Gender Differences in Impulsivity

• NCJ Number: 219149
• Journal: Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2007 Pages: 221-234
• Author(s): Constance L. Chapple; Katherine A. Johnson
• Date Published: July 2007
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child (NLSY79- Child data), this study examined whether biological, structural, and familial predictors of impulsivity differed by gender.

Abstract

The study found that only two predictors of impulsivity, maternal attachment and positive discipline, differed significantly for boys and girls. A family environment in which there was low attachment to the mother and lax monitoring of the child had a significantly stronger effect on boys' impulsivity compared with girls. Poor attachment to the mother and lax monitoring of children had a significantly stronger relationship to early motor skill development and later reading ability of boys compared to girls. This suggests that the theoretical interest in gender differences in delinquency, which has generally been linked to impulsivity/self-control, should focus on why poor parental attachment and monitoring have a stronger influence on boys' impulsivity than girls' impulsivity. As for the cognitive or biological predictors of impulsivity that were examined, neither of these predictor categories differed by gender; however, neurocognitive deficits might interact with gender and family dynamics to impact impulsivity differently for boys and girls. The study data were obtained from the NLSY79, which involved a nationally representative, longitudinal sample of youth, ages 14-21 in 1979. This survey obtained extensive information about the employment, education, training, and family experiences of the respondents. In 1986, these data were further enhanced by a survey in which mothers and their children were surveyed. The biannual assessments included measures of cognitive ability, temperament, motor and social development, behavioral problems, and the self-competence of the children, along with the quality of their home environment. 2 tables, 2 figures, 5 notes, and 32 references