Parental Acceptance and Control as Predictors of Different Forms of Aggression Among Turkish Emerging Adults

Previous studies have predominantly examined parental acceptance, parental control, and aggression separately, often focusing on one parenting dimension or one parental figure at a time. This study investigated the associations between maternal, paternal, and parental acceptance and control and five distinct forms of aggression (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and general aggression) among Turkish emerging adults. A convenience sample of 487 emerging adult university students (381 females, 106 males) completed the Personal Information Form, the Parenting Styles Questionnaire, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses. Results indicated that maternal acceptance and parental acceptance were negatively associated with physical aggression, verbal aggression, hostility, and general aggression, whereas paternal acceptance was negatively associated with hostility and general aggression. Maternal control, paternal control, and overall parental control consistently emerged as significant positive predictors of physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and general aggression. These findings suggest that parental control is associated with higher levels of various forms of aggression among Turkish emerging adults, whereas parental acceptance is associated with lower levels of aggression, with differential effects of maternal and paternal parenting. Overall, our findings indicate that parenting influences on aggression during emerging adulthood are multifaceted, varying by parenting dimension, parental figure, and form of aggression. Interventions for emerging adults should prioritize reducing excessive parental control as a universal target regardless of parental source, while fostering parental acceptance (particularly maternal acceptance) may be associated with additional protective effects for most but not all forms of aggression.