Nonaggressive Adolescents Research Articles

The Relationship between Parenting Style and Self-Esteem in Adolescents

This article reviewed the effect of four parenting styles (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and rejecting/neglectful parenting) on self-esteem and psychological outcomes in adolescents, such as well-being, life satisfaction, and school performance. It was found that parenting styles directly impact psychological outcomes. More specifically, a positive parenting style increases the life satisfaction and well-being of young adults. The results of this review also indicate the negative side of inappropriate parenting style, which increases adolescents' aggression. Aggression is a serious problem for adolescents, which normally leads them to be involved in criminal activities. Aggression might also cause mental health problems. Parents who are irresponsible are likely to increase the tendency of aggression in adolescents. Non-aggressive adolescents showed higher self-esteem than aggressive adolescents. Furthermore, the article also reviewed the relationship among self-esteem, parenting styles, and learning. Self-esteem serves as a mediator between parenting style and learning. The level of self-esteem increased by a positive parenting style can indirectly impact school performance, such as academic procrastination and self-regulated learning. A high level of self-esteem can decrease academic problems, and it also can facilitate the development of self-confidence, which is positively correlated with academic performance. However, previous studies did not investigate differences of this relationship in boys and girls. Future research should focus more on gender differences. This review can provide some guidance for the family education programs at school and relevant intervention studies.

Parenting Styles and Aggressive Adolescents: Relationships with Self-esteem and Personal Maladjustment

Current emergent studies are seriously questioning if parental strictness contributes to adolescent adjustment. This study examined whether the relationship between authoritative (warmth and strictness), authoritarian (strictness without warmth), indulgent (warmth without strictness), and neglectful (neither warmth nor strictness) parenting styles shows equal or different pattern of adjustment and maladjustment for aggressive and non-aggressive adolescents. The sample consisted of 969 Spanish adolescents, 554 females (57.2%) and 415 males, ranging from 12 to 17 years old. Families were classified into one of four typologies by their scores on warmth and strictness, and the adolescents were grouped by their aggressiveness (low vs. high). Adolescent adjustment was captured with three self-esteem indicators (emotional, physical, and family) and personal maladjustment with five indicators (negative self-esteem, negative self-adequacy, emotional irresponsiveness, emotional instability, and negative worldview). It was tested main and interaction effects between parenting and aggressiveness considering also sex and age factors. Findings showed that aggressive adolescents always had the worst socialization outcomes (i.e., the lowest self-esteem and the highest personal maladjustment). Aggressive and non-aggressive adolescents have a common pattern: both, indulgent and authoritative parenting styles were always associated with better outcomes than either authoritarian or neglectful parenting, but indulgent parenting style was associated with the best outcomes across all the criteria. In contrast with previous evidence about the idea that parental strictness and imposition might be beneficial to raise aggressive adolescents, present findings highlight the positive impact of parental warmth even with aggressive adolescents. Implications for family interventions were considered.

Using camera-glasses for the assessment of aggressive behaviour among adolescents in residential correctional care: a small-scale study

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine naturally occurring episodes of aggressive interaction among adolescents in residential correctional programmes. The aims of our study were twofold. First, the development of a new camera-glasses method, and second, the method's applicability in the study of aggressive adolescents in residential care.Design/methodology/approach– Based on a mobile assessment strategy, the paper developed a new methodology for in-the-field recording of environmental conditions in which aggressive behaviour arises. The authors used glasses with an inbuilt camera worn by research subjects to record observational data. In the particular study presented here the authors used camera-glasses to observe the material and social environments of eight aggressive adolescents in a residential treatment programme and of a contrast group of four non-aggressive adolescents living at home.Findings– The crucial methodological findings are that camera-glasses successfully record the social and physical environments of aggressive adolescents from their perspective in relation to their environment and interlocutors, and that the camera-glasses method does not generate high reactivity. The results show that aggressive adolescents in residential care use direct and reactive forms of aggression, and that their aggressive behaviours occur predominantly in settings with limited adult supervision. In residential care aggressive behaviour is, paradoxically, an effective strategy for individuals to gain regard and social status among peers and to push their interests among staff.Research limitations/implications– An obvious limitation is the reliance on a small sample which limits the generalisation of the results.Practical implications– For residential facilities it is crucial to reduce the occurrence of low supervised social situations in order to minimise peer contagion. Furthermore, staff and educators need to be trained to use deescalating response strategies when dealing with adolescents’ aggressive behaviour, precisely deescalating strategies which neither involve acquiescence nor surrender to pressure.Originality/value– Our investigations demonstrate that the camera-glasses method is a promising new assessment technique which has applicability in various fields of adolescent research.

Análisis de la impulsividad conductual, cognitiva y planificadora en distintos tipos de adolescentes agresivos

This paper focuses on the study of impulsiveness in a sample of adolescents with different types of aggression. The main research objective was to analyze whether impulsiveness varies between different aggressive adolescents (reactive, proactive and mixed) and non-aggressive ones. Two self-report measures, the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPAQ) and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were administrated in a sample recollected in Madrid and composed by 400 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age (mean = 14.8 and SD = 1.8). The results showed that reactive, proactive and mixed aggressive groups presented higher levels of general impulsiveness than nonaggressive adolescents. No significant differences in relation to cognitive and non-planner dimensions of impulsiveness were found. Nevertheless, motor impulsiveness was higher in reactive, proactive and mixed aggressive adolescents in comparison with non-aggressive ones. These results are discussed pointing out the relevance of motor impulsiveness as a discriminative factor of aggression, particularly in the context of psychological intervention with adolescents in scholar settings

Is Aggressive Trait Responsible for Violence? Priming Effects of Aggressive Words and Violent Movies

The aim of the present study was to examine the priming effects of violent movies and aggressive words on implicit aggression by using modified STROOP task. 190 adolescents participated in this study, with 95 assigned to non-violent movie group and 95 assigned to violent movie group. The results showed that no significant difference was found in the main affect of Movie Type, but it revealed significant Movie Type × Aggressive Trait interaction, and that aggression was significantly influenced by violent movie only for high-aggressive trait (HT) adolescents, but not for mid-aggressive trait (MT) and low-aggressive trait (LT) adolescents. The possible underlying mechanism was that HT adolescents may possess a relatively stronger aggressive network of cognitive association which was easily activated by violence than MT and LT adolescents. This indicated that violent movie could effectively elicit implicit aggression for adolescents who were highly aggressive, but not for nonaggressive adolescents.

Self-generated outcome expectancies concerning violence in intimate relationships: A comparison of aggressive and nonaggressive adolescents in a sample of child protective services users.

Self-generated outcome expectancies concerning violence in intimate relationships: A comparison of aggressive and nonaggressive adolescents in a sample of child protective services users.

Media Violence Exposure and Frontal Lobe Activation Measured by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Aggressive and Nonaggressive Adolescents

To understand better the relation between media violence exposure, brain functioning, and trait aggression, this study investigated the association between media violence exposure and brain activation as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in groups of normal adolescents and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) with aggressive features. Seventy-one participants underwent neuropsychologic evaluation and assessment of exposure to violent media. Subjects also were evaluated with fMRI while performing a counting Stroop (CS) task. Frontal lobe activation was reduced in aggressive subjects compared with control subjects. In addition, differences in frontal lobe activation were associated with differences in media violence exposure. Specifically, activation during performance of the CS in control subjects with high media violence exposure resembled that seen in DBD subjects. Our findings suggest that media violence exposure may be associated with alterations in brain functioning whether or not trait aggression is present.

Aggressive Problem-Solving Strategies, Aggressive Behavior, and Social Acceptance in Early and Late Adolescence

This study examined the relations between aggressive problem-solving strategies and aggressive behavior, and the intervening role of social acceptance in that relation in early and late adolescence. The subjects were 1655 11- and 17-year-old adolescents (863 girls and 792 boys). They completed a questionnaire measuring aggressive problem-solving strategies, while assessments of aggressive behavior and social acceptance were obtained by peer nominations. The results showed that aggressive problem-solving strategies were significantly but not very highly associated with aggressive behavior among both age groups. The role of social acceptance was of high importance, this being the major finding of this study. The aggressive-accepted adolescents underestimated their aggressiveness, i.e., had as low a level of self-rated aggressive strategies as the nonaggressive adolescents. This was particularly true of the late adolescents. The self-rated strategies of the nonaggressive adolescents were not dependent on their level of social acceptance. Finally, some gender differences were found. The findings are discussed in terms of the development of sociability and social knowledge about the self.

Using Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations to Assess Cognitive Activity in Aggressive and Nonaggressive Adolescents

Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations (ATSS) is a “think aloud” method for examining a person's thought content as it unfolds in the situation. We used the ATSS to investigate the cognitive activity of aggressive and nonaggressive male and female adolescents as they listened to an audiotaped depiction of an ambiguous but provocative interaction with another student. Eighty-one adolescents participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. The two factors were gender and aggressive vs. nonaggressive background. Students in the aggressive group had a history of aggressive behavior in the past year that was severe enough to warrant their arrest or suspension from school. Students in the nonaggressive group had no such history. As a secondary measure of anger and aggressiveness, we administered the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2). As predicted, males, compared to females, expressed more aggressive intent on the ATSS. Likewise, aggressive, compared to nonaggressive, adolescents expressed more anger and aggressive intent on the ATSS, as well as more intense feelings of anger, less control over their anger, and a greater tendency to externalize angry feelings on the STAXI-2. As expected, scores on the ATSS were related to scores on the STAXI-2. We concluded that the ATSS is a useful method for assessing cognitive activity that may mediate aggressive behavior in adolescents.

Aggressive and Nonaggressive Young Adolescents’ Attributions of Intent in Teacher/Student Interactions

Young adolescents classified by teacher report as nonaggressive or aggressive were administered the Attributions Questionnaire, which consisted of 12 hypothetical teacher/student interactions depicting positive, negative, or ambiguous teacher intentions. Variables measured were (a) type of intent attributed to the teacher (i.e., hostile, benign), (b) degree of hostile and benign intent, (c) degree of anger felt, and (d) assignment of blame for negative outcomes. When the teachers’ intentions were ambiguous, aggressive adolescents were more likely than nonaggressive adolescents to attribute hostile intentions to the teachers, and they attributed a higher level of hostile intent, were more likely to blame teachers for the outcome, and reported higher levels of anger. A similar pattern of group differences emerged for situations in which the teachers’ intentions clearly were negative. However, when the teachers’ intentions were benevolent, aggressive youth responded in a manner similar to nonaggressive adolescents. Assessment of gender differences showed aggressive boys and girls to be similar in social information processing.

Types of aggressive behavior among aggressive-preferred, aggressive non-preferred, non-aggressive preferred and non-aggressive non-preferred 14-year-old adolescents

This study examined differences in the types of aggressive behavior among aggressive-preferred, aggressive non-preferred, non-aggressive preferred and non-aggressive non-preferred adolescents. The subjects numbered 839 14-year-old adolescents (408 girls and 431 boys). Aggressive behavior as well as social preference i.e. popularity and rejection, were assessed by peer nominations. The types of aggressive behavior measured were intriguing, arguing, fighting and bullying. The results showed that not only the level, but also the types of aggressive behavior differentiated aggressive adolescents from the non-aggressive ones, and preferred adolescents from the non-preferred ones. The aggression profile of the aggressive and rejected adolescents was characterized more by intriguing and bullying than arguing or fighting. In contrast, that of non-aggressive adolescents was dominated more by arguing and fighting than intriguing. The results pointed to a more complex relationship between aggressive behavior and social preference than the general assumption that there is a higher rate of rejection among aggressive adolescents, and a higher rate of popularity among non-aggressive ones. Significant gender differences were also found.

Controle epidemiológico da tuberculose na cidade de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: adesão ao tratamento

The following is an exploratory study on family violence in two different schools, public and the other private, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Seventy-six families were interviewed, 36 with adolescents classified as aggressive by teachers and 40 with non-aggressive adolescents. Total number of subjects was 213. Physical and severe violence, frequent or occasional, was present in more than half of the sample: 41 reports - 53.9%. A third of the cases occurred in the private school (37%), with twice as many in the public school (63%). However, rates of severe or frequent episodes were similar in both schools. The relationship between violent behavior by teenagers and physical punishment by parents was significant. That is, aggressive adolescents were punished more than non-aggressive ones (odds ratio = 4.3). Prevalence of physical abuse was higher in the older, male teenager group, in the presence of sibling aggression, and in low-income and dysfunctional families. The study shows that physical abuse is more present in society than we would like to imagine.