This research describes the developmental trajectories of teacher-rated aggressive behavior from age 8 to 13 in a cohort of 429 elementary school children in an epidemiologically defined urban sample. A series of longitudinal exploratory data analyses were conducted to explore the distribution of aggression scores over time. Results: A composition of heterogeneous subgroups was found in the sample. Only a minority of children revealed a trend of increasing aggression scores consistently or maintaining high aggression scores over time. The majority children shared a pattern of fluctuant scores over time. This finding supports the notion that persistent aggressive behavior in childhood is rare. However, children with persistent aggressive behavior over the life course may acount for the largest proportion of pathological outcomes later in life and require special attention for early intervention. Future study is needed to address this issue.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Child/Adolescent Mental Health, Epidemiology
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.