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Principal Investigator: Shari Miller-Johnson, Ph.D.
The goal of this research is to understand the nature, antecedents, course, and mechanisms of aggression and antisocial behavior in girls. Despite the unique and growing problem of aggression by girls, most empirical studies and interventions to-date have been guided by models based on boys. We know little about the developmental pathways and mechanisms of these behaviors in girls. It is the guiding hypothesis of this project that the development of aggression and antisocial behavior by girls is ruled by concerns about interpersonal relationships.
The aims of this program of research are:
(1) To identify unique and common developmental trajectories of aggression and antisocial behavior in early-starting boys and girls;
(2) To characterize early and late starting pathways of antisocial behavior in boys and girls in two large-scale normative samples;
(3) To examine gender as a moderator of the relations between risk factors and antisocial outcomes;
(4) To examine gender as a moderator of the mediational path between early externalizing behaviors and antisocial outcomes;
(5) To conduct a qualitative analysis of cognitive, relationship, and contextual aspects of aggression;
(6) To propose a long-term program of research.
These aims will be accomplished by a combination of secondary data analyses and collection of qualitative data. Secondary data analyses will be completed on participants in the Fast Track study, a multi-site longitudinal study of the development and prevention of conduct disorder, and the Child Development Project, a multi-site longitudinal investigation of conduct problems.
The qualitative study will collect data from randomly selected samples of high-risk and normative boys and girls and educational, mental health, and juvenile justice professionals. Its goal is generative, in terms of bringing about new meanings, constructs, and hypotheses related to gender and antisocial and aggressive behavior.
The final aim will be achieved through the submission of an R01 grant to conduct a longitudinal study of girls' aggression and antisocial behavior. Findings from the quantitative and qualitative studies in this proposal will provide a foundation and guide the development of this original quantitative work. This long-term program of research will focus on the centrality of relationships for girls and how this impacts aggressive and antisocial behaviors.
Overall, results from this research plan will add to our understanding of how gender contributes to the development of antisocial behavior in girls and will have implications for preventive interventions and public policy. Given girls' increased antisocial behavior and their role as mothers of the next generation, it is imperative that we understand processes and outcomes of aggressive and antisocial behavior in boys and girls.
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