Peer Aggression and Sexual Harassment among Young Adolescents in a School Context: A Comparative Study between Finland and Turkey

The study investigates peer aggression and sexual harassment among young adolescents in Finland and Turkey. Sex differences and the interaction effect between country of residence and sex are also examined. A questionnaire was completed by 1,747 adolescents (1, 268 from Finland, 479 from Turkey, Mage = 14.1). Six different forms of aggression (physical, verbal, indirect, cyber, verbal sexual harassment, physical sexual harassment) were examined. More adolescents from Turkey, and more boys, were found to be involved in aggression as both victims and perpetrators compared to adolescents from Finland and girls. The interaction effect was significant between country of residence and sex with being a boy from Turkey was related to having the highest involvement in cyber aggression, verbal sexual harassment, and physical sexual harassment, as both victim and perpetrator. Regarding victimization from indirect aggression, girls from Finland scored higher than Turkish girls, while boys from Turkey scored higher than Finnish boys.

Violence and peer aggression – contexts and prevention

The functions of the educational institutions include providing care, safety, educational and preventive activities for children. For the proper realisation of those tasks essential are accurate diagnosis/study of the school environment in this peculiar area/sphere and precise prearranging of specific actions against particular threats and among the particular groups of children. In the process of preventive planning the important role plays recognition of children’s developmental differences, forms of aggression, and individual needs of particular class teams.

Gender, Anxiety, and Legitimation of Violence in Adolescents Facing Simulated Physical Aggression at School

We analyzed gender and anxiety differences in middle school students facing a physical peer aggression situation. The participants were 1147 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (male: n = 479; female: n = 668) who watched a 12 s animation representing the situation and filled out a questionnaire to analyze the legitimation of violent behaviors and anxiety levels. We registered their decisions to solve the situation using a categorical scale that included assertive, avoidant, aggressive, submissive, and supportive behaviors. Gender was not associated with the adolescent’s behaviors in facing a simulated peer aggression situation. However, male teenagers tended to perceive adults as sanctioners and neutrals; those who used the diffusion of responsibility and dehumanization to justify their behavior also showed a higher state of anxiety. Female teenagers who expected legitimation from their peers, presented higher anxiety as well. Educational interventions may use these results, helping adolescents to understand that their acts have substantial implications in the lives of others. It is essential to develop group interventions that modify how adolescents manage their conflicts and change gender stereotypes that significantly impact health. We highlight the need for linking families in educational programs facing the challenges of transforming the legitimization of violence in parental practices.

Anxiety and self-esteem in cyber-victimization profiles of adolescents

This study has two objectives: (1) Identify profiles of victimization in adolescence, depending on the levels of offline or online peer aggression suffered, along with the prevalence of each profile; and (2) Analyse the association of the victimization profiles with adolescents’ social anxiety and self-esteem. The sample was comprised of 3120 adolescents aged 12 to 18 (M=14.03; SD=1.40) from Asturias (Spain), who completed self-report questionnaires about traditional peer victimization and cyber-victimization, as well as social anxiety and self-esteem. We performed descriptive analyses, Latent Profile Analyses, and multivariate analyses of variance. We found a positive, moderate correlation between being a cyber-victim and being a traditional victim, along with four profile types: non-victims (77.8%), mainly cyber-victims (13.5%), mainly traditional victims (4.5%), and dual victims (4.3%). Traditional victims and dual victims exhibited greater social anxiety and less self-esteem than cyber-victims, who exhibited greater social anxiety and less self-esteem than non-victims. Dual victims and traditional victims do not differ in social anxiety and self-esteem. The results contribute to the identification of patterns of victimization in school-age adolescents, and their relationship with social anxiety and self-esteem. Este trabajo parte de dos objetivos: 1) Identificar perfiles de victimización en la adolescencia, en función del grado de padecimiento de violencia offline u online por parte de sus iguales, así como la prevalencia de cada perfil; 2) Analizar la asociación de los perfiles de victimización obtenidos con la ansiedad social y la autoestima del adolescente. Para ello, se aplicaron cuestionarios de autoinforme sobre victimización tradicional entre iguales, cibervictimización, ansiedad social y autoestima a 3.120 adolescentes de Asturias (España), de 12 a 18 años (M=14.03; DT=1.40). Se realizaron análisis descriptivos, análisis de perfil latente y análisis multivariado de la varianza. Se obtuvo una correlación positiva y moderada entre ser cibervíctima y ser víctima de violencia tradicional; y una tipología de cuatro perfiles: no víctimas (77,8%), principalmente cibervictimas (13,5%), principalmente víctimas de violencia tradicional (4,5%) y víctimas duales (4,3%). Cuanto mayor es el nivel de victimización, mayor la ansiedad social y menor la autoestima, siendo más fuerte esta asociación con la victimización tradicional que con la cibervictimización. Tanto las víctimas tradicionales como las duales presentan una mayor ansiedad social y una menor autoestima que las cibervíctimas, y estas que las no víctimas. Víctimas duales y tradicionales no difieren en ansiedad social y autoestima. Los resultados obtenidos contribuyen a identificar patrones de victimización en la adolescencia, y su relación con la ansiedad social y la autoestima.

Challenging the “‘Mean Kid”’ Perception: Boys’ and Girls’ Profiles of Peer Victimization and Aggression from 4th to 10th Grades

Student involvement in peer aggression is assumed to include the uninvolved, victims, aggressors, and victim-aggressor groups. Yet, evidence supporting this four-group configuration is equivocal. Although most studies report the four groups, several of the aggressor groups could have been labeled as moderate victim-aggressors. This study first reviews studies identifying subgroups of students involved in verbal, relational, and physical aggression. The study then assesses students’ perceived involvement in elementary ( n = 2,071; Grades 4–6) and secondary school ( n = 1,832; Grades 7–10), as well as the associations with outcomes (school belonging, depressive thoughts, and perceived school violence). Latent profile analysis identified three profiles (uninvolved, victim-only, and victim-aggressor) across all grades and genders. In primary school, the uninvolved, victim, and victim-aggressor respectively included 54.56%, 37.51%, and 7.83% of the girls, and 44.23%, 31.92%, and 23.85% of the boys. In secondary school, the uninvolved, victim, and victim-aggressor respectively included 80.16%, 14.93% and 4.91% of the girls, and 64.31%, 22.95% and 12.74% of the boys. Victims and victim-aggressors reported poorer adjustment than uninvolved students. Victims and victim-aggressors reported lower levels of school belonging and higher levels of depressive thoughts than uninvolved students. Also, victim-aggressors perceived more violence in their school than victims and uninvolved students, and victims perceived more violence than uninvolved students. These findings question the existence of an aggressor-only profile, at least, according to student perception, suggesting the need for a new perspective when intervening with students involved in peer aggression.

The Mediating Role of Classroom Climate on School Violence

Mediation analysis has been confirmed as a very useful statistical tool in the social sciences, especially in school-related studies. This type of analysis was used in the present study to examine the mediating role of classroom climate (measured with the classroom environmental scale), categorized into three dimensions, namely involvement, affiliation, and teacher support, on the relationship between peer victimization and peer aggression. The participants consisted of 2011 adolescents (50.67% boys and 49.32% girls), aged between 12 and 18 years old (M = 14.17; SD = 1.47), enrolled in schools in Andalusia (Spain). Findings revealed a significant direct relationship of all the dimensions. They also revealed that teacher support was the only dimension that mediates in the relationship between peer violence and peer aggression. The results and their implications for improving classroom climate and school violence are discussed.