RT journal article
T1 Differential susceptibility to parenting influences on reactive and proactive aggression: The role of testosterone and cortisol in children
A1 del Puerto-Golzarri, Nora
A1 Pascual-Sagastizabal, E.
A1 Muñoz Sánchez, José Manuel
A1 Carreras, Maria R.
A1 Ruiz-Ortiz, Rosa M.
A1 Azurmendi, Aitziber
A2 Psicología
K1 Aggressive behavior
K1 Children
K1 Cortisol
K1 Differential susceptibility
K1 Parenting styles
K1 Testosterone
AB This study explored whether cortisol and testosterone moderate the effect of parenting style on children's aggressive behavior, in accordance with the diathesis-stress or differential susceptibility theory; i.e., whether children are vulnerable to negative parenting styles (diathesis-stress) or, in addition to this vulnerability, also benefit more from positive parenting (differential susceptibility). The sample group comprised 279 eight-year-old children (154 boys and 125 girls) from Spain. Aggressive behavior was assessed using the “Reactive and Proactive Questionnaire” (RPQ) and parenting styles were measured using the “Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire” (PSDQ). Additionally, three saliva samples were collected to measure testosterone and cortisol levels, which were analyzed using ELISA. The results revealed that girls' high testosterone levels moderated the association between mothers’ authoritarian parenting style and reactive aggression. This result can be explained by the differential susceptibility model. None of the interactions were statistically significant in boys’ proactive aggression. The study emphasizes the importance of investigating biological and social factors that may influence aggressive behavior.
PB Elsevier
SN 1873-3360
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32276
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32276
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 11-nov-2026