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The Relation Between Childhood Proactive and Reactive Aggression and Substance Use Initiation

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Abstract

The current study examined whether proactive and reactive aggression were associated with the risk for initiation of substance use from fourth to ninth grade in a sample of 126 aggressive children (66% male). In addition, the study examined whether these functions of aggression increased risk for initiation via peer delinquency and peer rejection. Proactive aggression was marginally significantly directly associated with risk for initiation of alcohol use and indirectly associated with risk for initiation of marijuana and tobacco use through peer delinquency. Reactive aggression was associated with increased risk for initiation of tobacco and marijuana use through a complex chain that included both peer rejection and peer delinquency. However, high levels of reactive aggression that did not lead to peer rejection were negatively associated with risk for initiation of tobacco and marijuana use. Implications for intervention are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Descriptive statistics and correlations for each gender are available from the authors.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by grants from the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention awarded to the third author (UR6 5907956; KD1 SP08633) and from the National Institute of Drug Abuse awarded to the first author (DA018016). We would like to thank members of the Lochman Research Group as well as the families who participated in the study.

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  1. Paula J. Fite

    Present address: Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA

    Paula J. Fite & Craig R. Colder

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    John E. Lochman

  3. Duke University Medical Center, Duhram, North Carolina, USA

    Karen C. Wells

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  1. Paula J. Fite
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Correspondence to Paula J. Fite.

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Fite, P.J., Colder, C.R., Lochman, J.E. et al. The Relation Between Childhood Proactive and Reactive Aggression and Substance Use Initiation. J Abnorm Child Psychol 36, 261–271 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9175-7

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