Exposure to "Low-Level" Aggression in School: Associations with Aggressive Behavior, Future Expectations, and Perceived Safety

• NCJ Number: 205238
• Journal: Violence and Victims Volume: 18 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 691-705
• Author(s): Paul Boxer; Laura Edwards-Leeper; Sara E. Goldstein; Dara Musher-Eizenman; Eric F. Dubow
• Date Published: December 2003
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the associations among witnessing or victimization by low-level aggression and three indicators of psychosocial adjustment: aggression, positive expectations for the future, and perceived safety in a sample of elementary school students.

Abstract

Exposure to violence has been associated with various types of deleterious outcomes for youth, such as anxiety, academic difficulties, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Most previous research has measured the effects of exposure to serious types of violence, while leaving out a range of low-level aggressive acts such as peer exclusion, pushing, and verbal insults. This study addressed this gap in the literature by focusing on the effects of being victimized by, or witnessing, acts of low-level aggression on aspects of psychosocial functioning. Data were drawn from a larger study focusing on aggressive behavior among students on one urban and one suburban school district. Participants were 771 students in grades four, five, and six in 2 Midwestern school districts who completed questionnaires measuring aggression witnessing, victimization, aggressive personal behavior, expectations for the future, and perceived personal safety. Results of statistical analyses indicated that exposure to low-level aggression had much the same effect on psychosocial adjustment as exposure to more severe forms of aggression. The group of participants reporting the highest levels of exposure to low-level aggression also expressed the highest levels of personal aggression, the least positive expectations for the future, and the lowest levels of perceived personal safety. The findings are significant in terms of how incidents of low-level aggression are to be dealt with in school environments. While many school districts may take a more cavalier attitude toward low-level aggression, the results of this study indicate that exposure to aggression at any level can have deleterious effects on the psychosocial adjustment of youths. Limitations of the study include its reliance on cross-sectional and self-report data. Future research should consider a longitudinal design that specifies theorized moderating or mediating variables. Figures, tables, note, references