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Childhood Aggression and Peer Relations in the Context of Family and Neighborhood Factors
Author(s) -
Kupersmidt Janis B.,
Griesler Pamela C.,
DeRosier Melissa E.,
Patterson Charlotte J.,
Davis Paul W.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1995.tb00876.x
Subject(s) - aggression , psychology , peer relations , developmental psychology , context (archaeology) , peer group , childhood development , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , social psychology , suicide prevention , medical emergency , medicine , paleontology , biology
4 models (risk, protective, potentiator, and person‐environment fit) comparing the associations among ethnicity, income, and structural characteristics of families and neighborhoods on childhood aggression and peer relations were explored. The 1,271 second‐ through fifth‐grade ( M = 9.9 years) children were assigned to 1 of 8 family types based on ethnicity, income, and household composition, and their addresses were used to define low‐ or middle‐SES neighborhoods using neighborhood census data. Middle‐SES neighborhoods operated as a protective factor for reducing aggression among children from high‐risk families, interacted with family type to produce poor person‐environment fit resulting in a greater likelihood of being rejected by one's peers, and potentiated the development of home play companions for children from low‐risk families. Developmental and gender differences were also explored. Results are discussed in terms of the need for broader contextual factors to be considered in studying children's social and behavioral development.