Citation

Walters GD, Ronen T, Rosenbaum M. Psychol. Assess. 2010; 22(3): 628-637.

Affiliation

Psychology Services, Federal Correctional Institution-Schuylkill.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0019779

PMID

20822275

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the latent structure of childhood aggression, like the latent structure of adult antisocial behavior, is dimensional. 1005 Israeli schoolchildren completed a translation of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry, 1992) and were rated by their homeroom teachers on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI; Robinson, Eyberg, & Ross, 1980). The AQ Physical Aggression and Verbal Aggression scales were combined to form the 1st indicator, the AQ Anger and Hostility scales were combined to form the 2nd indicator, the 10-item ECBI Oppositional Defiant Behavior Toward Adults scale composed the 3rd indicator, and the 8-item ECBI Conduct Problem Behavior scale composed the 4th indicator. Subjecting these indicators to taxometric analysis revealed consistent support for dimensional latent structure in the full sample as well as in 5 of the 6 subsamples. Childhood aggression, it would seem, differs quantitatively along a dimension (degree of aggression) rather than bifurcating into qualitatively distinct categories (aggressive vs. nonaggressive). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Language: en