CHILDHOOD AGGRESSION AND PEER RELATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF FAMILY AND NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS

4 models (risk, protective, potentiator, and person-environment fit) c omparing the associations among ethnicity, income, and structural char acteristics 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 e thnicity, income, and household composition, and their addresses were used to define low- or middle-SES neighborhoods using neighborhood cen sus data. Middle-SES neighborhoods operated as a protective factor for reducing aggression among children from high-risk families, interacte d with family type to produce poor person-environment fit resulting in a greater likelihood of being rejected by one's peers, and potentiate d the development of home play companions for children from low-risk f amilies. Developmental and gender differences were also explored. Resu lts are discussed in terms of the need for broader contextual factors to be considered in studying children's social and behavioral developm ent.