is complex, and it may be mediated by other factors such as gender, child–teacher closeness or parent–child dyads.

Keywords: preschool aggression; childhood; aggression; family; parenting; bullying; scoping review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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