Plasma Testosterone, Aggressive Behavior, and Personality Dimensions in Young Male Delinquents

Abstract

Forty male delinquent recidivists had a slightly higher mean plasma testosterone (T) level than a group of normal adolescents of the same age and pubertal stages. Delinquents who had committed armed robbery tended to have higher mean T levels than less violent offenders. Age at onset of delinquency showed no correlation with T levels. On self-report scales, delinquents with high mean T levels had higher scores on verbal aggression, aggressive attitude, and preference for physical sports and exhaustive activities. These offenders also obtained higher scores on the Extraversion scale and lower scores on the Neuroticism and Lie scales of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The relationships between T and behavioral and personality variables were small in degree, suggesting that rising T production in puberty is only one factor which may contribute to antisocial behavior in certain vulnerable boys with previous psychosocial and organic traumatization.