This study identified subgroups of adolescents with distinct perceptions of parental messages that support fighting and nonviolence.
Latent class analysis identified four subgroups among 2,619 urban middle school students (90 percent African American; 52 percent female): 1) messages supporting fighting (32 percent), 2) messages supporting nonviolence (29 percent), 3) mixed messages (23 percent), and 4) no messages (16 percent). The study found significant differences across subgroups in their frequency of physical aggression and peer victimization, as well as beliefs about the use of aggressive and nonviolent responses to peer provocation. Beliefs significantly mediated the link between parental- messages subgroups and both aggression and victimization. Findings illustrate the heterogeneity in the messages urban adolescents perceive from their parents, as well as relations with adolescents’ beliefs and behavior. (publisher abstract modified)