| Early aggressive behavior predicts a range of negative developmental outcomes,including substance dependence,mental health,school dropout,unemployment,peer violence,and even crime and imprisonment.The aggressive behavior refers to the individual’s intention to hurt others,and the injured person tries to avoid.From a functional perspective,aggressive behavior can be divided into reactive aggression and proactive aggression.Previous studies have shown that childhood abuse is an important variable affecting aggressive behavior,especially reactive aggression,but the relationship between childhood abuse and proactive aggression is still inconsistent.General Aggression Model suggests that individual aggression may be influenced by environmental variables(e.g.,childhood abuse)and that the loop must function through individual factors(e.g.,executive function).As important environmental and individual factors,childhood abuse and executive function are widely concerned variables in the general aggression model.The Child-Elicitation Effects theory suggests that the initial problematic behavior of children and adolescents may trigger harsher parental discipline and even abuse.However,few studies have explored the interaction between childhood abuse(environmental factors)and aggressive behavior of middle school students from the perspective of motivation,as well as the longitudinal mechanism of executive function(individual factors)in it.Based on General Aggression Model(GAM)theory and The Child-Elicitation Effects theory,this paper includes three studies.In study 1,a cross-sectional design was used to preliminarily investigate the relationship between childhood abuse,executive function and reactive and proactive aggression.1108 middle school students filled out the Child Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form(CTQ-SF),Executive Dysfunction Questionnaire(DEX)and Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire(RPQ).In Study 2,a cross-lag study design was used to explore the interaction between childhood abuse and reactive and Proactive aggression.In Study 3,a follow-up study design was used to investigate the longitudinal mediating role of executive function in the relationship between childhood abuse and reactive and proactive aggression.The results showed that:(1)there is a significant positive correlation between childhood abuse,executive function and reactive and proactive aggressive behavior.(2)The correlation between different variables,as well as the correlation of the same variable at different times,reached a significant level.The relationship between childhood abuse and reactive and proactive aggression is stable over time.(3)Childhood abuse predicted proactive aggression after half a year,but not reactive aggression;There is no significant gender difference in the longitudinal relationship between childhood abuse and reactive and proactive aggression.(4)There is a mutual predictive relationship between child abuse and executive function.The first measured abuse experience can predict the second measured executive function level,and the first measured executive function level can also predict the second measured abuse experience.(5)There is a mutual predictive relationship between executive function and reactive aggression.The level of executive function measured at the first time predicted the level of reactive aggression measured at the second time,and the level of reactive aggression measured at the first time predicted the level of executive function measured at the second time.(6)Executive function plays a longitudinal mediating role between childhood abuse and proactive aggression,but not between childhood abuse and reactive aggression.In conclusion,this study partially supports the general aggression model and The child-elicitation effects theory.Executive function plays a longitudinal mediating role in the relationship between childhood abuse and proactive aggression.There is a mutual predictive relationship between executive function and reactive aggression,but the longitudinal relationship between childhood abuse and reactive aggression is not significant. |
