Age and sex differences in the differentiation of anger expression and interpersonal contexts among Japanese adolescents

Abstract

Differences in the frequency and differentiation of anger expression strategies, such as overt and constructive, and interpersonal contexts, such as parents and peers, were examined by sex and age in a community-based sample of 655 Japanese adolescents aged 9 to 16 years. The results revealed significant age-related differences in overt anger expression among females: 9-10 year-old females showed the least overt anger expression toward parents, while 15-16 year old females expressed their anger more overtly toward parents and more constructively toward peers than males. Moreover, females overtly expressed their anger toward parents and constructively expressed their anger toward peers more than males did, whereas males overtly expressed their anger toward peers more than females did. These results indicate the importance of considering strategies and interpersonal context in developmental research on anger expression.