Purpose: This study examined the association between aggressive behaviors and depressive symptoms in middle school children. Methods: The sample consisted of 5747 students from eight urban middle schools. Students were predominantly Latino (61%) and African American (21%). The Aggression Scale (Orpinas and Frankowski, 2000) and a Depression Scale were used to measure self-reported aggressive acts and depressive symptoms. Results: A statistically significant positive association was found between aggression and depression. The positive association was similar by gender and by race/ethnicity. Regression analysis showed that depression, gender, and race/ethnicity were significant predictors of aggressive behavior, accounting for 19% of the variance (R 2 =.190). Discussion: Prevention strategies for aggression should also address depression and consider influences from domains identified by the ecological model of health behavior (i.e., family, peers, and environment).
