Predicting adolescent peer problems and antisocial activities: The relative roles of aggression and dysregulation

This study examined the relative roles of aggression and other dysregulated behaviors in the prediction of adolescent peer problems and antisocial beh avior. The social adjustment of 145 boys studied first in Grades 3-6 was as sessed again 4 years later in Grades 7-10. At each time, peer ratings of ag gressive, hyperactive-disruptive, withdrawn, and irritable-inattentive beha viors were collected. Aggression and withdrawal showed stability and were l inked to peer difficulties in elementary school and in adolescence, but the se behaviors indicated significant risk for adolescent rejection, victimiza tion, and antisocial activity primarily when accompanied by irritable-inatt entive behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of the potential role that difficulties regulating negative affect may pray in the genesis of the par ticular constellation of irritable-inattentive behaviors studied here and t he developmental significance of aggressive or withdrawn problem profiles t hat are of are not accompanied by these behavioral indicators of dysregulat ion.