Citation

Boutin S, Denault AS, Verlaan P, Déry M. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 2018; 50(4): 226-237.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Canadian Psychological Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1037/cbs0000107

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Aggressive behaviours can lead to serious problems of adaptation, including increased implication in risk-taking behaviours in adolescence. In a sample composed exclusively of girls, the present study seeks to examine whether peer nominations of indirect aggression at the end of elementary school can predict the development of self-reported risk-taking behaviours in secondary school (delinquent behaviours, substance use and risky sexual activities). The sample consists of 250 girls who were followed over four time points from the end of elementary school (fifth and sixth grade; T1) to secondary school II-IV (T4). After statistically controlling for direct aggression, the results show that young girls displaying indirect aggression at the end of elementary school are more likely than their peers to adopt delinquent behaviours, use substances and engage in risky sexual activities during their secondary school years. These results justify psycho-social interventions for young girls displaying indirect aggression before the transition into secondary school as a means of preventing future risk-taking behaviours. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

Aggressive Behavior; Classmates; Female Delinquency; High School Students; Peer Relations; Relational Aggression; Risk Taking