Normative developmental trajectories of aggressive behaviors in African American, American Indian, Asian American, Caucasian, and Hispanic children and early adolescents

J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2007 Dec;35(6):1047-62. doi: 10.1007/s10802-007-9154-z. Epub 2007 Jul 21.

Abstract

The current 5-year accelerated longitudinal investigation modeled the developmental trajectories of aggressive behaviors in 10,107 predominantly minority (>70%; African American, American Indian, Asian American, and Hispanic) children and early adolescents (Kindergarten through 8th grade, 49% female youth) from lower to lower-middle socioeconomic strata. Based on a two-part latent growth model, findings suggest that the probability and frequency of aggressive behavior use decreases slightly (linear) through the elementary school years and then increases as children move into middle school (quadratic). Though mean level differences were found across ethnic and racial groups, socioeconomic strata, and particularly by sex at initial status, rates of change over time across all groups were invariant. Findings suggest that potential socialization differences, if any, occur pre-Kindergarten in all groups.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Aggression / psychology*
  • Arizona / epidemiology
  • Asian / psychology
  • Asian / statistics & numerical data
  • Black or African American / psychology
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Child
  • Child Behavior Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Child Behavior Disorders / psychology
  • Child Development*
  • Ethnicity / psychology*
  • Ethnicity / statistics & numerical data
  • Faculty
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hispanic or Latino / psychology
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Indians, North American / psychology
  • Indians, North American / statistics & numerical data
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Models, Statistical
  • Prevalence
  • Sex Distribution
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • White People / psychology
  • White People / statistics & numerical data