Boys who fight at home and school: Family conditions influencing cross-setting consistency

Compared boys reported to fight at home or at school, and those reported to fight in both settings in terms of their behavior and family backgrounds to test the hypothesis that Ss identified as fighters in both home and school settings would show higher rates of coercive and disobedient behavior in the home than Ss identified as nonfighters or fighters in a single setting. Ss were 74 4th-grade, 78 7th-grade, and 58 10th-grade males, and 17.6% of Ss were classified as fighters in the home by their mothers. Results support the hypothesis: Ss reported to fight by both mothers and teachers scored substantially higher than other Ss on measures of antisocial behavior. Their parents showed poorer monitoring and disciplining practices than parents of the other Ss, and their families were also characterized by more marital conflict, poor problem-solving skills, and parental rejection. Ss who fought only at home had mothers who were less coercive than Ss who fought only at school, as detected by home observations. Findings are discussed in terms of the prevention and treatment of physical violence by boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).