HOUSEHOLD FAMILY-STRUCTURE AND CHILDRENS AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF URBAN ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL-CHILDREN

The relationship between contemporary household family structures at f ourth-grade and sixth-grade parent- and teacher-rated aggression was e xamined in an epidemiologically defined population of urban school chi ldren. The relationship between family structure and aggression varied by child gender and by parent and teacher ratings in the home and sch ool, respectively. After taking into account family income, urban area , and fourth-grade aggressive behavior, boys in both mother-father and mother-male partner families were significantly less likely than boys in mother-alone families to be raced as aggressive by teachers. No si gnificant relations between family structure and teacher- or parent-ra ted aggression were found for girls.