Magnitude, types and sex differentials of aggressive behaviour among school children in a rural area of West Bengal

• Main Authors: Debashis Dutt, Girish Kumar Pandey, Dipak Pal, Suprakas Hazra, Tushar Kanti Dey
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2013-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Community Medicine
• Subjects: Aggression; active; children; passive; physical; verbal
• Online Access: http://www.ijcm.org.in/article.asp?issn=0970-0218;year=2013;volume=38;issue=2;spage=109;epage=113;aulast=Dutt
• ISSN: 0970-0218; 1998-3581

Background: Aggression affects academic learning and emotional development, can damage school climate and if not controlled early and may precipitate extreme violence in the future. Objective s : (1) To determine the magnitude and types of aggressive behavior in school children. (2) To identify the influence of age and sex on aggressive behavior. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Anandanagar High School, Singur village, West Bengal. Participants were 161 boys and 177 girls of classes VII to IX. The students were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire indicating the types of aggressive behavior by them in the previous month and to assess themselves with reference to statements indicating verbal/physical aggression. Results: Overall, 66.5% of the children were physically aggressive in the previous month: Boys 75.8%, girls 58.2% ( P = 0.001); 56.8% were verbally aggressive: Boys 55.2%, girls 61% ( P = 0.97). Verbal indirect passive aggression was more common among girls (55.3%) than among boys (22.3%) ( P = 0.000 [1.17E-09 ]). Boys were more liable to physical aggression, viz. 60.2% of the boys would hit on provocation compared with only 9% of the girls ( P = 0.000 [6.6E -23 ]). Regarding attributes indicating verbal aggression, girls were more argumentative (63.8%) than boys (55.2%) ( P = 0.134) and disagreeing (41.8%) compared with boys (33.5%) ( P = 0.145). With increasing age/class, physical direct active aggression decreased while physical indirect passive and verbal indirect passive aggression increased. No classes had been taken on anger control/management by school the authorities. Conclusions: Aggressive behavior was common both among boys and girls. Life skills education/counseling/classroom management strategies are recommended.