In order to combat escalating aggression and violence in schools, it is important to understand the relationship between intrafamilial communication and aggressive behaviors. In this study, the authors examined the link between preadolescents’ perceptions of parentchild communication and their levels of school-based aggressive behavior. The results indicate that perceived effective communication was highest for mother-girl dyads, followed in order by mother-boy, father-boy, and father-girl dyads. Second, no difference between preadolescents’levels of aggressive behaviors in school on the basis of gender of child was found. Finally, the results indicated that preadolescents’ perceptions of effective parent-child communication were negatively correlated with school-based aggression. Implications for prevention and intervention strategies are discussed.
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