Prediction of Aggression in Children based on Domestic Violence and Communication Patterns

During the recent years, different types of aggression have been one of the most common behavioral problems in children. The surrounding environment and exposure to effective behavioral patterns play important roles in shaping the child’s behavior. Considering the necessity of having exact knowledge of the factors influencing the aggressive behaviors, the present research was conducted to predict the aggression in children based on domestic violence and communication patters.  

The research was a descriptive-correlational study. The study population included all the male and female students of the public primary schools in Shiraz in the academic year of 2019-2020. A sample of 136 students was selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992), Child Exposure to Domestic Violence Scale (Edleson, Johnson, & Shin, 2007) and Family Communication Patterns Questionnaire (Ritchie & Fitzpatrick, 1990) were used to collect the data. By using SPSS Statistics 22, data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, and regression analysis.   

Results of regression analysis showed that combination of childrenchr('39')s exposure to parental conflict, exposure to violence in school or neighborhood, and conformity orientation is the best predictor of aggression in children, which explains 65% of its variance in total.

Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that aggression in children can be explained by factors in the family like parental conflict and factors outside the family like the school environment. Implications of the results obtained are discussed in the article.