Gender differences in antisocial behavior depend on population context: evidence from community and juvenile justice samples in Spain

Most evidence on gender differences in antisocial behavior comes from community samples, and it remains unclear whether these patterns generalize to higher risk contexts. This cross-sectional comparative study examined whether gender differences in antisocial behavior (aggressive and non-aggressive forms) and related factors are context dependent by comparing community adolescents and juvenile justice adolescents in Spain. Environmental factors (family support, parental knowledge, and antisocial peers) and individual traits (impulsivity facets, empathy, and hostility/anger) were assessed. The sample included 1,339 participants aged 13–21 years, comprising 679 adolescents who have committed a crime (20.9% girls) and 660 community adolescents (59.4% girls). Multivariate analyses examined whether patterns of gender differences varied as a function of sample type. Significant gender by sample interactions emerged for key individual risk factors, with girls in the juvenile justice system showing higher levels of emotional impulsivity and hostility/anger than boys, a pattern that contrasts with that typically observed in community samples. These findings indicate that gender differences in antisocial behavior are context-dependent rather than stable across samples.