Abstract

This study investigated the effect of parental psychological control on relational aggression among middle school students, the mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and friendship jealousy, and whether there were differences in these variables by the demographic characteristics of gender and family form. Data of 554 middle school students living in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do were used for the final analysis. There were two major results. The first major result was what rejection sensitivity and friendship jealousy sequentially mediated the relationship between parental psychological control and relational aggression. The second major result was gender differences which was shown by a multi-group analysis to examine in the path from parental psychological control to rejection sensitivity, the path from parental psychological control to relational aggression, and the path from friendship jealousy to relational aggression. This study was meaningful in that it expanded the understanding of relational aggression and identified directions for therapeutic interventions.