PATHWAYS TO AGGRESSION IN YOUNG, HIGHLY STRESSED URBAN CHILDREN

Correlates of aggression in highly stressed urban children were examined at second and third grades. Time I (T1), and third to fifth grades, Time 2 (T2). and pathways to T2 aggression were explored. Difficult temperament and lack of parental warmth related to Ti child aggression. and learning problems and poor peer social skills related to Ti and T2 aggressive behaviors. The structural equation model testing pathways to aggression included six latent constructs: Parent characteristics, child IQ. peer social skills, learning problems, and T1 and T2 aggression. T1 aggression was the only direct predictor of T2 aggression. Parent variables (poor mental health, inconsistent discipline, low child involvement, and lack of warmth) predicted T2 aggression indirectly through Ti aggression. Boys and girls had similar correlates of. and pathways to. aggressive behavior.