Sex Differences in the Development of Aggression and Delinquency

This study utilized 570 participants from the Longitudinal Study on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) to explore sex differences in the development of late childhood aggression and delinquency. Multiple risk factors, organized according to Brofenbrenner's ecological perspective, were analyzed individually and as a group. Risk factors included child IQ, child attentional issues, discipline practices, interpersonal personal violence (IPV), child sexual abuse, family functioning, neighborhood violence, and neighborhood characteristics. Significant sex interactions were found for discipline practices, IPV, and family functioning for both aggression and delinquency, such that effects were significant for males, but not females