Citation

Perry KJ, Ostrov JM. Child Psychiatry Hum. Dev. 2018; 49(1): 20-32.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 478 Park Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260-4110, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10578-017-0725-0

PMID

28401324

Abstract

This study assessed how the forms and functions of aggression fit into a higher order model of internalizing and externalizing behavior, for children in early childhood (N = 332, M age = 47.11 months, SD = 7.32). The lower order internalizing factors were depressed affect, anxious-fearfulness, and asocial behavior (i.e., social withdrawal) and the lower order externalizing factors were deception and hyperactivity. The forms and functions of aggression were crossed to create four factors: reactive relational, reactive physical, proactive relational, and proactive physical aggression. Seven confirmatory factor models were tested.

RESULTS supported a two-factor externalizing model where reactive and proactive relational aggression and deception loaded on one externalizing factor and reactive and proactive physical aggression and hyperactivity loaded on another externalizing factor.

Language: en

Keywords

Child psychopathology; Early childhood; Factor analysis; Physical aggression; Relational aggression