Qualitative Research in Behavioral Sciences

Qualitative Research in Behavioral Sciences

Explaining Maternal Aggression: Modeling Causes and Strategies Using a Grounded Theory Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Reza Reyhani 1
Mahdi arkhodi ghalenoei 2
aliakbar soleimanian 3
mansoor sodani 4
1 Ph.D in Counseling, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Councelling, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Counseling, Humanities Faculty, University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran
4 Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahavz, Ahvaz, Iran
10.22077/qrbs.2025.10566.1144
Abstract
Background: Maternal aggression towards children is a significant psychological issue with negative consequences for the child's emotional and behavioral development. However, the majority of previous research has been predominantly quantitative, paying less attention to the lived experiences and in-depth understanding of mothers regarding this behavior. This limitation has resulted in an insufficient understanding of the actual roots and contexts of this phenomenon. Accordingly, conducting in-depth qualitative research is necessary for a more comprehensive understanding of this issue.
Aim: The present study aimed to extract a theoretical model of maternal aggression towards children and identify its related factors, processes, and consequences within the cultural context of Iran.
Method: This qualitative study employed the grounded theory approach (Corbin & Strauss, 1998). Participants were mothers residing in Mashhad in 2024 who had lived experience relevant to the research topic. Purposive sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, resulting in a total of 12 semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding.
Results: The findings revealed that the core category was "Emotional Arousal: Educational-Caregiving Anger," which is shaped by five other main categories. Influential factors included "Internal-External Challenges of Constructive Interaction with the Child," "Mother's Maladaptive Internal Experiences," and "Mother's Support Networks." Strategies of maternal aggression were identified under the category "Maternal Mistreatment of the Child," and its consequences were grouped under the category "Destabilization of Individual and Family Functioning," including maternal guilt, damage to child attachment, and disruption of family atmosphere. These findings indicate a complex interaction of psychological factors, personal experiences, and environmental support in the emergence of maternal aggression.
Conclusions: Maternal aggression is a multidimensional phenomenon that requires special attention in educational and psychological programs aimed at improving mother-child relationships. Focusing on influential factors and support networks can play a preventive role in reducing aggression and promoting children's mental health.
Keywords
human resource management
training
data- driven
big data
municipality
Subjects

References

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Asgharpor, Z., & Zarbakhsh Bahri, M.  R. (2018). The mediating role of parental psychological aggression and physical punishment in the relationship of parenting styles with bullying. Child Mental Health, 5(1), 68-79. https://childmentalhealth.ir/article-1-294-en.html

Besharat, M. A., Raeisi, F., & Farahmand, H. (2020). Attachment injuries and depression: The mediating role of anger. Quarterly Journal of Psychological Studies, 16(59), 25-40. https://psychstudies.alzahra.ac.ir/article_4946.html?lang=en

Bi, S., & Keller, P. S. (2021). Parental empathy, aggressive parenting, and child adjustment in a noncustodial high-risk sample. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(19-20), NP10371-NP10392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519870165

Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research (3rd ed.): Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452230153

Corso, C. B., Shin, S. H., Darnell, A., Kliewer, W., & Winter, M. A. (2025). The influence of parental social- emotional competencies on intergenerational child maltreatment: A scoping Review. Trauma, violence & abuse, 26(4), 833-849. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241296475

Criaco, G., Sieger, P., Wennberg, K., Chirico, F., & Minola, T. (2017). Parents’ performance in entrepreneurship as a “double- edged sword” for the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 49(4), 841-864.‏ https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v49y2017i4d10.1007_s11187-017-9854-x.html

Crouch, J. L., Skowronski, J. J., Davila, A. L., & Milner, J. S. (2022). Do high- risk parents use more aggression during competitive play with children? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(9-10), NP7707-NP7728. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520969246

Czik, A. A., Elizarov, E., & Ziv, Y. (2025). The association between maternal social information processing and preschool children social and learning problems via maternal insightfulness and children's social information processing. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 70, 404-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.010

Esmaeili, D. Z., Vaezzadeh, N., Esmaeili, M. R., Hosseini, S. H., Kaheni, S., Esmaeili, H., & Shahhosseini, Z. (2014). Identification of child maltreatment in Iranian children with the Parent-child conflict tactics scale. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 4(5), 713-718. https://doi.org/10.4103/2141-9248.141527

Fields, C., Keller, P. S., & El_Sheikh, M. (2025). Associations between parent and child antisocial behavior: Aggression in family relationships as a mechanism of risk. Personality and Individual Differences, 238, 113077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113077

Goldenberg, I., & Goldenberg, H. (2001). Family therapy (translated by H. R. Hosseinshahi, S. Naghshbandi & E. Arjmand, 29th ed.). Ravan Publishing. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24454-family-therap

Goncy, E. A., Basting, E. J., & Dunn, C. B. (2021). A meta- analysis linking parent- to- child aggression and dating abuse during adolescence and young adulthood. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(5), 1248-1261. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020915602

Hart, E. J., & Ostrov, J. M. (2013). Functions of aggressive behavior and future functional impairment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(4), 683-691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.05.005

Hershcovis, M. S., & Bowling, N. A. (2017). Workplace harassment: A theoretical model integrating antecedents, consequences, and interventions. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 139-162. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062539

Khazaei, S., Salehi, A., & Molavi Vardanjani, H. (2023). Prevalence and correlates of child maltreatment among mothers in the Kurdistan province, Western Iran. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30(6), 801-812. https://doi.org/10.1177/00912174231163740

Khazaei, S. (2024). Lived experiences of mothers in relation to children after imprisonment of head of family. Qualitative Research in Behavioral Sciences, 3(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.22077/QRBS.2024.7808.1043

Khoshabi, K., & Abuhamzeh, E. (2023). John Bowlby (Attachment Theory) (5th ed.). Tehran: Danjeh Publishing. https://www.iranketab.ir/book/45011-john-bowlby

Kosson, D. S., Schraft, C. V, Brieman, C. L., McBride, C. K., & Knight, R. A. (2020). Parental rejecting behaviors: Validating a behaviorally based youth- report measure of parental emotional abuse. Assessment, 28(3), 899-917. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191120918943

Lansford, J. E. (2022). Parents’ aggression toward children and children’s own aggression. In Parenting Across Cultures: Childrearing, Motherhood and Fatherhood in Non-Western Cultures (pp. 307-320). Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-7503-9_33

Lau, A. S., Takeuchi, D. T., & Alegria, M. (2006). Parent- to- child aggression among Asian American parents: Culture, context, and vulnerability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(5), 1261-1275. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4122858

Li, T., Huang, Y., Jiang, M., Ma, S., & Ma, Y. (2023). Childhood psychological abuse and relational aggression among adolescents: A moderated chain mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1082516

Liu, S., Wu, P., Han, X., Wang, M., Kan, Y., Qin, K., & Lan, J. (2024). Mom, dad, put down your phone and talk to me: How parental phubbing influences problematic internet use among adolescents. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01620-0

Mahoney, A., Donnelly, W. O., Boxer, P., & Lewis, T. (2003). Marital and severe parent-to-adolescent physical aggression in clinic- referred families: Mother and adolescent reports on cooccurrence and links to child behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(1), 3-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12666459/

Martuccio, A., D'Affuso, A., Ranieri, J., & Di Napoli, I. (2022). Parental psychological aggression and child adjustment: The mediating role of parenting stress. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31, 2435-2448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02333-4

Moed, A. (2024). An emotion- focused extension of coercion theory: Emerging evidence and conceptualizations for parental experienced emotion as a mechanism of reinforcement in coercive parent-child interactions. Child Development Perspectives, 18(2), 82-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12497

Morgan, C. H., Rodriguez, C. M., Pu, D. F., & Elkins, Z. O. (2025). Approval of parent-child aggression as a mediator of intergenerational child abuse risk: An evaluation of racial differences. Journal of Family Violence, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00799-5

Mokhtari, S., & Madanian, L. S. (2024). Prediction of sleep quality and anxiety based on self- compassion and maternal aggression among mothers with 5–7‑year‑old children. Iranian Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 36, 57-69. https://psyj.ir/afile/phpMN6bbV.pdf

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Reyhani, R., Sudani, M., Farhadirad, H., & Khoshesteh Mehr, R. (2022). Identifying components of marital intimacy in stable marriages: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Modern Psychological Research, 17(65), 118-128. https://psychologyj.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_14917.html?lang=en

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Shin, S. H., Tomlinson, C. A., Nelson- Hence, D., & Ksinan Jiskrova, G. (2022). Understanding the intergenerational cycle of trauma and violence: Maternal adverse childhood experiences and parent-to-child aggression risk. Journal of interpersonal violence, 38(5-6), 4998-5018. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221120884

Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). Parenting based on secure attachment (translated by S. Jamshidi, 1st ed.). Asbar Publishing. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/200276/the-whole-brain-child-by-daniel-j-siegel-md-and-tina-payne-bryson-phd/

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Sun, Y., Cheah, C. S., & Hart, C. H. (2024). Parent- child relationship buffers the impact of maternal psychological control on aggression in temperamentally surgent children. Social Development, 33(2), e12722. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12722

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References
Asadi, N., Salmani, F., & Salmani, M. (2022). The relationship between aggressive behaviors of preschool children and the violence against Iranian women in the covid‑19 pandemic. Journal of Family Violence, 37(7), 1125-1136. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36199132/
Asgharpor, Z., & Zarbakhsh Bahri, M.  R. (2018). The mediating role of parental psychological aggression and physical punishment in the relationship of parenting styles with bullying. Child Mental Health, 5(1), 68-79. https://childmentalhealth.ir/article-1-294-en.html
Besharat, M. A., Raeisi, F., & Farahmand, H. (2020). Attachment injuries and depression: The mediating role of anger. Quarterly Journal of Psychological Studies, 16(59), 25-40. https://psychstudies.alzahra.ac.ir/article_4946.html?lang=en
Bi, S., & Keller, P. S. (2021). Parental empathy, aggressive parenting, and child adjustment in a noncustodial high-risk sample. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(19-20), NP10371-NP10392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519870165
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research (3rd ed.): Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452230153
Corso, C. B., Shin, S. H., Darnell, A., Kliewer, W., & Winter, M. A. (2025). The influence of parental social- emotional competencies on intergenerational child maltreatment: A scoping Review. Trauma, violence & abuse, 26(4), 833-849. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241296475
Criaco, G., Sieger, P., Wennberg, K., Chirico, F., & Minola, T. (2017). Parents’ performance in entrepreneurship as a “double- edged sword” for the intergenerational transmission of entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 49(4), 841-864.‏ https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/sbusec/v49y2017i4d10.1007_s11187-017-9854-x.html
Crouch, J. L., Skowronski, J. J., Davila, A. L., & Milner, J. S. (2022). Do high- risk parents use more aggression during competitive play with children? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(9-10), NP7707-NP7728. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520969246
Czik, A. A., Elizarov, E., & Ziv, Y. (2025). The association between maternal social information processing and preschool children social and learning problems via maternal insightfulness and children's social information processing. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 70, 404-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.11.010
Esmaeili, D. Z., Vaezzadeh, N., Esmaeili, M. R., Hosseini, S. H., Kaheni, S., Esmaeili, H., & Shahhosseini, Z. (2014). Identification of child maltreatment in Iranian children with the Parent-child conflict tactics scale. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 4(5), 713-718. https://doi.org/10.4103/2141-9248.141527
Fields, C., Keller, P. S., & El_Sheikh, M. (2025). Associations between parent and child antisocial behavior: Aggression in family relationships as a mechanism of risk. Personality and Individual Differences, 238, 113077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113077
Goldenberg, I., & Goldenberg, H. (2001). Family therapy (translated by H. R. Hosseinshahi, S. Naghshbandi & E. Arjmand, 29th ed.). Ravan Publishing. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24454-family-therap
Goncy, E. A., Basting, E. J., & Dunn, C. B. (2021). A meta- analysis linking parent- to- child aggression and dating abuse during adolescence and young adulthood. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(5), 1248-1261. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020915602
Hart, E. J., & Ostrov, J. M. (2013). Functions of aggressive behavior and future functional impairment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(4), 683-691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.05.005
Hershcovis, M. S., & Bowling, N. A. (2017). Workplace harassment: A theoretical model integrating antecedents, consequences, and interventions. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 139-162. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062539
Khazaei, S., Salehi, A., & Molavi Vardanjani, H. (2023). Prevalence and correlates of child maltreatment among mothers in the Kurdistan province, Western Iran. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30(6), 801-812. https://doi.org/10.1177/00912174231163740
Khazaei, S. (2024). Lived experiences of mothers in relation to children after imprisonment of head of family. Qualitative Research in Behavioral Sciences, 3(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.22077/QRBS.2024.7808.1043
Khoshabi, K., & Abuhamzeh, E. (2023). John Bowlby (Attachment Theory) (5th ed.). Tehran: Danjeh Publishing. https://www.iranketab.ir/book/45011-john-bowlby
Kosson, D. S., Schraft, C. V, Brieman, C. L., McBride, C. K., & Knight, R. A. (2020). Parental rejecting behaviors: Validating a behaviorally based youth- report measure of parental emotional abuse. Assessment, 28(3), 899-917. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191120918943
Lansford, J. E. (2022). Parents’ aggression toward children and children’s own aggression. In Parenting Across Cultures: Childrearing, Motherhood and Fatherhood in Non-Western Cultures (pp. 307-320). Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-7503-9_33
Lau, A. S., Takeuchi, D. T., & Alegria, M. (2006). Parent- to- child aggression among Asian American parents: Culture, context, and vulnerability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(5), 1261-1275. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4122858
Li, T., Huang, Y., Jiang, M., Ma, S., & Ma, Y. (2023). Childhood psychological abuse and relational aggression among adolescents: A moderated chain mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1082516
Liu, S., Wu, P., Han, X., Wang, M., Kan, Y., Qin, K., & Lan, J. (2024). Mom, dad, put down your phone and talk to me: How parental phubbing influences problematic internet use among adolescents. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01620-0
Mahoney, A., Donnelly, W. O., Boxer, P., & Lewis, T. (2003). Marital and severe parent-to-adolescent physical aggression in clinic- referred families: Mother and adolescent reports on cooccurrence and links to child behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(1), 3-19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12666459/
Martuccio, A., D'Affuso, A., Ranieri, J., & Di Napoli, I. (2022). Parental psychological aggression and child adjustment: The mediating role of parenting stress. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31, 2435-2448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02333-4
Moed, A. (2024). An emotion- focused extension of coercion theory: Emerging evidence and conceptualizations for parental experienced emotion as a mechanism of reinforcement in coercive parent-child interactions. Child Development Perspectives, 18(2), 82-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12497
Morgan, C. H., Rodriguez, C. M., Pu, D. F., & Elkins, Z. O. (2025). Approval of parent-child aggression as a mediator of intergenerational child abuse risk: An evaluation of racial differences. Journal of Family Violence, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00799-5
Mokhtari, S., & Madanian, L. S. (2024). Prediction of sleep quality and anxiety based on self- compassion and maternal aggression among mothers with 5–7‑year‑old children. Iranian Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 36, 57-69. https://psyj.ir/afile/phpMN6bbV.pdf
Mortezavi, Z., & Amiri Majd, M. (2022). Relationship between mothers’ personality traits and parenting styles with aggression in elementary school children. Sociology of Education, 2(2), 158-169. https://www.iase-jrn.ir/index.php/se/article/view/39
Rashed, A., Salehi, K., Keshavarz Afshar, H., & Jahanbakhshi, Z. (2025). Formation of feelings of loneliness in young and middle-aged women: A systematic review of related factors. Qualitative Research in Behavioral Sciences, 4(1), 161- 178. https://doi.org/10.22077/qrbs.2025.8322.1068
Reyhani, R., Sudani, M., Farhadirad, H., & Khoshesteh Mehr, R. (2022). Identifying components of marital intimacy in stable marriages: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Modern Psychological Research, 17(65), 118-128. https://psychologyj.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_14917.html?lang=en
Richard, R. M., Pandit, D., Miriyala, S. A., Ghosh, S., Sheikh, M., Shariff, S., & Kantawala, B. (2024). Parent to child transmission of drug and alcohol abuse: A narrative review. Academic Journal of Pediatrics & Neonatology, 13(4), 555922. https://doi.org/10.19080/AJPN.2024.13.555922
Rueda, H. A., Ward, K. P., & Hoffman, S. (2024). Parent physical and psychological aggression and youth dating violence: A latent class analysis approach. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 39(11-12), 2460-2486. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231218224
Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918-924. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5328.918
Sandu, A. (2018). Constructionist grounded theory gt: Conceptual and methodological clarifications. logos, Universality, Mentality, Education, Novelty. Section: Economical and Administrative Sciences, 3(1), 73-100. https://doi.org/10.18662/lumeneas/06
Seon, J. (2024). The influence of informal social control on psychological aggression against children in Asian American families. Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development, 21(4), 517-531. https://doi.org/10.1080/26904586.2023.2285013
Shayeg, M., Barzegar Bafrooei, K., & Rahimi, M. (2021). The role of family factors in aggression of preschool children by social skills intermediation. Tebyan Journal, 20(1), 38-54. https://tbj.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-3015-en.html
Shin, S. H., Tomlinson, C. A., Nelson- Hence, D., & Ksinan Jiskrova, G. (2022). Understanding the intergenerational cycle of trauma and violence: Maternal adverse childhood experiences and parent-to-child aggression risk. Journal of interpersonal violence, 38(5-6), 4998-5018. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221120884
Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). Parenting based on secure attachment (translated by S. Jamshidi, 1st ed.). Asbar Publishing. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/200276/the-whole-brain-child-by-daniel-j-siegel-md-and-tina-payne-bryson-phd/
Slep, A. M. S., Rhoades, K. A., Lorber, M. F., & Heyman, R. E. (2024). Glimpsing the iceberg: parent- child physical aggression and abuse. Child maltreatment, 29(2), 219-232. https: //doi.org/10.1177/10775595221112921
Sun, Y., Cheah, C. S., & Hart, C. H. (2024). Parent- child relationship buffers the impact of maternal psychological control on aggression in temperamentally surgent children. Social Development, 33(2), e12722. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12722
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  • Receive Date 25 August 2025
  • Revise Date 18 December 2025
  • Accept Date 28 December 2025