Exploring Aggressive Behaviors in Greek Secondary Schools: Prevalence, Sociodemographic Factors, and Comparative Analysis with Elementary School Students

The main objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of bullying in Greek secondary schools and detect the possible characteristics of bullies' profiles in Greek school settings. A structured questionnaire was given to one hundred ninety-two (n = 192) educators at Greek junior high schools in urban and rural areas. The educators were asked to report the frequencies and forms of aggressive behavior observed during the 2022-2023 school year, the bullies' sociodemographic characteristics, and ways of dealing with bullying episodes. The data are presented, after conducting statistical analyses, in comparison with data for elementary school students. The results revealed that higher rates of bullying were reported compared with elementary school children. Moreover, according to teachers' observations, aggressive behavior is independent of a pupil's diagnosis, but specific types are correlated significantly with a pupil's gender, nationality, low academic performance, and popularity. Factor analysis showed two main factors of aggression types, where common points and differences with elementary school students are mentioned. Implementations for the prevention of school bullying are discussed.

Validation of the questionnaire to measure Chilean teachers' perception of school violence and coexistence management (VI+GEC)

In this article, we present the development and validation of a psychometric scale that measures the teacher's perception in the Chilean school system with respect to elements of school violence and coexistence management. The novelty lies in the incorporation of factors that address violence from teachers to students, from students to teachers and coexistence management. A total of 1072 teachers from the Northern, Central, Southern and Metropolitan macro-zones of Chile participated, with ages between 22 and 76 years (M=44.56; SD=10.52) and from 1 to 54 years of work (M=17.14; SD=10.38). 76.3% identify with the female gender and 23.7% with the male gender. Of the teachers, 78.4% worked mainly in the classroom and the rest performed managerial or administrative functions outside the classroom in the school. The school violence and coexistence management questionnaire for teachers (VI+GEC) was used. The validity of the scale was demonstrated by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, convergent validity analysis and discriminant validity. Reliability was demonstrated by means of McDonald's omega coefficient in all the factors of the scale. An analysis with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) found a mean, and statistically significant influence of the perception of coexistence management on the perception of school violence. The findings are discussed in terms of previous research on school violence and coexistence management.

Anonymous Reporting Systems for School-Based Violence Prevention: A Systematic Review

IMPACT STATEMENT

Anonymous reporting systems (ARS) have been used as a violence prevention strategy in schools by providing a means for individuals within a school community to safely and securely report information about potential violence or concerns about mental health, for example, through an anonymous hotline or reporting app. Despite widespread implementation of ARS in schools, as well as mandates for reporting systems in schools in 21 states, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of ARS for school violence prevention, and information about best practices for ARS implementation is lacking. This systematic review aims to summarize the current research on the effectiveness of ARS as a school safety and violence prevention strategy, which is an important step in building an evidence-base to guide schools and policymakers about best practices.

Healthy Lifestyle in Adolescence: Associations with Stress, Self-Esteem and the Roles of School Violence

A healthy lifestyle is considered by young people as the adoption of positive behaviors, such as a balanced diet, regular exercise, or the decreased consumption of harmful substances. Living a healthy lifestyle during adolescence promotes a better quality of life and psychological well-being in adulthood. The objective of this research is to identify how a healthy lifestyle is related to stress, self-esteem, and school violence roles. The sample is composed of a total of 743 adolescents aged between 14 and 19 years. The instruments used were the Healthy Lifestyles Questionnaire (CEVS-II), the Student Stress Inventory (SSI-SM), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and an ad hoc questionnaire to evaluate school violence roles. The results obtained indicate that there are negative correlations between healthy lifestyle and stress, but positive correlations between healthy lifestyle and self-esteem. Adolescents who participate in situations of school violence have a higher mean of substance use and stress. However, those who do not experience such situations have higher mean self-esteem and lead a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the fact of suffering stress increases the probability of being a victim or an aggressor. Living a healthy lifestyle can have significant implications for health promotion and positive adolescent development.

Prosocial Behaviours and Resilience in School Coexistence: Implications of Creative Self-Efficacy and Stress in Adolescents

Adolescence brings with it a number of problems such as school violence. To reduce stress and increase the well-being of students, it is necessary to enhance certain skills such as prosocial behaviours, resilience, and creative self-efficacy. This cross-sectional study investigated the impact of prosocial behaviours and creative self-efficacy on school violence, stress, and resilience in adolescent students. A total of 743 students aged 14-19 years participated. The results revealed positive correlations between the dimensions of prosocial behaviours, creative self-efficacy, and resilience, and negative correlations with perceived stress. Differences were also observed in the relationship between prosocial behaviours, school violence, and stress. Mediation models indicated that creative self-efficacy acted as a mediator between prosocial behaviours and resilience. In addition, stress was found to moderate the relationship between prosocial behaviours and resilience. This study provides evidence on how prosocial behaviours, resilience, and creative self-efficacy act as a positive element in adolescence.

Validation of an Abbreviated Scale of the CENVI Questionnaire to Evaluate the Perception of School Violence and Coexistence Management of Chilean Students: Differences between Pandemic and Post-Pandemic

The objective of the study was to specify an abbreviated model of the school coexistence questionnaire for non-violence (CENVI) for students from 5th to 8th grade (9 to 14 years old), in order to determine the perception of violence and management of school coexistence, and the differences between Mapuche and non-Mapuche students. A total of 1870 students from schools in the city of Temuco (Chile) responded to the CENVI questionnaire. There were two samples: (1) Pandemic, with online, face-to-face and hybrid classes; and (2) Post-pandemic, with face-to-face classes. Sample 1 consisted of 848 students aged 9 to 15 years (M = 11.90; SD = 1.27). Sample 2 consisted of 1022 students aged 9 to 14 years (M = 11.46; SD = 1.14). The questionnaire was validated using expert inter-judgment and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. A good fit of the proposed model to the data and good internal consistency measured according to the composite reliability were found, and convergent validity was demonstrated. Mapuche students perceived more physical violence and social exclusion. Cut-off points were proposed for the interpretation of the results. In the data, the effect of Coexistence Management on School Violence was null. The discussion approaches the findings from the literature on education in spaces of socio-cultural diversity in a Mapuche context.

Psychiatric Characteristics of Students Who Make Threats Toward Others at School

OBJECTIVE

While studies have focused on identifying potential school shooters, little is known about the mental health and other characteristics of students who make threats. This study aimed to describe these students and factors prompting psychiatric interventions and treatment recommendations.

METHOD

Child and adolescent psychiatry threat assessment evaluations of 157 consecutive school-referred youths in grades K-12 between 1998 and 2019 were reviewed for demographics, reasons for referral, nature of threat, psychiatric diagnosis, and psychiatric and educational recommendations. Predictors of recommendations for psychiatric interventions were modeled using multivariable logistic regression as a function of above-mentioned covariates.

RESULTS

Mean (SD) age of referred students was 13.37 (2.79) years; 88.5% were male; 79.7%, White; 11.6%, Hispanic; 10.1%, Black; 2.5%, Asian. Of students, 51.6% were receiving special education services. Verbal threat was made by 80%, and 29.3% brought a weapon to school. History included being bullied in 43.4%, traumatic family events in 52.2%, physical abuse in 5.1%, sexual abuse in 5.7%, and verbal abuse in 36.3%. Frequently encountered psychiatric diagnoses were attention-deficit/hyperactivity, learning, depressive, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders, usually in combinations. History of medication treatment was reported in 79 (50.3%) and psychotherapeutic interventions in 57 (36.3%). Recommendations to return the student to their prior schools were made for 63.1%. Recommendations for psychotherapy were made for 79.9%, medication for 88.5%, and both for 70.1%. Therapeutic school setting or psychiatric hospitalization was more likely recommended (with statistical significance) with a prior threat history (odds ratio [OR] 5.47, 95% CI 1.91-15.70), paranoid symptoms (OR 5.72, 95% CI 1.55-21.14, p = .009), autism spectrum disorders (OR 3.45, 95% CI 1.32-9.00), mood disorder (OR 5.71, 95% CI 1.36-23.96), personality disorder (OR 9.47, 95% CI 1.78-50.55), or with psychotherapy recommendation (OR 4.84, 95% CI 1.08-21.75).

CONCLUSION

Students who make threats have diverse psychiatric profiles and warrant treatments. A trauma and/or abuse history is common. Evaluations of youths who make threats need to go beyond simply assessing the threat itself and should include identifying underlying psychiatric problems. Psychiatric evaluation of students who issue threats of any type can lead to revelations about psychiatric diagnoses and crucial treatment and educational recommendations.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.

Prevalence of Aggressive Behavior in Greek Elementary School Settings from Teachers' Perspectives

The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of bullying in Greek elementary schools and to study the risk factors that lead to bullying episodes. A structured questionnaire was given to 221 teachers of elementary schools and 71 kindergarten teachers from urban and rural Greek schools. They were asked to note the forms and the frequency of aggressive behaviors that they had witnessed during the school years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, as well as the sociodemographic characteristics of the aggressive children involved. Statistical analyses of the data were conducted, and the obtained results show that specific forms of aggression are significantly correlated with gender and low academic performance. In addition, there is no form of aggressive behavior that is associated with the perpetrator's age, nationality or family status. Further, the results of the factor analysis revealed four dominant factors in the aggressive behavior observed by teachers. The forms of bullying and the prevailing factors of aggressive behavior that dominate in Greek school settings are reported in the present study. Furthermore, a novel evaluation tool for teachers could potentially be developed based on the results of the present study.

Transition From School Violence Victimization to Reporting Victimized Experiences: A Latent Transition Analysis

This study aimed to understand the heterogeneity of school violence experiences among South Korean youth, explicitly examining how each type of violence experienced transitions into different reporting behaviors. A latent profile analysis was conducted to classify different types of violence victimization and reporting behaviors, followed by a latent transition analysis, which contributed to an understanding of the relationships between profiles of violence and reporting. The influence of social support on reporting victimization was further examined. The results are as follows. First, school violence victimization experience was divided into five profiles: cyber violence-oriented (7.0%), ostracization-oriented (8.9%), verbal violence-oriented (41.8%), high-level of multiple-violence (2.8%), and medium-level of multiple-violence (39.5%). Second, reporting behavior was divided into four profiles: reporting to family and teachers (14.7%), reporting to family, teachers, and friends (11.0%), actively reporting (1.5%), and passively coping (72.8%). Third, students showed the highest probability of passively reporting, while the probability of actively reporting was low for all victimization profiles. Fourth, support from family and friends positively correlated with reporting violence, while support from teachers did not. The findings confirm that reporting violence may vary depending on the type of school violence victimization, implying that different types of violence need to be mitigated in distinct ways. Additionally, the study's result regarding the influence of social support suggests that school counselors and practitioners need to develop ways to facilitate violence reporting in schools.

Is Psychological Distress a Risk Factor or an Outcome of School Violence and Cyberbullying Perpetrated by Adolescents? A Short-Term Longitudinal Panel Study

Although the associations between adolescent psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and somatization), school violence, and cyberbullying have been examined using cross-sectional data, little evidence from longitudinal panel data exists to determine the temporal association. A two-wave longitudinal panel data with a 10-month interval were obtained from a random sample of 487 Chinese junior high school students (grades 7-9) in Tianjin in Mainland China. The cross-lagged panel analysis showed that adolescent psychological distress in the first wave of the survey was significantly associated with subsequent school violence against peers and teachers in the second wave but not in the opposite direction. Student psychological distress in the first wave of the survey was not significantly associated with cyberbullying perpetration in the second wave and vice versa. The findings suggested that adolescent psychological distress was a risk factor rather than the consequence of violence against peers and teachers in school. However, the temporal associations between adolescent psychological distress and cyberbullying perpetration were non-significant. These findings were relevant to both sex groups. The findings may imply that potential interventions and policies to prevent students from committing school violence should consider reducing students' psychological distress as one of the core elements.

Profiles and Risk Factors for Teen Dating Violence in Spain

Teen dating violence (TDV) refers to a wide range of partner-directed harmful behaviors among adolescents. Since it was first documented in the 1980s, there is a growing interest in TDV due to its potentially devastating mid- and long-term consequences. Aiming at the early detection of TDV onset with prevention purposes, research has focused on the detection of typologies of perpetrators and/or victims as well as on identifying risk and protective factors for its occurrence. Research with Spanish adolescents, however, is very limited. To fill this gap, we recruited a total of 2,319 adolescents from different regions in Spain, out of which, 1,079 reported having had a romantic partner during the last year. These filled out measures of TDV (perpetration and victimization), school aggression, hostile and benevolent sexism, empathy, assertiveness, psychological inflexibility (general measures), and psychological inflexibility with prejudice thoughts. A cluster analysis revealed that adolescents could be divided into two clusters as a function of their TDV profile: Cluster 1, including close to 76% of the sample (boys and girls), presented low TDV perpetration and victimization; Cluster 2, including 24% of the sample (boys and girls), presented higher TDV perpetration and victimization. Regression analyses revealed that, as compared to those in Cluster 1, adolescents in Cluster 2 were more likely to be older boys who scored high in benevolent sexism, overt and relational school aggression, and personal distress, and low in behavior regulation skills, perspective taking, and practical personal ability. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of evidence-based TDV prevention campaigns.

Perception of School Violence: Indicators of Normalization in Mapuche and Non-Mapuche Students

The current social and political scenario in Chile has opened up the debate on two centuries of usurpation and discrimination towards the Mapuche people. Educational centers are not oblivious to the social exclusion faced by indigenous children and young people, and this forms part of the phenomenon of school violence. This study explores the differences in perception between Mapuche and non-Mapuche students regarding school violence. The issue is the lack of knowledge regarding cultural variations in the perception of school violence in spaces of social and cultural diversity in the Mapuche context. This study describes the characteristics of school violence perceived by students in relation to differences based on ancestry and characterizes the variations in perception. A total of 1404 students participated from urban schools in the city of Temuco, Chile, aged 10 to 13 (M = 11.4; SD = 1.1) who completed the CENVI questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the total sample and categories provides indexes that fit the proposed model. The omega coefficients provide internal reliability guarantees. This study tests configural, metric and scalar invariance for all the categories explored, and statistically significant differences are found between Mapuche and non-Mapuche students in the perception of physical and verbal violence, where the Mapuche student perceives more violence. Results are discussed based on existing research on education in spaces of social and cultural diversity in the Mapuche context, with research into elements that can help explain the findings.

Space Analysis of School Violence in the Educational Setting of Peru, 2019

BACKGROUND

Schools are increasingly experiencing physical, psychological, and sexual violence, which impacts students' academic achievement and physical and emotional health. Our objective was to identify regional prevalence rates, average prevalence by aggressor type, and provincial spatial conglomerates with higher rates for each type of school violence reported in educational settings in Peru during 2019.

METHODS

An analysis was made of 12,132 cases reported through Peru's Specialized School Violence System (SíseVe). The Moran indices were calculated using provincial prevalence rates to identify conglomerates with high prevalence.

RESULTS

In the coast region, the Department of Tacna reported the highest prevalence rates for physical (99.7) and psychological (107); the Department of Amazonas, which is in the jungle, reported the highest prevalence rate for sexual violence (74.6), with teachers in public schools accounting for the majority of sexual assaults against students (56%).

CONCLUSIONS

Sexual violence predominated in the jungle zone, with a significant percentage of teachers participating in violence with sexual connotations. Physical and psychological violence prevailed in the coastal region.

Playing by the Rules? An Investigation of the Relationship Between Social Norms and Adolescents' Hate Speech Perpetration in Schools

Hate speech is often discussed and investigated as an online phenomenon, while hate speech among adolescents in the real world (e.g., in schools) has rarely been researched. Consequently, not much is known about potential interpersonal correlates and theoretical frameworks that might help us better understand why adolescents engage in hate speech in offline environments. To add to the literature, this study investigates hate speech perpetration among young people by utilizing the Social Cognitive Theory; more specifically, the association between witnessing and perpetrating hate speech in schools, and whether this relation is weakened or strengthened by anti-hate speech injunctive norms and deviant peer pressure. The sample consists of 1719 young people (45.1% boys, 53.6% girls, 1.3% gender diverse) between 11 and 18 years old (M_age = 13.96; SD = .98) from 22 schools in Switzerland. Self-report questionnaires were administered to measure hate speech involvement and adolescents' perception of social norms (i.e., anti-hate speech injunctive norms and deviant peer pressure). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that witnessing and perpetrating hate speech were positively associated. Moreover, injunctive anti-hate speech norms were negatively related and deviant peer pressure positively related to hate speech perpetration. Finally, increasing levels of injunctive anti-hate speech norms weakened the relation between witnessing and perpetrating hate speech, whereas higher levels of deviant peer pressure strengthened this association. The findings demonstrate that the Social Cognitive Theory is a useful framework for understanding hate speech perpetration in schools. The results also highlight the importance of taking into account social norms and interpersonal relationships (e.g., within the class) when designing anti-hate speech prevention programs and not focusing solely on intrapersonal factors.

Health Promotion Actions and School Violence-A Cluster Analysis from Finnish Comprehensive Schools

(1) Schools have a significant role in violence prevention activities. This study aimed to first identify profiles of Finnish comprehensive schools based on school violence. The second aim was to examine the associations between profiles concerning health promotion actions, reactive or punitive actions, and school characteristics. (2) The study used the large-scale, nationally representative Benchmarking System of Health Promotion Capacity-Building (BSHPCB) data (n = 2057 schools) completed by the school's principal together with a student welfare team. The data was analyzed by cluster analysis and Chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis tests. For post hoc testing, Fisher's exact test with odds ratios and Mann-Whitney U-test were used. (3) The cluster analysis yielded five profiles of school violence: "No violence", "Adolescent violence" (violence both among pupils and from pupils towards staff, but not inappropriate behavior from school staff towards pupils), "Not known" (principals either did not respond to these questions or they did not know whether there had been any school violence incidents), "Peer violence" (school violence occurred among pupils but not from pupils towards staff, nor inappropriate behavior from school staff towards pupils), and "All violence" (all types of school violence and inappropriate behavior from school staff towards pupils). These clusters differed according to type of school and municipality. Additionally, both management and monitoring as health promotion actions were related to higher incidence of school violence whereas other actions, such as commitment, resources, common practices, and participation were not related to school violence. (4) The findings of this study indicate that schools have different profiles in terms of school violence and providing evidence and guidance for school violence prevention work.

School Bullying Is Not a Conflict: The Interplay between Conflict Management Styles, Bullying Victimization and Psychological School Adjustment

It has been argued that adaptive conflict management styles may protect students against bullying victimization and against negative effects of ongoing victimization on psychological school adjustment. Moreover, maladaptive conflict management styles may lead to victimization or intensify negative effects of victimization on school adjustment. Mediation and moderation models were computed to test these effects. Furthermore, a person-oriented approach compared noninvolved students, victims, and bully-victims regarding conflict management styles and school adjustment. A total of 172 individuals (77.2% female, mean age: 22.7 years) completed a retrospective online questionnaire about conflict management styles, bullying victimization and school adjustment during their school years. In the mediation model, conflict management styles were not associated with victimization, but there was a positive direct effect of the integrating style on school adjustment. In the moderation model, the integrating style moderated the negative effect of victimization on school adjustment but did not buffer against the negative effects when victimization was high. Person-oriented comparisons showed that victims used the obliging style more often than bully-victims. Furthermore, victims and bully-victims showed lower school adjustment than noninvolved students. Overall, results corroborate the view that school bullying is qualitatively different from normal peer conflicts. Implications for researchers, policymakers, school principals and teachers are discussed.

Humor Styles, Bullying Victimization and Psychological School Adjustment: Mediation, Moderation and Person-Oriented Analyses

Humor can be both adaptive and maladaptive and plays a role in bullying victimization and school adjustment. It was hypothesized that humor styles decrease or increase victimization, which in turn affects school adjustment. Furthermore, humor might moderate effects of victimization on school adjustment. Moreover, a person-oriented approach could improve our understanding of group differences in these variables. An online questionnaire retrospectively surveyed emerging adults (N = 172; 77.2% female; mean age: 22.7 years) with respect to humor style use, bullying victimization and school adjustment. Mediation and moderation analyses were computed, and two sets of person-oriented analyses compared victims, bully-victims and noninvolved students on humor styles and school adjustment, and three latent humor-related groups (overall-high, adaptive-high and adaptive-low) on victimization and school adjustment. Victimization fully mediated the positive effect of affiliative humor and partially mediated the negative effect of self-defeating humor on school adjustment. The negative effect of victimization on school adjustment was magnified by self-defeating humor and attenuated by aggressive humor. Bully-victims used both aggressive and self-defeating humor more frequently, and victims used aggressive and affiliative humor less frequently. Furthermore, both victims and bully-victims showed lower school adjustment. Finally, the adaptive-high humor group showed lower victimization and higher school adjustment. Implications for school interventions are discussed.

Change in Factors Affecting Cyberbullying of Korean Elementary School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The importance of social networking and the online environment as core factors in building relationships has grown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited in-person activities. As classes transitioned to online platforms, there was an influx of elementary school students into the cyberspace, increasing the risk of exposure to cyberbullying. This study analyzed the factors influencing the experience of cyberbullying among Korean elementary school students around 2020, when the spread of COVID-19 began in earnest, and thus suggests directions for cyberbullying prevention measures for the post-COVID-19 era. This comparative study used binary logistic regression to analyze data from the "Cyber Violence Survey" conducted by the Korea Communications Commission in 2019 and 2020. The analysis confirmed that interactions between parents and children, cyberbullying control by schools, and recognition of cyberbullying as a problem had statistically significant influences on cyberbullying experience only in 2020 (i.e., when the pandemic began). Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about cyberbullying among elementary school students and taking preventive action through a home-school system to address cyberbullying in the post-COVID-19 era.

Factors Contributing to Violent Discipline in the Classroom: Findings From a Representative Sample of Primary School Teachers in Tanzania

The need for intervention strategies aiming to reduce teachers' use of violent discipline methods has been expressed repeatedly, especially for countries where this practice is socially and legally accepted. Nevertheless, initial targets for interventions are not clearly identified, as factors contributing to teachers' use of violence are still understudied. In the present study, we examined the interplay between teachers' own experiences of violence, their attitudes, current stress, and their use of violent discipline in a representative sample of 173 Tanzanian primary school teachers (53.7% female, M_age = 38.1 years, SD_age = 10) using structural equation modeling. Our model showed good model fit (χ² [48, n = 173] = 78.058 (p = .004), CFI = .962, TLI = .948, RMSEA = .060 [90% CI [.034, .084], PCLOSE = .233], SRMR = .048). Results indicated direct associations between positive attitudes toward violent discipline (β = .41), stress (β = .23), and teachers' own experiences of violence (β = .21) with teachers' use of violence. Teachers' own experiences of violence were significantly associated with positive attitudes (β = .39), and these significantly mediated the association between teachers' own experiences of violence and their use of violent discipline (β =.23). Our findings underscore the relevance of past experiences, societal norms, and current working conditions in understanding teachers' violence against students. Interventions aiming to reduce teachers' use of violent discipline may focus on stress management, societal norms, personal beliefs on violent discipline, and how teachers' own previous experiences of violence may influence teacher's disciplining behavior.

Unique and Additive Effects of Family and School Victimization on Child-to-Parent Violence

In the study of child-to-parent violence (CPV), the perspective of the victimized aggressor has not been analyzed in depth, and the impact of different contexts of victimization even less so. The aim of this study was to examine the unique and additive effects of family victimization (direct and vicarious) and school victimization (bullying and cyberbullying) on predicting CPV toward fathers and mothers. The sample included 3,142 adolescents aged 12-18 years (M age = 14.32) from schools in southern Spain. The participants completed the Child-to-Parent Violence Questionnaire adolescent version, the Violence Exposure Scale, and the European Bullying/Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaires. The findings showed that independently, both family and school victimization predicted CPV, with direct family victimization being the best predictor, and that jointly, contributed to a significant improvement in prediction, explaining approximately 20% of CPV. Furthermore, a correspondence was found between the type of violence experienced and the type of violence perpetrated. It is necessary to study the profile of the victimized aggressor in CPV in order to design interventions adapted to the specific needs of this profile.

Prevalence of Parental Violence Toward Teachers: A Meta-Analysis

A growing literature on parental violence toward teachers has examined the prevalence of these incidents, yet there is considerable variation across studies. There is a need for a systematic and comprehensive review to assess the extent of parent-perpetrated violence toward teachers. Using a meta-analytic approach, we examined the prevalence of violence directed against teachers by parents and how these rates vary by reporting timeframe and type of violence. We identified 5,340 articles through our initial screening process, and our final analysis included 8 studies that met criteria for this meta-analysis. Our findings show that teachers are more likely to experience non-physical forms of violence as compared to physical violence and that rates are lower as the severity and intrusiveness of the violent act increases. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Weapon Carrying and Weapon Brandishing at School: Responses to Strain Among Same-Sex Attracted Youth

Studies consistently find lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth are more likely than other youth to experience discrimination, fear for their safety, and be victimized at school. We argue that same-sex attracted youth may be more likely to both carry weapons and to brandish those weapons as coping mechanisms in response to the strain of real or perceived mistreatment school. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Wave 1, 1994-1995), we examine the relationships between same-sex attraction, fear, victimization, weapon carrying, and weapon brandishing at school. We find that same-sex attracted youth are significantly more likely than other youth to carry a weapon to school, and to brandish the weapon in front of peers. Consistent with general strain explanations, victimization, discrimination, and fear mediate the association between sexual minority status and both outcomes. We discuss the implications of these patterns for primary prevention interventions.

Exploring exposure to intertwined community violence among Uruguayan adolescents using a mixed-method approach

Building on the case of adolescents (aged 12-16 years) from underprivileged neighborhoods in Montevideo, two studies explore patterns of exposure to community violence among understudied South American youth. Applying a mixed-methods approach, the first study (n = 117) used principal component analysis to examine response patterns on a self-reported exposure to community violence scale. The second study examined subjective experience, drawing from focus group discussions with adolescents (n = 27) and their teachers (n = 22). Events were clustered into three components: indirect violence, traumatic violence, physical/verbal abuse, and robbery. Participants described the severity of violence in relation to chronic exposure, processes of naturalization, and permeable boundaries among the neighborhood, school, family, and social media networks. Violence chronicity and potential threats to life appear to be central dimensions in community violence reporting. Delimitating the study of community violence based on the setting or perceptual closeness has limited socioecological relevance.

State firearm laws, gun ownership, and K-12 school shootings: Implications for school safety

Limited research has been conducted on the state-level factors that may be associated with intentional school shootings. We obtained school shooting data from the Washington Post that identified any act of intentional interpersonal gunfire in a K-12 school over the course of two decades. We also compiled new data on active school shootings during the same twenty-year time period, which identified any attempted mass shooting incident in a K-12 school. We conducted a time-series analysis to measure the association of permissiveness of state firearm laws and state gun ownership with K-12 school shootings and active shootings. More permissive firearm laws and higher rates of gun ownership were associated with higher rates of both school shootings and active school shootings after controlling for critical covariates. Specific recommendations for K-12 schools to consider as they seek to prevent acts of intentional gunfire on school grounds are presented.

Who beats their partner, and who beats their schoolmates? A comparison of teen dating and school physical violence perpetration in Lower Saxony, Germany

Teen dating violence (TDV) and school violence (SV) are two major social problems in adolescence. Until recently, the antecedents of both TDV and SV have been analyzed largely independently of each other. This study analyses and compares the determinants of both TDV and SV, with a focus on physical violence. Based on a comprehensive survey of ninth‐grade adolescents at the average age of 15 years (N = 3,800) conducted in the German federal state of Lower Saxony, the findings showed that there is a significant but low correlation between both physical TDV and SV (r = 0.21). Concerning the determinants, we found that males carry out physical SV significantly more often, but physical TDV significantly less often than female respondents. Acquaintance with violent friends shows a stronger correlation with SV but not with TDV. Low self‐control and violent media consumption are determinants of both TDV and SV. Empathy as a protective factor and parental violence as another risk factor were found to be only weak and sometimes not significantly correlated with both TDV and SV.

School violence negative effect on student academic performance: a multilevel analysis

The relative roles of school context and individual student factors are of special interest to educators in measuring academic performance. Little is known about the effect of school violence on a student's academic performance and well-being. The aims of this study were to examine the effects of three types of school violence (direct violence, discrimination, and cyberbullying) on students' academic performance in standardized tests of mathematics, reading and history, and to identify individual student factors that contribute to reducing the negative effect of exposure to violence at school. We used 10th grade Chilean student data from the representative cross-sectional test of the Education Quality Measurement System (SIMCE in Spanish) from 2015. Multilevel linear models, adjusted for gender, incorporated other school and environmental contextual factors, as well as individual student factors. The results show that school violence in its three forms had a negative effect on academic performance. Student self-efficacy, educational expectations and satisfaction with interpersonal relations with their teachers, were important in reducing the negative effect of exposure to violence. The implications for the school are discussed.

Attitudes toward School Violence against LGBTQIA+. A Qualitative Study

School climate is one of the main concerns in terms of research and intervention worldwide. Although it can be directed toward any student, some groups seem to be more vulnerable, as is the case of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex +) students, among others. Attitudes toward violence are a construct of particular importance for action plans focused on improving school coexistence. The aim of this study is to examine attitudes toward school violence against LGBTQIA+ students and their relationship with violent behaviors. For this purpose, 96 Spanish students of Spanish elementary education (PE) and compulsory secondary education (CSE) participated in this qualitative study through focus groups for its subsequent thematic analysis. The results identify four types of attitudes toward violence, such as the use of violence as a form of fun, to feel better, when it is perceived as legitimate, and as a way of relating to the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, a greater number of negative attitudes and violent behaviors toward homosexual boys and transgender minors are observed.

Perpetration and Victimization in Offline and Cyber Contexts: A Variable- and Person-Oriented Examination of Associations and Differences Regarding Domain-Specific Self-Esteem and School Adjustment

Self-esteem has been identified as a predictor of bullying perpetration and victimization, which, in turn, may lead to school adjustment problems. However, findings regarding the direction and strength of these associations have been inconclusive. This study aimed to resolve this by differentiating between offline and cyber contexts and various self-esteem domains. An online sample of 459 adolescents retrospectively completed measures of self-esteem domains and offline/cyber perpetration and victimization, and a subsample of 194 adolescents also completed measures of loneliness and school adjustment. A mediation analysis of bullying-related variables on the effect of self-esteem domains on school adjustment indicated that offline victimization was the only significant mediator. Positive indirect effects were found for social and emotional self-esteem, and negative indirect effects were found for school performance-related self-esteem. Furthermore, person-oriented analyses examined differences in bullying-related roles regarding self-esteem domains, loneliness, and school adjustment. Victim groups showed lower self-esteem in many domains, but cyber victims showed higher body-related self-esteem. Bullies showed lower school performance-related but higher social self-esteem. Both bullies and victims showed lower school adjustment and more loneliness. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, as the findings are relevant for teachers and could be used to develop and deploy more effective anti-bullying programs.

Exposure to peer aggression and adolescent sleep problems: Moderation by parental acceptance

Many adolescents experience or witness aggression by peers at school. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations between exposure to peer aggression (i.e., peer victimization and witnessing school violence) and sleep problems and whether these associations are moderated by parental acceptance. Participants included 272 adolescents attending high school (M age = 17.27 years; 49% female; 59% White/European American, 41% Black/African American). Adolescents reported on exposure to peer aggression, parental acceptance, and two key sleep domains: sleep quality problems and daytime sleepiness. Results indicated that exposure to peer aggression was directly associated with poor sleep quality and sleepiness. Furthermore, peer victimization and witnessing school violence interacted with parental acceptance to predict sleep quality. Specifically, exposure to peer aggression was associated with sleep quality problems at higher (but not lower) levels of parental acceptance. The lowest levels of sleep quality problems were apparent at low levels of peer aggression and high levels of parental acceptance, but parental acceptance did not protect adolescents with high exposure to peer aggression against sleep problems. Findings illustrate the importance of considering moderators of effects and the conjoint roles of family and peer processes when considering individual differences in adolescents' sleep. Future research should examine whether parental strategies targeted to address peer victimization are protective against the detrimental effects of exposure to peer aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Additive Interactions Between School Bullying Victimization and Gender on Weapon Carrying Among U.S. High School Students: Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009 to 2015

The recent increase in the number of school shootings in the United States is a great concern. Consistent with General Strain Theory, previous research suggests that high school students who perpetrate gun violence have often experienced bullying victimization. This research investigated the interaction between gender and school bullying victimization on gun carrying, weapon carrying, and weapon carrying at school. Estimates of additive interaction were reported as recommended by the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines and compared with the estimates of multiplicative interaction. Data were used from a nationally representative survey of 61,042 U.S. high school students. Secondary analysis of pooled cross-sectional data from the 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey was done, using R to estimate interactive effects on an additive scale between male gender and school bullying victimization on weapon carrying. A significant association was found between school bullying victimization, and gun and weapon carrying. Estimates of additive interaction show that the relationship between school bullying victimization and gun or weapon carrying is significantly greater among males than females as predicted by General Strain Theory. School bullying victimization increases the rate of gun and weapon carrying among all students, and especially among male students. Most mass school shooters are male and most of them experience some form of bullying victimization. Consequently, bullying prevention is likely to be important in a national effort to reduce gun and weapon violence in U.S. schools. This research also illustrates why estimates of adjusted risk differences and additive interactions should be reported for interpersonal violence research.

Student Violence Directed Against Teachers: Victimized Teachers' Reports to School Officials and Satisfaction With School Responses

Research indicates that violence against teachers has detrimental negative effects on teachers' emotional and physical well-being, connectedness to school, job performance, and retention. However, no quantitative empirical research has been conducted to examine the extent of teacher victimization reported to school officials, school interventions to address teacher victimization, and teachers' satisfaction with school handling of victimization. To address the limitations of prior research on teacher victimization, for a sample of 1,628 teachers in a large urban county, the present research investigates the extent of teacher victimization reported to school officials and examines school responses to teacher victimization. Furthermore, two key variables (school interventions and apologies from offending students) are tested as predictors of victimized teachers' satisfaction with administrators' responses to incidents. The findings indicate that the extent of reporting victimization to school officials by victimized teachers is quite high; however, a large number of victimized teachers perceived school intervention following incidents as ineffective and inadequate. Ordinal logistic regression analyses indicate that victimized teachers who report to school officials expect offending students to be disciplined and held accountable, and when this does not occur, they are dissatisfied. Overall, the findings suggest the urgent need for school administrators to review their current disciplinary policies regarding teacher-directed violence and to establish effective protocols to prevent and properly respond to teacher victimization.

Teaching Socio-Emotional Competencies Among Primary School Students: Improving Conflict Resolution and Promoting Democratic Co-existence in Schools

Teaching socio-emotional skills among primary school students is the key to creating a climate of cooperation in classrooms and reducing disruptive or aggressive behaviors among students. The primary goal of this research is to present an educational proposal for imparting socio-emotional competencies among primary school students. We attempt to impart socio-emotional competencies based on: (1) fostering self-knowledge, self-esteem, and respect for others among students; (2) developing behaviors that allow them to perceive and express feelings and self-regulating emotions; and (3) developing assertive communication skills aimed at improving conflict resolution. This program has been designed in such a way that it is implemented throughout the academic year by organizing bi-monthly sessions of 45 min each, held until the completion of 15 sessions. The sample consists of 100 students in the third grade, with the control and experimental groups having an equal number of students (50 each). The instruments used for this research are: (a) BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (Youth Version [BarOn EQ-i:YV]): used for measuring emotional and social functioning; (b) the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY): used for assessing social skills; and (c) Questionnaire for the Assessment of School Violence in Preschool and Primary School Questionnaire. To check the effectiveness of the educational intervention, a quasi-experimental design, along with pretest-posttest control group design, is used in accordance with the general linear model. Its effectiveness is also checked using repeated measures analysis of variance. The results show that the program is useful in preventing violent behaviors in the educational field and promoting the development of socio-emotional skills among third grade students. Finally, the applicability of the program to other educational contexts is discussed to enhance students' personal development and decrease the levels of violence found in primary school.

Parental Beliefs and Actual Use of Corporal Punishment, School Violence and Bullying, and Depression in Early Adolescence

Prior studies on adverse outcomes of parental corporal punishment on children have focused on examining one of two broad domains of parental corporal punishment: parental beliefs or actual use. Recently, researchers have argued that parental belief and actual use of corporal punishment should work jointly to contribute to children's depression and involvement in school violence. Yet, studies supporting this proposition are lacking. This study examined the indirect link from parental attitudes towards corporal punishment to children's depression and school violence involvement through actual use of corporal punishment. Four hundred and thirty-three elementary school students and their parents in Taiwan participated in this study. The results indicate that positive parental attitudes towards corporal punishment do not predict children's depression and involvement in school violence. However, parental attitudes towards corporal punishment had significant indirect relationships with depression and involvement in school violence through the actual use of corporal punishment. These findings applied to both genders. This study supports the proposition that parental attitudes and the actual use of corporal punishment could work together to predict children's depression and school violence. Future intervention programs for decreasing children's depressive symptoms and involvement in school violence might need to tackle corporal punishment in the family.

Disciplining in Sri Lankan Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study

An integral part of a teacher's job is to correct misbehavior of students. There is scarcity of information on disciplinary methods used by teachers in schools in Sri Lanka. As a part of a larger research, this study was undertaken to fill this gap. A culturally validated questionnaire was used to assess the various disciplinary methods used by 459 teachers, on 948 students, in six districts in Sri Lanka. National, provincial, special education, and private schools were included in this study. The study revealed that teachers used aversive disciplinary methods such as corporal punishment and psychological aggression. During the past term, 80.4% of students reported experiencing at least one strategy of corporal punishment and 72.5% reported experiencing psychological aggression. It was alarming to note that 53% of students reported experiencing at least one strategy of physical abuse in the schools in Sri Lanka. In all, 79.3% of students reported experiencing at least one strategy of positive discipline. Although teachers did use positive discipline, it was lesser than the use of aversive disciplinary methods. Hence, the use of force as a tool of discipline on young people in schools in Sri Lanka is widespread. The findings of this study should raise grave concern and ring alarm bells among authorities in Sri Lanka. Therefore, several recommendations to rectify this situation are also presented herein.

The Complex Nature of School Violence: Attitudes Toward Aggression, Empathy and Involvement Profiles in Violence

Background

Aggressive behavior in adolescents has become a concern in education, where adapting to and going through high school may generate important behavior problems in adolescents.

Purpose

Analyze the relationships between parental and adolescent attitudes toward aggression and empathy. Identify profiles of direct and indirect involvement in school violence and determine differences between groups with respect to the components of empathy and attitudes toward aggression.

Methods

The sample was comprised of 1287 high school students who were administered the Beliefs about Aggression and Alternatives questionnaire, the Parental Support for Fighting and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index.

Results

The results show that beliefs in favor of the use of aggression in adolescents correlate positively with the perception of strong support from parents for aggression in response to conflict. Similarly, higher levels of support for the use of nonviolent strategies are positively related to the perception of strong support from parents. The relationships established with the components of empathy analyzed, both cognitive and emotional, were negatively correlated with favorable attitudes toward aggression. Results concerning the groups directly involved indicated that there were significant differences in the components of empathy between the groups. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis applied to the direct involvement groups showed significant differences between the groups in taking perspective. Between-group differences in empathic concern were also statistically significant for the group of active observers.

Conclusion

Taking perspective and empathic concern are moderating variables both for observers and victims and their parents in situations of violence.

Association of bullying behaviour with smoking, alcohol use and drug use among school students in Erbil City, Iraq

Background

Substance use and bullying are prevalent among adolescents and have a wide range of adverse outcomes. The association of bullying with substance use has not been examined in Kurdistan and Iraq, which have suffered from the effects of long-term conflict and economic hardship.

Aims

To examine the association between each form of bullying among adolescents and substance use.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of public schools in Erbil City, Iraq in 2017. The study involved 1070 adolescents selected from 35 schools using a multistage cluster sampling method. A self-reported close-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. Male and female students attending grades 7-12 and aged 13-18 years were included.

Results

The overall prevalence of bullying behaviour was 60.0%; 30.8% were victims, 26.2% were bully-victims, and 3.0% were bullies. There was a significant association between different forms and categories of bullying and substance use. The strongest association was with the students involved in sexual bullying, followed by racial and cyber bullying. The strongest association between bullying and substance use was found in the bully-victim category, followed by victims and bullies.

Conclusions

Substance use and bullying behaviour seem to be widespread problems among adolescents in Erbil schools. Substance use is significantly associated with different categories of bullying behaviour. There is a need for effective school-based preventive interventions to tackle these problems. Future research needs to examine the likely direction of the association between bullying and substance use.

Right To Play's intervention to reduce peer violence among children in public schools in Pakistan: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Peer violence is common globally, but a little researched topic in low-and middle-income countries. This study presents the evaluation of a two-year randomized controlled trial of a structured play-based life-skills intervention implemented in schools in Hyderabad, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of the intervention on school-based peer violence (victimization and perpetration) and depression among school children.

METHODS

40 single-sex public schools were randomized into two study arms (20 per arm 10 of each sex). A total of 1752 grade 6 students (929 from intervention and 823 from control schools) were enrolled in the trial. The two-year intervention was a biweekly structured game led by a coach followed by critical reflection and discussion for 30 minutes. Primary outcomes (exposure to peer violence exhibited through victimization and perpetration and depression) were evaluated using generalized linear-mixed models.

RESULTS

Of the enrolled children (N = 1752) 91% provided data for analysis. There were significant decreases in self-reported peer violence victimization, perpetration and depression. For peer violence victimization, the reductions in the intervention and control arms were: 33.3% versus 27.8% for boys and 58.5% versus 21.3% for girls. For peer violence perpetration, the reductions were: 25.3% versus 11.1% for boys and 55.6% versus 27.6% for girls in the intervention and control arms, respectively. There were significant drops in mean depression scores (boys 7.2% versus 4.8% intervention and control and girls 9.5% versus 5.6% intervention and control).

CONCLUSION

A well-designed and implemented play-based life-skills intervention delivered in public schools in Pakistan is able to effect a significant reduction in peer violence.

School Violence and Teacher Professional Engagement: A Cross-National Study

School violence research has mainly focused on the impact on students. Very few studies, even fewer from a cross-cultural perspective, have examined the relationships between school violence and teacher professional engagement, and the role played by teacher self-efficacy and school climate related factors. The present study utilizes a SEM research methodology to analyze the 2013 TALIS data. The purpose is to understand and compare the relationships in four different cultural contexts; the U.S., England, South Korea, and Mexico. Results indicate, on average, that the significant and negative impacts of school violence on teacher professional engagement are partly mediated by teacher self-efficacy. The negativity of school violence is significantly alleviated by enhancing participation among school stakeholders and improving teacher–student relationships. The relationships among the factors apply across all four cultural systems, though, the effects of factors and variables vary to a degree. The paper also discusses other relevant issues and differences as well as their implications.

Mental health problems moderate the association between teacher violence and children's social status in East Africa: A multi-informant study combining self- and peer-reports

School victimization has been negatively associated with children's social status. However, previous studies have primarily focused on peer victimization, leaving a significant knowledge gap regarding violence by teachers. We hypothesized that, when almost all children experience violence by teachers, not only the experience of violence, but also other factors, for example, mental health problems, may influence children's social preference and centrality. We therefore examined potential moderation effects of children's internalizing and externalizing problems. We implemented a multistage cluster randomized sampling approach to randomly chose fifth- and sixth-grade students from primary schools throughout Tanzania. Using a multi-informant approach, data were collected from 643 children (51.0% girls, Mage = 12.79 years). Results showed inconsistent direct associations between teacher violence and social status, whereas mental health problems were consistently associated with lower social status. Significant interaction effects were found for internalizing problems; that is, teacher violence was associated with lower social status for increasing internalizing problems. However, no interaction effects were found for externalizing problems. The findings underline the burden of exposure to violence by teachers and the importance of mental health for children's social functioning. Knowledge about interrelations can be applied in interventions to effectively reduce violence by teachers toward students.

Academic Competence, Teacher-Student Relationship, and Violence and Victimisation in Adolescents: The Classroom Climate as a Mediator

School violence is a serious social and public health problem prevalent worldwide. Although the relevance of teacher and classroom factors is well established in the literature, few studies have focused on the role of teacher perceptions in school violence and victimisation and the potential mediational role of classroom climate in this relationship. A total of 2399 adolescents (50% girls), aged between 11 and 18 years (M = 14.65, SD = 1.78) and enrolled in five Spanish Secondary Compulsory Education schools completed measures of classroom climate, school violence towards peers and perception of peer victimisation, and their teachers informed about their academic competence and the teacher–student relationship. Correlational analyses revealed that whereas academic competence perceived by the teacher was negatively related to overt violence and victimisation, its relationship with pure relational violence was positive. Structural equation modelling analyses showed that variables of classroom climate (involvement, affiliation, and teacher support) perceived by the students functioned as partial mediators between teacher perceptions of academic competence and of teacher–student relationship and violence and victimisation. In the mediational model, teacher perception of academic competence acted as a direct protective factor against violence and victimisation, and teacher perception of teacher–student relationship acted as a direct risk for violence, as well as an indirect protective factor through classroom climate for victimisation. The interpretation of these results points to the importance of the teacher’s subjective perceptions in the prevention of violence and victimisation problems and their practical implications for the classroom climate perceived by students.

Violence at School and Bullying in School Environments in Peru: Analysis of a Virtual Platform

BACKGROUND

School violence and bullying are prevalent problems that affect health in general, especially through the development of emotional and behavioral problems, and can result in the deterioration of the academic performance of the student victim. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rates of aggressive behaviors according to types of school violence and bullying, sociodemographic characteristics, and variation by department, region, and time in the period between 2014 and 2018 in Peru.

METHODS

The design was observational and cross-sectional based on data from the Specialized System for Reporting Cases of School Violence (Sistema Especializado en Reporte de Casos sobre Violencia Escolar-SíseVe) in Peru, which covers a population of 23,641 students at the initial, primary, and secondary levels of Basic Regular Education [Educación Básica Regular (EBR)], for the 2014-2018 period. The prevalence rates of the different types of school violence and bullying, the sociodemographic characteristics, and the variation by department, region, and time in the period between 2014 and 2018 were estimated.

RESULTS

Psychological violence/bullying occurred at higher prevalence rates (185.8 and 62.6 per 100,000 residents). Women from public institutions reported greater sexual violence, mostly by teachers (67.8%) than by other students (32.2%). The Selva region had the highest prevalence rate of sexual violence (10.1 per 100,000 residents). The departments of Tacna and Piura had the highest and lowest rates of psychological/verbal violence and bullying in 2018 (95.79 and 25.31 per 100,000 residents).

CONCLUSION

Psychological/verbal violence and bullying is highly prevalent among students; women report being victims of sexual violence by administrative personnel of public institutions. The Selva region had the highest rate of sexual violence, and Piura and Tacna had the highest and lowest rates of violence and psychological/verbal bullying. Based on these results, it is suggested to conduct evidence-based prevention programs in Peruvian schools to reduce these social problems.

School Violence towards Peers and Teen Dating Violence: The Mediating Role of Personal Distress

School violence towards peers and teen dating violence are two of the most relevant behaviour problems in adolescents. Although the relationship between the two types of violence is well established in the literature, few studies have focused on mediators that could explain this empirical relationship. We departed from the evidence that relates anger, emotional distress and impaired empathy to teen dating violence and juvenile sexual offending, to explore the role of personal distress, i.e., a self-focused, aversive affective reaction to another's emotion associated with the desire to alleviate one's own, but not the other's distress; as a possible mechanism linking school violence towards peers and teen dating violence in a sample of Spanish adolescents. We also explored the prevalence of emotional and physical teen dating violence, both occasional and frequent, and the differences between boys and girls. A total of 1055 adolescents (49.2% boys and 50.8% girls) aged between 11 and 17 years (M = 14.06, SD = 1.34) who had had at least one romantic relationship within the last year, completed measures of school violence towards peers, teen dating violence, and personal distress. Statistical analyses revealed that occasional and frequent teen dating violence (both physical and emotional) was more frequent in girls than in boys, and that personal distress functioned as a partial mediator, with an overall model fit higher for boys than girls: in boys, partial mediation occurred for both physical and emotional teen dating violence; in girls, partial mediation occurred only for physical violence. The interpretation of the results is tentative given the novel nature of the study, and points to the evidence of the emotional costs of school violence and the importance of emotion and behavior regulation to undermine the social costs of personal distress.

School Mental Health Curriculum Effects on Peer Violence Victimization and Perpetration: A Cluster-Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND

Addressing school violence is an important public health goal. To assess the role of school mental health curricula in violence prevention, we evaluated effects of an anti-stigma curriculum on violence victimization/perpetration.

METHODS

An ethnically/socioeconomically diverse sample of 751 sixth-graders (mean age 11.5 years) across 14 schools in Texas were block-randomized by school (2011-2012) to receive singly or in combination: (1) a mental illness anti-stigma curriculum; (2) contact with 2 young adults with mental illness; or (3) merged control (printed materials/no intervention). Pre- and post-test assessments were self-completed during health education classes; prior to randomization, 484 (64.5%) agreed to 2-year, home-based longitudinal assessments. Statistical models tested short- and long-term effects on physical, verbal, and relational/social violence victimization/perpetration.

RESULTS

At 1-month post-test, students who received the curriculum versus control made fewer verbal threats (p < .05). Those with high-level mental health symptoms in the curriculum group versus control used less violence overall and received fewer verbal threats from peers short-term (p < .05). Curriculum effects of reducing violence perpetration sustained long-term among adolescents with high-symptoms (p < .01). The comparator contact intervention was ineffective short- and long-term.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing efficacious mental health curricula can serve as a multi-pronged strategy with anti-bulling efforts to prevent violence and improve mental health.

Online and in-Person Violence, Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying in New Jersey: 2011-2016

BACKGROUND

New Jersey (NJ) Safe Schools Program, primarily funded by the NJ Department of Education, has aims concerning safety and health including helping to alleviate harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) in secondary school because HIB can affect learning. We evaluated officially reported adolescent HIB total incidents and estimated rates in NJ public city and county school districts for the 2011-2016 school years.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational study using population-based state-reported public data. We calculated point prevalence and incidence rates for K-12 students in 22 public city school districts, students in 21 career-technical-vocational education (CTE) school districts, and 8 special services school districts during 2011-2016.

RESULTS

HIB is prevalent in NJ school classrooms. HIB comprised ≥75% of total officially reported in-school violence-related incidents in a given school year. Rates per 100 enrollees of total officially reported incidents for the 5-year period of 2011-2016 was highest in special services school districts (5.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.67, 5.34) followed by CTE districts (1.94; 95% CI: 1.86, 2.01), and lowest in city districts (1.46; 95% CI: 1.44, 1.48). The special services school district also had the highest rates per year and the 5-year period.

CONCLUSIONS

Data analyses suggested ideas for further research and improvements for school HIB incident reports. Policies and programs could remedy issues observed in state secondary school classrooms. Best practices within districts and schools can help protect students from HIB and promote safety, health, learning, and maturation.

Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Used to Justify School Violence in Sicilian Primary School

This study investigated the mechanisms of moral disengagement most commonly used to justify school violence in Sicilian primary school. The main objective of this study was to analyze the mechanisms of moral disengagement that are set in motion by those involved in situations of school violence (victims, aggressors, and bystanders) in Sicilian primary school. Likewise, the differences by gender and age are investigated. A total of 113 subjects in primary school were recruited (56.6% girls). The ages ranged from 8 to 11 (M = 9.56, SD = 0.99). The first scale used was the Bullying Inventory by Olweus (1993) in the Italian translation by Genta, Menesini, Fonzi, Costabile, and Smith (1996) and the questionnaire on moral disengagement developed by Caprara, Barbaranelli, Vicino, and Bandura (1996) is also used. The regression analysis showed that the sociodemographic variables and the mechanisms of moral disengagement are different depending on a person's role (aggressor, victim, or bystander). Moral justification predicted the role of victim in school violence, dehumanization predicted the role of the aggressor (and gender), and the disclosure of responsibility (and dehumanization) predicted the role of the bystander in school violence. The conclusions of this study will facilitate the prevention of school violence, for example, by promoting social integration and minimizing situations of school violence (emphasizing morality, ethics, etc.), thereby establishing balanced and satisfactory interpersonal relationships.

Investigating Physical Violence Against Classroom and Other School Personnel Using Ohio Workers' Compensation Data: 2001-2012

This study uses workers' compensation data to explore the extent, severity, and context of violence-related injuries sustained by classroom (teachers and aides) and other personnel (e.g., administrators, education support specialists, security, custodial and maintenance workers, food workers) in Ohio's K-12 urban public schools. The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation provided access to claims filed by workers from the state's nine urban school districts from January 01, 2001 to December 31, 2012 (N = 19,508). Injury trends were explored with descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Approximately 25% of all claims filed were violence-related. Overall, violence-related injury rates remained relatively stable from the 2001-2002 to the 2011-2012 academic year. However, the odds of victimization for classroom personnel were 1.84 times the odds of victimization for other personnel. For both classroom and other personnel, the most commonly-sustained injuries resulting from a violent event included contusions; sprains to the neck, back, and upper or lower extremities, and open wounds. Most violence-related injuries were sustained during direct contact with students displaying escalated or aggressive behavior, or during efforts to de-escalate third-party violence. Implications of using workers' compensation data to inform workplace violence research and practice are discussed.

Comparison of Features of a Mobile Application to Report School Violence Through Benchmarking

BACKGROUND

At a time and educational context favorable to technologies and innovations, we took the initiative to mobile phone applications (apps) relevant to school violence in an effort to be responsive to a growing public health problem in multiple countries.

METHODS

In this study, we compared and verified the features of 10 apps for reporting violence in schools. We used a benchmarking tool for integrative review of these mobile apps.

RESULTS

There were 13 apps on the Google Play platform, 11 apps in the App Store, and 5 apps on both platforms, totaling 19 apps. We selected 10 apps for comparative analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Through benchmarking, we determined the relevant features of the apps with recommendations for improving app development in the future.

School Violence Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents in Chile

Background: School violence is widely acknowledged as a public health problem with considerable consequences on student learning and social development. There are also a wide range of health consequences. A large share of previous research on school violence has focused on populations in the global north, with significant gaps in the state of knowledge in the world's emerging economies. To this end, the present study provides an examination of correlates for school-based violence in Chile using a nationally representative cohort.

Methods: Six independent variables were considered (age, sex, physical activity, sedentary life style, bullying victimization, food insecurity) within a logistic regression model to ascertain the strength and direction of associations with physical fighting.

Results: Among the surveyed students, ~13.08% reported being involved in two or more physical fights during the twelve month recall period. Males were significantly over represented among those reporting being involved in a fight OR 2.91 (CI = 1.98–4.27). Those who reported experiencing food insecurity were 5.29 (CI = 1.43–19.50) times more likely to have been involved in a physical fight. Students who reported being bullied were 2.41 (CI = 1.67–3.47) times more likely to have been involved in physical fights. While age provided protection from involvement in physical fights with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.91 (CI = 0.84–0.98).

Conclusion: Consistent with previous research, our results suggest that the use of school-based interventions that target multiple risk behaviors may be helpful in reducing rates of physical fighting.

School Gun Violence in the United States

BACKGROUND

Although less than 2% of all homicides among young people are school-associated, since 1970 1373 K-12 school gun violence incidents have injured 1403 people and killed another 728. These incidents have changed the education landscape. Informed stakeholders must work together to prevent school gun violence.

METHODS

We reviewed the nature of school gun violence in the United States and efforts to prevent it.

RESULTS

We briefly outline a public health approach to prevent school gun violence, major actions the nation has taken, current school gun violence surveillance systems, the effects of school gun violence nationwide, the extent to which our schools are implementing various interventions to prevent it, and a national strategy to move forward.

CONCLUSIONS

Our young people and our schools deserve a more organized national effort.