Browsing by Subject "uhrikokemukset"

The association between victimization and aggressive behavior has been extensively studied but its relation to other risk factors is less known. The purpose of this study is to illuminate the link between victimization and aggressive behavior by including other risk factors associated with aggressive behavior to the model. Along with victimization we studied the effect of Big Five personality dimensions, impulsivity and parental control on aggression and their potential mediating or moderating effects on the victimization-aggression link. Based on the previous studies we expected the link between victimization and aggression to be strong but possibly mediated or moderated by agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, impulsivity and parental control. We used the data from the Finnish Self-Report Delinquency study 2012 which consists of 8,914 survey answers from 6th or 9th grade students (11–16 years) in a nationally representative sample of 106 schools. Aggressive behavior and victimization variables were sorted into three classes: 1) no reported incidences 2) 1 or 2 incidences or 3) 3 or more incidences in the previous year. We analyzed the data by using multinomial regression analysis. Gender and age (6th vs. 9th grade) were controlled. Results showed that victimization was associated with aggressive behavior and the probability was highest among those who had experienced victimization more than three times during the previous year. Higher parental control, agreeableness and conscientiousness predicted less aggressive behavior, whereas higher impulsivity and extroversion predicted higher aggressive behavior. Neuroticism was not directly associated with aggressive behavior. Only the link between conscientiousness and aggressive behavior was mediated by the other factors while victimization, agreeableness, extroversion, impulsivity and parental control remained as independent factors predicting aggressive behavior.