Relationship between childhood peer rejection and aggression and adolescent delinquency severity and type among African American youth

This prospective, longitudinal study examined peer rejection and aggression in childhood as predictors of the severity and type of delinquency during adolescence. Sociometric surveys were completed at third grade for a predom inantly low-socioeconomic status, urban sample of African American boys and girls, and youth reports of delinquency were gathered at Grades 6, 8, and 10. Patterns of association between childhood peer rejection and aggression and delinquency severity varied by gender. For boys, the additive effect o f childhood peer rejection and aggression was a strong predictor of more se rious delinquency, whereas for girls only aggression predicted more serious delinquency. For boys, the combination of peer rejection and aggression wa s associated with felony assaults, and aggression was associated with a wid e diversity of offenses during adolescence, whereas for girls only peer rej ection predicted involvement in minor assault. Results are discussed in ter ms of the early starter pathway of antisocial behavior as ii relates to pee r rejection and aggression for boys, differing predictive patterns for girl s, and implications for intervention with children with emotional and behav ioral disorders.