WHY DO BOYS ENGAGE
"Explore the reasons behind why boys engage in more violence than girls, examining risk factors such as ADHD, harsh discipline, and peer delinquency. Discover early origins of sex differences in violent behavior and the impact of lead exposure on cognitive and behavioral deficits."
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Presentation Transcript
WHY DO BOYS ENGAGE IN MORE VIOLENCE THAN GIRLS? Sara Jaffee University of Pennsylvania
Men comprise the majority of those arrested for violent crimes 100 90 80 70 60 Percent 50 40 30 20 10 0 Murder/Manslaughter Robbery Aggravated Assault Arson Men Women FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2017
Among 9th-12th graders, boys engage in more violence than girls 30 25 20 Percent 15 10 5 0 Carried a weapon Threatened/Injured w/ Weapon on School Property Physical Fight Physical Dating Violence Males Females Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance US 2015
Top 3 leading causes of death among 10- 24-year-olds Unintentional injuries 1. 2. Suicide Homicide 3. Centers for Disease Control, 2018
Why do males engage in more violence than females? Males have more risk factors for violence than females ADHD Harsh Discipline GIRLS Reading Problems Peer Delinquency BOYS
Why do males engage in more violence than females? Males are more susceptible to risk factors for violence than females are PEER PEER REJECTION REJECTION RESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS RESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS LOW IQ LOW IQ GIRLS BOYS
What are the early origins of sex differences in violent behavior? Identify risk factors from early in the life course that are predictive of violence in adolescence or adulthood 1. What is the evidence that these risk factors are causes of violence? 2. Are these risk factors more common in males than females? 3. Are these risk factors more strongly associated with violence in males than in females? 4.
EXAMPLE 1: LEAD EXPOSURE
Why are we worried about lead? Cognitive Deficits Lead Exposure Violence Behavioral Deficits
In what forms are children exposed to lead now?
Lead Levels in the United States At least a half million children in the US have blood lead levels exceeding 5 g/dL 5 g/dL is actionable level, according to CDC
IS LEAD EXPOSURE A CAUSE OF VIOLENCE?
Natural Experiment in Lead Exposure Kids born in early 70s exposed to high lead in early childhood Kids born in early 80s exposed to low lead in early childhood 1975 1985 2002 Lead Removed from Gasoline Change in Crime in this Period? Reyes (2007)
Natural Experiment in Lead Exposure Kids born in early 70s exposed to high lead in early childhood Kids born in early 80s exposed to low lead in early childhood 1975 1985 2002 Lead Removed from Gasoline 56% reduction in crime Reyes (2007)
Cincinnati Lead Study Birth 5 yrs 6.5 yrs Seen Quarterly Seen Semi-Annually N = 376
Cincinnati Lead Study Murder Rape Assault Domestic Violence Robbery Possession weapon Birth 5 yrs 6.5 yrs 19 to 24 yrs N = 376 Seen Quarterly Seen Semi-Annually N = 250
Average of 23 blood lead concentrations obtained quarterly from 3 to 60 months and Semi-annually from 66 to 78 months Every 5 ug/dl incr in blood lead levels associated with 30% to 48% increase in arrest for violent offenses Dashed lines are 95% CIs Wright et al., 2008
Are boys exposed to higher levels of lead than girls? NHANES 1999 to 2014 10 Proportion of Children 1-5 with Elevated 8 Blood Lead Levels 6 4 2 0 1999-2000 2001-2002 2003-2004 2005-2006 2007-2008 Axis Title 2009-2010 2011-2012 2013-2014 Boys Girls Tsoi et al. (2016)
Why might boys be exposed to higher lead levels?
Is lead exposure more strongly associated with boys vs. girls externalizing? Maybe.
Summary, Part 1 Lead is likely to be a cause of violence Boys ingest more lead early in the life course than girls Not much is known about the pathways from lead exposure to violence
EXAMPLE 2: CHILD MALTREATMENT
Association between childhood abuse/neglect and violent offending 20 OR = 1.35* 18 16 Percent Violent Offenses 14 12 10 8 OR = 1.97* 6 4 2 0 Juvenile Adult Juvenile or Adult Abuse/Neglect Control Maxfield & Widom, 1996
Why does maltreatment increase risk for violence? Physical abuse and sexual abuse promote hypervigiliance to threat Physically abused youth: Are more attentive to anger cues Have difficulty disengaging attention from anger cues Are more likely to identify ambiguous cues as threatening Recognize anger on the basis of less perceptual info Pollak & Sinha (2002)
Caspi et al, 2002 Byrd & Manuck, 2014
Girls are slightly more likely to be maltreated by age 18 than boys 25 13% girls vs. 12% boys Percent Maltreated by Age 18 20 15 10 5 0 White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander Native American Boys Girls Wildeman et al., 2014
Is the association between maltreatment and violence the same for males and females? There is surprisingly little data on this question Mixed findings Many studies of violence only include boys Many studies of maltreatment do not measure violence Many studies that measure maltreatment and violence do not test for sex differences in the relationship between the two
Summary, Part 2 Childhood maltreatment is likely to be a cause of violence But boys are notmore likely to be maltreated than girls And it is not clear if child maltreatment is more strongly predictive of violence in boys than in girls (although most of the data suggest it is not)
A model for thinking about links between early exposures and sex differences in violence Context of poverty, lack of opportunity Learning Problems Peer Impulsivity Inattention Violence Problems Conduct Problems Adolescence Infancy
A model for thinking about links between early exposures and sex differences in violence Context of poverty, lack of opportunity Early Intervention Learning Problems Peer Impulsivity Inattention Violence Problems Conduct Problems Adolescence Infancy
THANK YOU! Questions?
