POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 103 maintenance of conduct disorder. Conduct disorder is not “oppositional disorder.” Girls with oppositional disorder display patterns of negative, hostile and defiant behaviour, but their behaviours do not involve violating the rights of others. Why Do Girls Engage in Aggression and Violence? Some researchers think that girls resort to aggression and violence for different reasons than boys. No single factor can predict aggressive and violent behaviour. The factors that contribute to the risk of aggressive and violent behaviour among girls include both systemic (family, community and social context) and individual (personal) variables. Usually, many factors act in combination. Family Dynamics and Parental Relationships Evidence suggests that aggressive and violent behaviour in children is linked to family and social factors, such as social and financial deprivation; harsh and inconsistent parenting; parents’ marital problems; family violence, whether between parents, by parents toward children or between siblings; poor parental mental health; physical and sexual abuse; and alcoholism, drug dependency or other substance misuse by parents or other family members. In addition, many aggressive and violent girls have poorly developed connections to their mothers. School Difficulties Girls who experience difficulties at school, like social rejection by peers and low connectedness to school, are often more likely to be absent and to drop out eventually. These girls are also more likely to use aggression and violence. Problems at home and learning disabilities are also interconnected with difficulties at school. Gender Issues Aggressive and violent girls often see male control and domination over females as normal. They may hold views similar to those that support male violence towards females in that they tend to believe girls and women have less value and importance than boys and men. Aggressive and violent girls tend to attack other girls who are perceived as competing with them for male attention, and they tend to maintain social connections with peers who are perceived as helping them win in that competition. Boredom and Attention-seeking Behaviour Girls who engage in relational aggression and bullying suggest that they often do so to alleviate boredom, by creating excitement, finding out gossip, seeking attention/importance and seeking validation from a group that excludes others. Connections to Delinquent Peers Girls are more likely than boys to be rejected by their peers for engaging in outward (overt and direct) aggression and violence. However, gang membership can appeal to girls when they are seeking to escape economically disadvantaged homes, improve their self-esteem, increase their feelings of belonging, or seek revenge and protection. Association with delinquent peers increases girls’ opportunities to engage in aggressive and violent behaviours. Experiences with Abuse Aggressive and violent girls often report having been victimized by others. These girls are more likely than non-violent girls and both violent and non-violent boys to have been attacked while going to or from school, physically abused at home, sexually abused or coerced into sexual relations. In their relationships with adults, aggressive and violent girls have often learned that relationships involve one person dominating and abusing another. Drug Involvement The abuse of alcohol and drugs contributes to aggression and violence in both adolescent girls and boys. However, chronic use of drugs seems to be especially strongly related to girls’ ongoing participation in violence. Atypical Physiological Responses Girls who externalize (openly show) aggression and anger very often have family histories that involved repeated exposure to negative events during which they could neither fight nor flee (e.g. being abused as a child or being exposed to the abuse of a parent and/or sibling). As a result, these girls tend to be less responsive than other girls when exposed to threatening or stressful situations. They tend not to avoid situations that others would deem risky or dangerous and so are more likely to become involved with violence. Personality Factors and Mental Illness Although conduct disorder occurs in only 2% of the female youth population, close to 90% of aggressive and violent girls are given a diagnosis of conduct disorder, and 31% have a diagnosis of major depression. Aggressive and violent girls are also known to suffer from anxiety and attachment disorders (difficulties creating and sustaining affectionate social and personal bonds). With the onset of puberty, girls are typically three times as likely as boys to suffer from depression due to low self-esteem, negative body image, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and stress. If they are also exposed to abuse or neglect at home, they are at increased risk of becoming involved with violence. Delayed Cognitive, Moral and Social Development The use of aggression and violence may be more likely if girls believe that other people’s attitudes toward them are negative. Aggressive and violent girls may also have poor self-representations or self-images, based on negative beliefs about themselves or on negative perceptions they believe parents and peers have of them. Girls who experience delayed cognitive, moral or social development are more likely to experience school difficulties and social rejection, and are therefore at an increased risk of resorting to aggressive and violent behaviour. Myths and Realities About Violent Girls Myths abound about the reasons for aggression and violence in girls. The reality about what drives girls to become aggressive or violent becomes clear when we examine their experiences and beliefs. Table 1 outlines the myths and realities of what contributes to aggressive and violent behaviour in girls. continued...
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