PEER VICTIMIZATION AND AGGRESSION AMONG SCHOOL STUDENTS

Pushpalatha R

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.2933

Authors

Dr. Pushpalatha R Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Maharani Cluster University, Palace Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.2933

Keywords:

Peer Victimization, Aggression, School Students

Abstract [English]

Research around the world has shown that peer victimization is a common phenomenon among pupils in educational institutions. Peer victimization here refers to different forms of repeated physical or emotional harm directed towards a child. Physical harm could include hitting or punching, whereas emotional harm could include name-calling or being excluded from the peer group. Aggression is defined as a behaviour directed toward the goal of harming or injuring another living being, where the other person will be motivated to avoid the harm. Aggression is related to mental health problems in children, including externalizing disorders as Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder, as well as internalizing problems with Depression and Anxiety. The belief that aggression is more of a problem of the industrialized nations is falling short of space as the developing ones are catching up with them. Aggression not only spoils the school environment but also is a risk factor for future delinquency (UNESCO). The aim is to study peer victimization and aggression among school children. The sample consisted of 60 children of which 30 were boys and 30 were girls. The age of the students ranged between 10 to 16 years. All the students were residents of Bangalore city. The students were administered the multidimensional peer victimization scale-24 and the aggression scale. Prior consent from the school and parents was taken before administering the scales to children. The subjects were assured regarding the confidentiality of the data and that the collected data would be used for research purposes only. A purposive sampling design was opted for the study. The mean, SD and t were computed using appropriate statistical measure. The result showed that there was a significant gender difference in peer victimization and aggression

References

Abu Al Rub M. An Assessment of Bullying/Victimization Behaviors among Third Graders in Jordanian Public Schools. International Journal for Research in Education. 2018;42(3):337–67.

Aceves, M. J., and Cookston, J. T. (2007). Violent victimization, aggression, and parent-adolescent relations: quality parenting as a buffer for violently victimized youth. J. Youth Adolesc. 36, 635–647. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9131-9

Allameh A, Shehni Yeilagh M, Haji Yakhchali AR, Mehrabizadeh Honarmand M. The Comparison of Self-efficacy in Peer Interaction and Social Competence of Male Students with Aggressive and Normal Behaviors. Social Cognition. 2015;4(2):102–23.

American Psychiatric Association, 1994. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Ed.).

Andreou, E. (2001). Bully/Victim Problems and their Association with Coping Behaviour in Conflictual Peer Interactions Among School-age Children. Educational Psychology, 21(1), 59-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410125042

Baams L, Talmage CA, Russell ST. (2017). Economic costs of bias-based bullying. Sch Psychol Q. 32(3):422–433. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000211

Berkowitz, L., Cochran, S. T., & Embree, M. C. (1981). Physical pain and the goal of aversively stimulated aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40(4), 687–700. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.40.4.687

Bradshaw CP, Sawyer AL, O'Brennan LM. (2007). Bullying and peer victimization at school: perceptual differences between students and school staff. School Psych Rev. 36:361–82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2007.12087929

Brimblecombe N, Evans-Lacko S, Knapp M, King D, Takizawa R, Maughan B, et al. (2018). Long term economic impact associated with childhood bullying victimisation. Social Science & Medicine. 208:134–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.014

Brunstein Klomek A, Marrocco F, Kleinman M, Schonfeld IS, Gould MS. (2007). Bullying, depression, and suicidality in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. :40–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000242237.84925.18

Casper DM, Card NA. (2017). Overt and relational victimization: a meta-analytic review of their overlap and associations with social-psychological adjustment. Child Dev. 88:466–83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12621

Chen X, Huang X, Chang L, Wang L, Li D. (2010). Aggression, social competence, and academic achievement in Chinese children: A 5-year longitudinal study. Development and Psychopathology. 22(3):583–92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579410000295

Copeland WE, Wolke D, Angold A, Costello EJ. (2013). Adult psychiatric outcomes of bullying and being bullied by peers in childhood and adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry. 70:419. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.504

Crick, N. R., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1995). Relational Aggression, Gender, and Social-Psychological Adjustment. Child Development, 66(3), 710-722. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1995.tb00900.x

Crick N, Grotpeter JK. (1996). Children’s treatment by peers: Victims of relational and overt aggression. Development and Psychopathology. 8:367–380. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400007148

Crick, N.R., & Bigbee, M.A. (1998). Relational and overt forms of peer victimization: A multi-informant approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 337-347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006X.66.2.337

Crick, N.R., Casas, J.F., & Ku, H. (1999). Relational and physical forms of peer victimization in preschool. Developmental Psychology, 35(2), 376-385. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.35.2.376

Enríquez, RM, Veny, B.M, Levia, A, Garaigordobil, M, and Aina, M (2019). Cybervictimization among secondary students: social networking time, personality traits and parental education. BMC Public Health volume 19, Article number: 1499 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7876-9

Espejo-Siles R, Zych I, Llorent VJ. (2020). Empathy, social and emotional competencies, bullying perpetration, and victimization as longitudinal predictors of somatic symptoms in adolescence. J Affect Disord. 271:145–51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.071

Fite PJ, Rubens SL, Preddy TM, Raine A, Pardini DA. (2014). Reactive/proactive aggression, and the development of internalizing problems in males: The moderating effect of parent and peer relationships. Aggress Behav. 40(1):69–78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21498

Giletta M, Slavich GM, Rudolph KD, Hastings PD, Nock MK, Prinstein MJ, et al. (2018). Peer victimization predicts heightened inflammatory reactivity to social stress in cognitively vulnerable adolescents. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 59:129–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12804

Grange P, Kerr JH. (2010). Physical aggression in Australian football: a qualitative study of elite athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 11(1):36–43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2009.04.006

Gur RE, Moore TM, Rosen AFG, Barzilay R, Roalf DR, Calkins ME, et al. (2019). Burden of environmental adversity associated with psychopathology, maturation, and brain behavior parameters in youths. JAMA Psychiatry. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0943

Hodges EVE, Boivin M, Vitaro F, Bukowski WM. (1999). The power of friendship: Protection against an escalating cycle of peer victimization. Developmental Psychology. 35:94–101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.35.1.94

Hoover JH, Oliver R, Hazler RJ. (1992). Bullying: Perceptions of adolescent victims in Midwestern USA. School Psychology International. 13:5–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034392131001

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/SalesPublica-tions/salespdf/Oshako.pdf

Huang, H., Hong, J. S., and Espelage, D. L. (2013). Understanding factors associated with bullying and peer victimization in Chinese schools within ecological contexts. J. Child Fam. Stud. 22, 881–892. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9647-4

Hülya Kartal. (2009). The ratio of bullying and victimization among Turkish elementary school students and its relationship to gender and grade Level. J Soc Sci, 20(2): 109-119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09718923.2009.11892729

Jenkins LN, Demaray MK, Tennant J. (2017). Social, emotional, and cognitive factors associated with bullying. School Psychology Review. 46(1):42–64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17105/SPR46-1.42-64

Joarder, K.T and Roshni, R. (2021). Aggression in boys and girls in relation to their residential background. The International Journal of Indian Psychology. Volume 9, Issue 2.

Johnson SL. (2009). Improving the school environment to reduce school violence: a review of the literature. J Sch Health. 79(10):451–65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00435.x

Kochenderfer BJ, Ladd GW. (1997). Victimized children's responses to peers' aggression: Behaviors associated with reduced versus continued victimization. Development and Psychopathology. 9:59–73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579497001065

Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., Wardrop, J.L. (2001). Loneliness and social satisfaction growth curves of children who are victimized by peers. Child Development, 72, 134-151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00270

Ladd GW, Troop-Gordon W. (2003). The role of chronic peer difficulties in the development of children’s psychological adjustment problems. Child Development. 74:1344–1367. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00611

Lansford JE, Godwin J, McMahon RJ, Crowley M, Pettit GS, Bates JE, et al. (2021). Early physical abuse and adult outcomes. Pediatrics. 147: e20200873. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0873

Laurence D. Owens & Colin E. MacMullin (1995) Gender differences in aggression in children and adolescents in South Australian Schools, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 6:1, 21-35, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.1995.9747776

Leff SS, Waasdorp TE. Effect of aggression and bullying on children and adolescents: implications for prevention and intervention. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2013;15(3):343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0343-2

Litman, L., G. Costantino, R. Waxman, C. Sanabria-Velez, V. M. Rodriguez, A. Lampon-Velez, R. Brown, and T. Cruz. 2015. “Relationship between Peer Victimization and Posttraumatic Stress among Primary School Children.” Journal of Traumatic Stress 28 (4): 348–354. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22031

Lundh, G.R, Daukantaité & Lundh, W.M (2014). Direct and indirect aggression and victimization in adolescents - associations with the development of psychological difficulties. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-014-0043-2

BMC Psychology volume 2, 43.

Longobardi, C., Prino, L. E., Fabris, M. A., and Settanni, M. (2017). Violence in school: an investigation of physical, psychological, and sexual victimization reported by Italian adolescents. J. Sch. Viol. (In press). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2017.1387128

Longobardi, C., Iotti, N. O., Jungert, T., and Settanni, M. (2018). Student-teacher relationships and bullying: the role of student social status. J. Adolesc. 63, 1–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.12.001

Martin, M (2013). The nature and psychosocial correlates of electronic victimization and aggression in early adolescence. A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science.

McDougall P, Vaillancourt T. (2015). Long-term adult outcomes of peer victimization in childhood and adolescence: Pathways to adjustment and maladjustment. Am Psychol. 70:300–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039174

McLaughlin KA, Greif Green J, Gruber MJ, Sampson NA, Zaslavsky AM, Kessler RC, et al. (2012). Childhood adversities and first onset of psychiatric disorders in a national sample of US adolescents. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 69:1151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.2277

Modecki KL, Minchin J, Harbaugh AG, Guerra NG, Runions KC. (2014). Bullying prevalence across contexts: a meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. J Adolesc Health. 55:602–11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007

Musci RJ, Bradshaw CP, Maher B, Uhl GR, Kellam SG, Ialongo NS. (2014). Reducing aggression and impulsivity through school-based prevention programs: A gene by intervention interaction. Prev Sci.15(6):831–40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-013-0441-3

Mynard, H., Joseph, S., & Alexander, J. (2000). Peer-victimisation and posttraumatic stress in adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 29(5), 815-821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00234-2

Mynard, H. and Joseph, S. (2000). Development of the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale. Aggressive Behavior, 26, 169–178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(2000)26:2<169::AID-AB3>3.0.CO;2-A

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth Prevalence and Association with Psychosocial Adjustment. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.16.2094

Neupane, D. (2014). Gender role in school bullying. Journal of Chitwan Medical College. 4(7): 37-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/jcmc.v4i1.10847

Noret, N., Hunter, S. C., and Rasmussen, S. (2018). The relationship between peer victimization, cognitive appraisals, and adjustment: a systematic review. J. Sch. Viol. (in press). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2017.1423492

Nusslock R, Miller GE. (2016). Early-life adversity and physical and emotional health across the lifespan: a neuroimmune network hypothesis. Biol Psychiatry. 80:23–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.05.017

Olenik-Shemesh D, Heiman T, Zuaretz-Hannan M (2017) Cyber-victimization among Children: Prevalence, Characteristics, Gender Differences and Links to Social Difficulties. J Child Adolesc Behav 5: 339. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4172/2375-4494.1000339

Ostrov, J. M. (2010). Prospective associations between peer victimization and aggression. Child Dev. 81, 1670–1677. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01501.x

Paquette JA, Underwood MK. (1999). Gender differences in young adolescents’ experiences of peer victimization: Social and physical aggression. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 45:242–266

Peltzer, K., & Pengpid, S. (2018). High prevalence of depressive symptoms in a national sample of adults in Indonesia: Childhood adversity, sociodemographic factors, and health risk behaviour. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 33, 52–59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.03.017

Pellegrini A, Bartini M. (2000). A longitudinal study of bullying, victimization, and peer affiliation during the transition from primary school to middle school. American Educational Research Journal. 37:699–725 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312037003699

Prinstein, M. J., Boergers, J., & Spirito, A. (2001). Adolescents’ and Their Friends’ Health-Risk Behavior: Factors That Alter or Add to Peer Influence. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 26(5), 287-298. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/26.5.287

Rahman, M. & Nahar, L. (2013). Aggression in Boys and Girls as Related to Their Academic Achievement and Residential Background. Psychology, 4, 459-462. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.45065

Rigby, K. E. N. (2000). Effects of peer victimization in schools and perceived social support on adolescent well-being. Journal of Adolescence, 23(1), 57-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.1999.0289

Roy, B and Jha, N (2022). Gender Differences in Expression of Aggression. The International Journal of Indian Psychology. Volume 10, Issue 2.

Rozzaqyah, F, Silvia, A.R, and Wisma, N. (2020). Aggressive behavior: Comparative study on girls and boys in the middle school. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201230.139

Sayarpoor M, Hazavehei M, Ahmadpanah M. Assessing Relationship between aggression and perceived self-efficacy in high school students of Hamadan City. Scientific Journal of Hamadan Nursing & Midwifery Faculty. 2011;19(2):16–26.

Schacter HL. Effects of peer victimization on child and adolescent physical health. Pediatrics. (2021) 147: e2020003434. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-003434

Schwartz, D., Farver, J. M., Chang, L., & Lee-Shin, Y. (2002). Victimization in South Korean Children’s Peer Groups. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30(2), 113-125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014749131245

Schwartz D, McFadyen-Ketchum S, Dodge K, Pettit G, Bates J. (1999). Early behavior problems as a predictor of later peer group victimization: Moderators and mediators in the pathways of social risk. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 27:191–201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021948206165

Smith P, Shu S, Madsen K. (2001). Characteristics of victims of school bullying: Developmental changes in coping strategies and skills. In: Juvonen J, Graham S, editors. Peer Harassment in school: The plight of the venerable and victimized. New York: Guilford Press; pp. 332–351.

Solberg, M. E., and D. Olweaus. 2003. “Prevalence Estimation of School Bullying with the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire.” Aggressive Behavior 29 (3): 239–268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.10047

Sullivan, T.N, Farrell, D.A, and Kliewer, W. (2006). Peer victimization in early adolescence: association between physical and relational victimization and drug use, aggression, and delinquent behaviours among urban middle school students. Dev Psychopathol,18(1):119-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457940606007X

Takizawa R, Maughan B, Arseneault L. (2014). Adult health outcomes of childhood bullying victimization: Evidence from a five-decade longitudinal British birth cohort. Am J Psychiatry. 171:777–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13101401

Teicher MH, Samson JA, Anderson CM, Ohashi K. (2016). The effects of childhood maltreatment on brain structure, function, and connectivity. Nat Rev Neurosci. 17:652–66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.111

Troop-Gordon W, Ladd GW. (2005). Trajectories of peer victimization and perceptions of the self and schoolmates: Precuroors to internalizing and externalizing problems. Child Development. 76:1076–1091. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00898.x

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. School violence and bullying: global status and trends, drivers and consequences. Paris: UNESCO, 2018.

Volchegorskaya E.Y., Zhukova M.V., Frolova E.V., Shishkina K.I., & Kalugina E.V. Gender (2019). differences in bullying among primary school children. Education. Vol. 40, Number 31, Page number 21.

Wang, J, Iannotti, J.R, and Nansel, R.T. (2009). School bullying among US adolescents: Physical, Verbal, Relational and Cyber. J Adolesc Health. 45(4): 368–375. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.021

Wolke D, Copeland WE, Angold A, Costello EJ. (2013). Impact of bullying in childhood on adult health, wealth, crime, and social outcomes. Psychol Sci. 24:1958–70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613481608

Wolke D, Lereya ST. (2015). Long-term effects of bullying. Arch Dis Child. 100:879–85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2014-306667

Wood, J.J, Cowan, A.P, and Baker, L.B (2002). Behavior problems and peer rejection in preschool boys and girls. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, Volume 163, Issue 1 Pages 72-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221320209597969

Works DM. (2015). Teachers’ experiences concerning the rise in student aggression. PhD thesis, Walden University.

ZinatMotlagh F, Ataee M, Jalilian F, MirzaeiAlavijeh M, Aghaei A, Shirazi KK. (2013). Predicting aggression among male adolescents: an application of the theory of planned behavior. Health Promotion Perspectives. 3(2):269.