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The relation between childhood proactive and reactive aggression and substance use initiation.
Paula J Fite1, Craig R Colder, John E Lochman
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. pjfite@buffalo.edu
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|September 8, 2007
Summary
Aggressive children
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Substance Use Research
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Aggression in children is a significant concern.
- Understanding pathways to substance use is crucial for prevention.
- Peer influences play a key role in adolescent development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between proactive and reactive aggression and substance use initiation.
- To examine the mediating roles of peer delinquency and peer rejection.
- To inform targeted interventions for aggressive youth.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 126 aggressive children (grades 4-9).
- Assessed proactive and reactive aggression.
- Measured substance use initiation, peer delinquency, and peer rejection.
Main Results:
- Proactive aggression linked to alcohol initiation and indirectly to marijuana/tobacco via peer delinquency.
- Reactive aggression associated with tobacco/marijuana initiation through peer rejection and delinquency.
- High reactive aggression without peer rejection showed a negative association with substance use initiation.
Conclusions:
- Different aggression types have distinct pathways to substance use.
- Peer delinquency and rejection are critical mediators.
- Intervention strategies should consider aggression subtypes and peer dynamics.
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