Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Aggression in Young People Leaving Care

Young people in care are known to have high levels of aggressive behaviors and low levels of self-esteem, and these difficulties continue into adult life. Previous research has suggested that there is a relationship between self-esteem and aggression, although the nature of this relationship is unclear and possible differences because of gender have rarely been explored. Therefore, the relationships between different forms of self-esteem (global self-esteem, social rank, social fit, and attractiveness) and aggression were investigated in a sample of young care leavers. For men, high levels of social rank and high levels of attractiveness were predictive of aggression, whereas for women low levels of perceived social inclusion and low levels of attractiveness were predictive of aggression. These findings suggest that there are significant gender differences in the relationship between self-esteem and aggression in care leavers and that using domain-specific measures of self-esteem provides a richer understanding of these relationships. They also suggest that a more targeted approach to intervention is needed.