RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY ECONOMIC HARDSHIP, PARENTING STRESS, AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between family economic hardship, parenting stress, and youth aggression in Pashtun families of Mardan, Pakistan. Using multi-stage stratified sampling, 1,152 Pakhtun youth (ages 15–29) from Mardan District (including the tehsils of Mardan, Takhtbai, and Katlang) were surveyed (Hawkins, 2023 & Kirk & Hardy, 2014). Participants completed a structured questionnaire (adapted from Touliatos, 2000) measuring demographics (including family income), family cohesion, conflict, overall family environment, and self-reported aggressive behavior (Childs et al., 2022). Family cohesion was assessed via emotional bonding and shared activities, while family conflict captured arguments and rivalry.Chi-square analyses (with family income as a grouping variable) revealed that low-income families exhibited significantly more negative family environments and higher youth aggression. In the ≤40,000 PKR/month income group, 42.4% of youth reported a “severe” family environment, and family environment was strongly associated with aggression (χ², p<.001)[4]. Kendall’s τ_b showed a strong positive correlation between family cohesion and aggression for both income strata (τ=0.613 for low-income, τ=0.721 for high-income; p<.001) (Junco-Guerrero et al., 2022), indicating that poorer cohesion was linked to higher aggression. Family conflict also predicted aggression, though more weakly (τ=0.085 for ≤40k, τ=0.201 for >40k)[7][8]. Notably, aggression was common: over half of respondents reported frequent verbal aggression (51.4%) or physical fights (54.7%) in the home (Apel & Kaukinen, 2008). These findings align with the family stress model, suggesting that economic hardship increases parental stress and household conflict, which in turn amplify youth aggressive behaviors(Weeland et al., 2021). We conclude that interventions strengthening family cohesion and reducing parenting stress – for example, social support programs and parent training – may mitigate adolescent aggression in Mardan’s Pashtun communities