Applied Research Bulletin - Volume 3, Number 1 (Winter-Spring 1997) - April 1997

No Need to Cross the Street: Aggression Decreases as Children Grow Older

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Children rely less and less on physical aggression as they grow older, according to a research paper based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY).

"Most adults will cross the street if they see a group of adolescent boys standing on a street corner at night," stated Richard E. Tremblay and six colleagues in a recent analysis conducted for Human Resources Development Canada. But "the traditional image of mild-mannered, innocent children becoming physically aggressive as they reach adolescence is certainly not confirmed by these studies."

The report acknowledged that the majority of young adults will commit some form of delinquent act, but noted that about six percent of the adolescent population accounts for the majority of violent acts and arrests.

While boys consistently show more physical aggression than girls, girls rely more heavily on "indirect aggression" - defined as behaviours designed to hurt another person without physical violence. Data drawn from the NLSCY indicate that physical aggression in both genders decreases with age, while indirect aggression increases.

Text version

Note: Each family was classified in one of six socio-economic categories, based on parents' education, occupational status and household income.

Source: NLSCY

Based on this analysis, Tremblay and his colleagues concluded that household environment is linked to aggression in children. "The more socio-economically disadvantaged the family, the higher the risk that the children will make use of indirect aggression, as well as physical aggression," they wrote. "It is important to note that the effects of living in a socio-economically disadvantaged family appear very early in children's lives and continue to have the same importance for older children."

The data also confirmed that the siblings of physically aggressive children are very likely to show high levels of aggression, hyperactivity, and emotional disorder. Overall, the research indicates that, independent of age, the highest risk of frequent physical aggression can be found in boys from lower socio-economic backgrounds who have siblings with behaviour problems.

Tremblay and his colleagues underscore the value of longitudinal research in building a profile of children who remain physically aggressive as they grow older. "As children grow older, most learn not to use physical aggression. However, there are children who do not learn, or who do not learn as well as others," they wrote. "As children become older, it will be possible to characterize those who maintain or increase their aggressive behaviours and those who abandon these behaviours."

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