Approach/positive anticipation, frustration/anger, and overt aggression in childhood. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • We examined mothers' ratings of children's affective and behavioral aspects of approach tendencies and links with overt aggressive behavior problems while considering the genetic etiology of these processes. Approach/positive anticipation (AP), frustration/anger (FA), and overt aggression in 4-9-year-olds were assessed using mothers' reports in a diverse national sample (n=992) and a sample of same-sex twins (n=195 pairs). AP and FA were positively correlated with each other and with overt aggression (r from .2 to .5), and these associations were very similar for boys and girls. AP and FA provided overlapping as well as independent statistical prediction of aggression. AP statistical prediction of aggression was substantially mediated by FA, an effect that was accounted for by underlying genetic and nonshared environmental influences.

published proceedings

  • J Pers

author list (cited authors)

  • Deater-Deckard, K., Beekman, C., Wang, Z., Kim, J., Petrill, S., Thompson, L., & Dethorne, L.

citation count

  • 30

complete list of authors

  • Deater-Deckard, Kirby||Beekman, Charles||Wang, Zhe||Kim, Jungmeen||Petrill, Stephen||Thompson, Lee||Dethorne, Laura

publication date

  • June 2010

publisher