1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The objective of this study [is] to identify […] the developmental trajectories of physical aggression for boys and girls from infancy to early adolescence simultaneously using reports from mothers (ages 17 months to 8 years), teachers (ages 6-13 years), and the children themselves (ages 10-13 years). We also examined early risk factors for high physical aggression trajectories.» (p. 8)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
The authors «used data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD)» (p. 3) «Among 2223 participants, 51.2% were boys and 91.2% were of white race/ethnicity. [Participants were] from age 18 months to age 13 years.» (p. 4)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The present study indicates that boys and girls have different patterns of the development of physical aggression. One of the important sex differences is that girls on a high physical aggression trajectory during early childhood (according to mothers) remain on the high physical aggression trajectory from ages 6 to 13 years according to teachers and self-reports. However, boys on the high trajectory according to teachers and self-reports were not rated on the high trajectory by mothers during early childhood. One explanation for this difference in the results between boys and girls is that mothers of boys living in high-risk families may not be the most reliable raters of their son’s physical aggression frequency. This hypothesis could be verified by comparing physical aggression ratings by mothers and by child care workers when the boys are in child care. However, an important challenge is that children from at-risk families are less likely to be attending child care services.» (p. 9)