A cross-lagged analysis of the relationship between adolescents' aggressive behavior, parent-child relationships, and teacher caring behaviors.

Background: Aggressive behavior in secondary school students significantly affects their mental health, academic performance, and social adjustment. Parent-child relationships and caring teacher behaviors are recognized as key influences. However, most existing studies employ a cross-sectional design, limiting their ability to reveal dynamic causal relationships among variables. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the longitudinal mechanisms underlying the interactions between parent-child relationships, caring teacher behaviors, and aggression in middle school students using a cross-lagged model. Methods: Data were collected from 824 junior and senior high school students in Shandong Province using a longitudinal design, with a two-stage follow-up survey (one semester apart) employing the Aggression Behavior Scale, the Parent-Child Relationship Scale, and the Teacher Caring Behavior Scale. Correlation analyses and cross-lagged modeling tests were performed using SPSS and Amos, with measures taken to control for common method bias. Results: (1) T1 parent-child relationship significantly negatively predicted T2 aggressive behavior (β = -0.231, p < 0.001), but the reverse path was not significant. (2) T1 teacher caring behaviors significantly negatively predicted T2 aggressive behaviors (β = -0.142, p < 0.001), and T1 parent-child relationships positively influenced T2 teacher caring behaviors (β = 0.097, p = 0.009). (3) Aggressive behavior demonstrated temporal stability (β = 0.114, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Both parent-child relationships and caring teacher behaviors independently mitigate aggression in middle school students, with parent-child relationships potentially exerting an indirect effect by enhancing caring teacher behaviors. These findings highlight the significance of collaborative family-school interventions and offer a theoretical foundation for preventing adolescent behavioral problems.