The Reciprocal Relations Between Female and Male Play Partners and Aggression in Early Childhood

Abstract

This study examined the relations between male and female play partners (PP) and relational (RA) and physical (PA) aggression in an early childhood short-term longitudinal study (N = 164, Mage = 47.11 months, SD = 7.37 months). A cross-lagged path analysis was used to examine these relations from Time 1 (T1) to Time 2 (T2), 4 months after T1, and a multiple group analysis was tested across gender. Results showed that T1 male PP predicted an increase in PA, T1 RA predicted an increase in female PP, and T1 PA predicted a decrease in female PP. One path was not equivalent across gender. A post hoc interaction between male and female PP at T1 on future RA was evaluated.