Gender Differences in Predictors of Self-Reported Physical Aggression: Exploring Theoretically Relevant Dimensions Among Adolescents From Santiago, Chile

Abstract

Research findings remain unclear on whether different factors predict aggression for adolescent men and women. Given that aggression research is rarely conducted with Latin American populations, the current study used multiple imputation and linear regression to assess gender differences in levels and predictors of self-reported physical aggression among a community sample of young (ages 11 through 17) men (n=504) and women (n = 471) from Santiago, Chile. Results revealed that adolescent women reported engaging in higher levels of physical aggression than men. The variables found to be significantly associated with higher levels of reported aggression—younger age, less family involvement, less parental control, less positive relationships with caregivers, having more friends who act out and use substances, having fewer friends committed to learning, presence of dating violence, and more exposure to neighborhood crime—were not moderated by gender, implying that similar factors are related to aggression in adolescent men and women from Chile. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts to address high-risk adolescents and reduce aggression among Chilean youth are discussed.

Young Adults and Aggression: A Comparative Study of Gender Differences

“…The present results are also supported by Smritikana Mitra Ghosh (2012) who did not find any significant difference in aggression between girls and boys in his study. , Barbara Krahe et al (2005), Vives and Colet (2010) and Fries et al (2013) were significantly more relationally aggressive or hostile than males. However, we did not find females as significantly higher than males on aggression, but results suggest both are equal on aggression.…”

“…The data was collected by using Bullying victimization scale (BVS) and the results indicated that boys average score was higher than girls. Fries et al (2013) conducted a study Gender segregations in analyzing of Self-Reported Physical violence within Adolescents from Santiago, Chile within a community sample of youngsters (ages groups 11 -17). The sample consisted of men and women and the results discovered that teenager women reported engaged more in physical hostility than men.…”

Assessing Violence Risk in Adolescents in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Systematic Review and Clinical Guidance

“…Socioeconomic status risk factors include low socioeconomic status, exposure to community violence, drug use in the community, community disorganization, having five or more siblings, and living in a neighborhood where young people are in trouble. [17][18][19]22,24,27,[30][31][32][35][36][37][45][46][47][49][50][51][52]55,57, Clinical characteristics (Table 4) associated with correlates for violence in adolescents were organized into the following categories: substance use; depressive symptoms; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); impulse control; temperament and personality trait; and psychopathy. Cigarette, alcohol, and other illicit substances were found to be risk factors and can be classified under substance use.…”

At-Risk Latin American Youth: Challenges to Change

“…When 13-15-year-old boys were asked if they had participated in a physical fight at least once in the last year, over 50% of boys in Peru answered affirmatively (UNICEF, 2014). Girls in the region report relatively high rates of physical fights as well (Fries, Grogan-Kaylor, Bares, Han & Delva, 2013). When asked how many had been robbed in that same time frame, just over 50% of sixth graders across those 16 countries answered affirmatively, with the highest rate reported in Colombia (55%) and the lowest in Cuba (11%).…”