Aggression in Inpatient Adolescents: The Effects of Gender and Depression.

Differences in aggressive behavior were examined in a primarily White sample of 84 thirteen- to seventeen-year-old depressed and nondepressed adolescent inpatients. Results indicate that depression and gender interact significantly; females with depression demonstrated more physical aggression than nondepressed females, and males with depression demonstrated less aggression than nondepressed males. These results indicate that depression is a greater risk factor for physical aggression in treatment-seeking female, compared to male, adolescents.