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Establishing Independence in Low‐Income Urban Areas: The Relationship to Adolescent Aggressive Behavior
Author(s) -
Roche Kathleen M.,
Ensminger Margaret E.,
Chilcoat Howard,
Storr Carla
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00668.x
Subject(s) - aggression , psychology , developmental psychology , independence (probability theory) , peer group , association (psychology) , low income , human factors and ergonomics , injury prevention , poison control , social psychology , demographic economics , environmental health , medicine , statistics , mathematics , psychotherapist , economics
Although adolescents in poor urban areas often assume independent, adult‐like roles, relatively little is known about the relationship between these roles and other adolescent behaviors. This research examines the association between independent roles occurring within different contexts (e.g. family, peer, work) and aggressive behavior among 516 low‐income, urban middle school students. Overall, adolescent employment is related to increases in aggressive behavior. However, associations that familial and peer independent roles have with aggression differ by the extent of youth involvement in paid work. Greater engagement in familial independent roles is associated with decreased aggression among employed adolescents, but with increased aggression among unemployed youth. Also, peer independent roles are related to significantly greater increases in aggression among unemployed, compared with employed, adolescents.