Violencia, victimización y rechazo escolar en la adolescencia.

Abstract

The main aim of the present thesis is to analyze relationships between some individual, family, and school variables, and the following behavioral and social adjustment problems at school in adolescence: (1) violence at school, (2) victimization by peers, and (3) school rejection. Variables considered in the study were: school variables: school violence, school self-esteem, and attitude towards school; and family variables: communication with father, communication with mother, parental support, family self-esteem, and family conflict. Participants in the study were 1068 Spanish adolescents of both sexes (513 boys and 555 girls) whose ages ranged from 11 to 16 years old (mean age 13.7), and attending secondary education in four school of the Valencian Community at the time of the research. Following initial contact with head teachers of the schools, all teacher staff were informed of the objectives, prodecure and relevance of the study. In parallel, a letter describing the study was sent to the parents who had to indicate in writing if they did not wish their child to participate in the study. Participants anonymously filled out the scales during a regular class period lasting approximately one hour. All measures were administered within each classroom on the same day. Results obtained in the study indicated the existence of a bidirectional relationship between problems of communication with father, mother, and teacher, and levels of psychological distress in the adolescence (depressive symptomatology and perceived stress), as well as problems of violent behaviour at school. Results also showed a bidirectional relationship between problems of communication with father and victimization by peers at school. Moreover, we found violent and rejected adolescents to have lower levels of family and school self-esteem and to inform about a more negative family climate (more communication problems with parents, more family conflicts, and less perceived support), and more negative attitudes towards school and teachers. Victims of violence showed lower levels of emotional and social self-esteem, but a better family adjutment, in comparison to aggressors. These results significantly contribute to scientific literature related to problems of life together at school and it association with particular personal, family, and school factors.