Self control and a sense of social belonging as moderators of the link between poor subjective wellbeing and aggression among Arab Palestinian adolescents in Israel

Abstract

The present study focuses on aggressive behavior among Arab Palestinian adolescents in Israel. 397 adolescents of 7th – 12th grades were examined, and two main assumptions were tested. The first assumption focused on the link between mental wellbeing and aggression, which was assumed to be negative. The second assumption dealt with personal and social resources, examining the contribution of self control skills and social belonging as violence reducing resources. We found that self control skills indeed moderate the link between poor subjective wellbeing and aggression. Both study assumptions were corroborated and the study may have applicative implications emphasizing the importance of developing self control skills as a means of reducing aggressive behavior.