Aggression and paternal absence: racial-ethnic differences among inner-city boys

Aggression scores were obtained for 132 preadolescent inner-city males to test the hypothesis that paternal absence may differentially influence aggressive behavior. A statistically significant, two-way race by paternal absence interaction (p less than .01) indicated that, when compared to their racial-ethnic counterparts living with both parents, father-absent Puerto Ricans were equally as aggressive, father-absent blacks were less aggressive, and father-absent whites were more aggressive. Tentative interpretations of these findings were developed with a view to the demographic realities of an American inner-city.