U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Developmental Associations Between Alcohol and Interpersonal Aggression During Adolescence

NCJ Number
186982
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 64-83
Author(s)
Bu Huang; Helene R. White; Rick Kosterman; Richard F. Catalano; J. David Hawkins
Editor(s)
Mercer L. Sullivan
Date Published
February 2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study used yearly data from 808 males and females from the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) to explore the associations between alcohol use and interpersonal aggression from early to late adolescence.
Abstract
The SSDP is a longitudinal study involving all 5th grade students who were attending 18 Seattle elementary schools in September 1985. Nested structural equation modeling was applied to data from the SSDP, with stability effects and cross-sectional correlations controlled, to examine the cross-lagged effects of alcohol use on interpersonal aggression, as well as the effects of interpersonal aggression on alcohol use. Data indicated a reciprocal effect of interpersonal aggression and alcohol use in later adolescence. Sex of the subject did not significantly moderate the observed relationships. When shared risk factors for alcohol use and interpersonal aggression were controlled, the relationships were not seriously attenuated. Although the results suggest that reducing one behavior will probably not have a long-term impact on the other, early prevention efforts aimed at shared risk factors may reduce both contemporaneously. 55 references, 3 tables, and 5 figures