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Testosterone and aggression in children

J N Constantino1, D Grosz, P Saenger

  • 1Dept of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|November 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
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Serum testosterone levels did not differ between aggressive and nonaggressive prepubertal boys. These findings suggest testosterone is not a reliable biological marker for childhood aggression.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Child psychiatry
  • Behavioral neuroscience

Background:

  • Previous research suggests a link between serum testosterone and aggression in animals and adult men.
  • This link has not been previously investigated in prepubertal children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between serum testosterone levels and aggressive behavior in prepubertal children.
  • To determine if testosterone is a useful biological marker for aggression in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Serum testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were measured in 18 highly aggressive prepubertal boys (ages 4-10) and compared to age- and race-matched controls.
  • Aggressive subjects met DSM-III-R criteria for conduct disorder and scored above the 98th percentile on aggression measures.

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Main Results:

  • No significant differences were found in serum testosterone, SHBG, DHEA, or DHEAS levels between aggressive and nonaggressive children.
  • Ratios of these hormone combinations also showed no significant differences.

Conclusions:

  • The findings question the inference from adult studies that testosterone plays a causal role in human aggression.
  • Testosterone does not appear to be a useful biological marker for aggression in early childhood.