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Deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression during early adolescence: within-person effects and
Yuxi Li1,2, E Scott Huebner3, Lili Tian4,5
1Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of Reading and Development in Children and Adolescents (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China.
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
|December 22, 2023
Summary
Early adolescents
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Criminology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Existing research often conflates within-person and between-person effects in studying deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression.
- The mediating role of self-control in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and aggression during early adolescence remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally examine the dynamic, within-person relationships among deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression in early adolescence.
- To investigate whether self-control mediates the pathways between deviant peer affiliation and aggression.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) for longitudinal analysis.
- Collected data from 4078 early adolescents over four time points across two years.
- Assessed self-reported measures of deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression.
Main Results:
- Deviant peer affiliation and aggression showed reciprocal positive predictions.
- Self-control and aggression exhibited reciprocal negative predictions, though both were unstable.
- Deviant peer affiliation and self-control demonstrated reciprocal negative predictions.
- Self-control mediated the effect of aggression on deviant peer affiliation, but not the reverse.
Conclusions:
- Precise within-individual dynamics between deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression were identified.
- Findings offer crucial insights for developing targeted prevention and intervention strategies for early adolescent aggression.
- Understanding these complex relationships is vital for promoting positive youth development.
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