Investigating the Causal Relationship of Parent's Physical and Emotional Violence with Anger Management and Aggressive Behavior of Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder Mediated by Parent-Child Relationship and Empathy

Background and Oppositional defiant disorder is one of the most common disruptive behavioral disorders. The aim of this study was to study the causal relationship of parents’ physical and emotional violence with anger management and aggressive behavior of children with oppositional defiant disorder mediated by parent-child relationship and empathy
This study is the correlation and path analysis. Statistical population of this study included all female students in third to eighth grade with defiant disorder. Of this population, a sample of 100 subjects were selected by multistage random sampling. The tools used in this study included Children Oppositional Defiant Disorder Rating Scale of Homerson et al (2006), Child Abuse and Trauma Questionnair (CTQ) of Bernstein (1995), Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) of Strauss (1979), Child-Parent Relationship Questionnaire (CPRS) of Fine et al (1983), Children’s Emotional Management Scale (CEMS) of Zeman et al (2001), Baron-Cohen’s Empathy Questionnaire (2003), Child Behavior Scale (CBS) of Ladd and Proflit (1996), and the structured clinical interview.
The results showed that emotional violence has a significant direct effect on aggressive behavior and anger management, but physical violence has only a direct effect on aggressive behavior. Also, the results demonstrated that empathy and parent-child relationship can act as a mediator between physical violence and emotional violence with anger management and aggressive behavior.
The results has highlighted the importance of parents’ behaviors and recognizing symptoms and how to deal properly with child has oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.