The Longitudinal and Reciprocal Associations Among Maternal Aggravation, Verbal Aggression, and Internalizing Problems from Childhood to Adolescence

Parents have a major influence on a child’s wellbeing, including the development of internalizing problems in their children. Furthermore, the influences between parents and their children could be reciprocal. This study examined the longitudinal, reciprocal association between maternal aggravation and child internalizing problems from childhood to adolescence and the potential mediating role of maternal verbal aggression. Using a sample of approximately 5000 mothers across four waves from the Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), results from a cross-lagged autoregressive model suggested that maternal aggravation was related to child internalizing problems from childhood to adolescence, whereas child internalizing problems were related to maternal aggravation only during early childhood. No mediation effect through maternal verbal aggression was found. Taken together, these findings highlight the long-term and direct impact of maternal aggravation on child internalizing problems, which has important implications for family researchers and practitioners.