Aggression and its predictors among elementary students

Abstract

: Background: Aggression is the most significant psychopathological risk factor. It is a multifaceted construct and can affect students’ social, mental and physical health. The present study was conducted to investigate factors associated with aggression among elementary school girls and boys using the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Theory in Kermanshah city, Iran. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted on 900 students, including 445 girls and 455 boys, 563 parents and 104 elementary school teachers in the fourth, fifth and sixth educational grades in Kermanshah city in 2018. The proportionate stratified random sampling was used. The Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument (APRI) was used to measure aggression. To measure the variables of social cognitive theory, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software. Results: It was showed that 29% and 10% of the students had moderate and high levels of aggression, respectively. Also, 30.6% of them were moderate victims and 45.6% were intense victims. Self-efficacy (p less than 0.001), perceived social norms (p=0.011), observational learning (p less than 0.001), outcome expectations (p=0.027), outcome expectancies (p=0.028) and per-ceived situational (p less than 0.001) were reported as the significant predictors of aggressive behaviors in the students based on the Social Cognitive Theory constructs. In total, they explained for 37.3% of changes in aggressive behaviors. Parents’ knowledge (p=0.005), parents’ attitude (p=0.012), teachers’ attitude (p less than 0.001), and teachers’ self-efficacy (p=0.021) had statistically significant relationships with aggression in the students. Conclusions: Aggression among children and adolescents is getting alarmingly prevalent. The Social Cogni-tive Theory is the appropriate framework for the prediction of aggression behaviors in children and adolescents. Therefore, designing and implementing educational interventions based on this theory can help with the management of aggression in children and adolescents.

Bullying e cyberbullying: intervenções realizadas no contexto escolar

“…Embora a busca pelos artigos tenha considerado o período de 2015 a 2020, foram identificadas produções apenas nos anos 2017, 2018 e 2019. As pesquisas foram realizadas em dez países (Alemanha, Austrália, Bangladesh, Bélgica, China, Holanda, Inglaterra, Irã, Nova Zelândia e Taiwan), sendo a maior parte localizada na Europa (Bonell et al, 2018;Desmet et al, 2018;Niejenhuis et al, 2019;Zagorscak et al, 2018), seguido por Ásia (Lang, 2018;Nieh & Wu, 2018;Salimi et al, 2019;Sultana et al, 2018) e Oceania (Cross et al, 2018;Farmer et al, 2017). Nenhum estudo foi realizado na América ou na África, conforme apresentado na Tabela 1.…”

“…Quase todos os estudos foram realizados com participantes do sexo masculino e sexo feminino, com exceção de um estudo (Salimi et al, 2019) que interviu exclusivamente com o sexo masculino e outro que não especificou o sexo dos participantes (Niejenhuis et al, 2019). Destaca-se que apenas três artigos desta revisão se propuseram a relatar separadamente os efeitos das intervenções para meninos e meninas.…”

“…Destaca-se que alguns fatores que podem contribuir para a efetividade destes programas escandinavos são: as escolas serem consideradas de alta qualidade, contarem com salas pequenas e professores treinados, além de possuírem intervenções estatais focadas no bem-estar social (Ttofi & Farrington, 2011). Salimi et al (2019) propõem que, apesar da ampliação dos estudos na área, ainda há dificuldades em determinar quais componentes das intervenções são mais eficazes. Embora a literatura apresente diferentes tipos de intervenção, poucas têm obtido resultados significativos na redução ou prevenção do bullying (Silva et al, 2017).…”

“…De modo geral, percebe-se a recomendação de intervenções que atinjam os indivíduos e seus contextos, utilizando-se de uma visão socioecológica que englobe estudantes, profissionais e comunidade (Salimi et al, 2019). Evidenciando-se, dessa forma, a eficácia de propostas que atendam a dimensões sociais, educacionais, familiares e individuais, considerando as peculiaridades de cada contexto (Silva et al, 2017).…”

Factors Affecting Aggressiveness among Young Teenage Girls: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

“…The literature shows that students with aggressiveness traits in the school environment are at risk of having academic failure, social maladjustment, and lifelong negative and wrong behaviors [27][28][29]. Additionally, it is reported that aggressive behaviors are related to various negative outcomes in adulthood, including low unemployment, social isolation, various social problems, and impaired physical health [19,30].…”