School Variables as a Protective Factor for Violent Behavior.

Abstract

Violent behavior represents a mental health problem for children and adolescents. Yet, the schools can contribute to understand this type of aggressive behavior, but most important, to mediate or moderate different predictors and their negative consequences. In order to examine the role of the school context for the development and maintenance of violent behavior, I conducted 3 studies which examined different features of the school. The first study examined the relationship between school attachment, violent attitudes, and violent behavior over time in a sample of urban adolescents from the Midwest. The final sample consisted of 579 participants, 54.9% female and 81.3% African American. The results indicated that the relationship between school attachment and violent behavior over time is mediated through violent attitude. The second paper examined the importance of peer influence on bullying behavior and the role of teacher-student relatedness as a promotive factor for early aggression and peer rejection during school transition. I used a sample of 264 ethnically diverse students, 52% of whom were female from 5th grade to 7th grade. Results provide evidence that peer rejection and aggression experiences in elementary school, predicted becoming a victim or a bully in 7th grade. In addition teacher-student relatedness during the transition process, protected youth against the negative effects of peer rejection and becoming a victim of bullying in 7th grade. Finally, in the third paper I tested the association between school violence and life satisfaction among youth, considering school satisfaction as a mediating factor. For this purpose I used a sample of 802 7th graders from Chile. Results showed that being a victim of school violence has an indirect effect on life satisfaction through school satisfaction. Being a perpetrator, however, has no indirect effect on life satisfaction. Results of the dissertation studies provide evidence of the role of different school variables that could contribute to understanding school violent behavior and its negative consequences. Researchers have identified several school variables that explain youth adjustment, but few have also considered these school variables to be useful for explaining youth violence over time or in different cultural contexts.