ABSTRACT

Deficits in language skills are a risk factor for later aggressive behaviour. However, previous research has mainly addressed clinical or high-risk samples and relations between language and aggressive behaviour in preschoolers and children in primary school. Based on a German longitudinal project with N = 547 typically developing children, the present study investigated whether the effects of young children’s language skills on their aggressive behaviour and their hostile intent attribution (HIA) can still be observed in adolescence. Path models showed that language at age 3 predicted aggressive behaviour (measured with self-ratings of various facets of aggression) and HIA (assessed with the Intent Attributions and Feelings of Distress Measure adopted from) over a 10-year period, while controlling for important child and family characteristics and initial levels of aggressive behaviour at age 3. Moreover, the predictive impact of early language on aggressive behaviour was mediated by HIA but not by parental ratings of their children’s positive peer relations with classmates at age 7. Implications and directions for future research are proposed.

摘要

语言技能缺陷是后来攻击性行为的风险因素。然而，以前的研究主要针对临床或高风险样本以及学龄前儿童和小学儿童的语言与攻击性行为之间的关系。基于德国纵向项目N= 547 名正常发育的儿童，本研究调查是否仍可在青春期观察到幼儿的语言技能对其攻击性行为和敌对意图归因 (HIA) 的影响。路径模型显示，3 岁时的语言预测了 10 年期间的攻击性行为（通过对攻击的各个方面的自我评分来衡量）和 HIA（通过采用的意图归因和痛苦感觉进行评估），同时控制了重要的儿童和家庭特征以及 3 岁时攻击性行为的初始水平。此外，早期语言对攻击性行为的预测影响是由 HIA 调节的，而不是由父母对孩子在 7 岁时与同学的积极同伴关系的评级来调节。提出了未来的研究。