Characteristics and development of aggressive girls in adolescence

Aggressive behavior has been seen as a risk factor for future social maladjustment, particularly among boys, and with an emphasis on the traditional antisocial measures of adjustment. It is not until recently that researchers have recognized the developmental risks for aggressive girls. In spite of the increasing interest in aggressive girls development, empirical studies with a female perspective are rare. Generally, researchers have not considered that aggressive girls developmental trajectories are not necessarily antisocial, but rather encompass other forms of negative adjustment, such as problems in relations to parents, peers, and boyfriends, problems in school, or depression. Add to that, that studies focusing on the relevance of many of the forms of aggression that has been shown to be relevant for boys adjustment are rare, especially when put in relation to different types of problems. The aim of the present project is to look closer at aggressive girls development and adjustment during adolescence, to find typical negative developmental trajectories and factors that contribute to these, as well as to find what factors that can act protectively, and thereby steer their development in a more positive direction. The project is conducted within the frames of the Swedish longitudinal 10 to 18-study, which follows all 3,100 children and adolescents between the ages 10 to 18 in a Swedish community.