NCJ Number
170946
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 33 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1996) Pages: 450-470
Date Published
1998
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Data from a longitudinal study of males and females from adolescence into young adulthood in New Jersey were used to examine the relationship between alcohol use and aggression.
Abstract
The 1,270 participants and their parents were selected by a random telephone survey, initially interviewed in their homes between 1979 and 1981, and tested for a full day at the test site. Follow-up testing took place 3 and 6 years later. A series of nested structural equation models examined the relationships among alcohol use, aggressive behavior, and episodes of acute alcohol-related aggression over time. Results revealed that both prior aggressive behavior and prior alcohol use predicted later episodes of acute alcohol-related aggression for the entire sample. In addition, early aggressive behavior predicted later alcohol use, whereas alcohol use was not related to subsequent increases in aggressive behavior. Moreover, gender interaction effects were also significant. Prior alcohol use was a better predictor of alcohol-related aggression for females, whereas prior aggression was a better predictor for males. However, the relationships between alcohol use and aggression did not vary by hostility level. Overall, findings suggested that the nature and direction of the relationship among alcohol use, aggression, and alcohol-related aggression over time are conditioned by gender. Figures, tables, notes, and 53 references (Author abstract modified)