Longitudinal Investigation of the Link Between Proactive and Reactive Aggression and Disciplinary Actions in an After-School Care Program

The current study longitudinally investigated relations between proactive (goal-oriented, calculated) and reactive (response to perceived threat) aggression and disciplinary actions in an after-school care program in a sample of 147 school-age children (Mean age = 8.22 years; 54.4% male). In addition, perceived best friend delinquency was examined as a moderator of the relations between proactive and reactive aggression and disciplinary actions. As expected, high levels of proactive aggression were associated with high levels of disciplinary actions. Reactive aggression, in contrast, was negatively associated with disciplinary actions 2-months later. Finally, perceived best friend delinquency moderated the association between proactive, but not reactive, aggression and disciplinary actions. However, this interaction effect was only marginally statistically significant (p = .06). Implications for findings and future directions are discussed.