Conflict resolution skills and antisocial/aggressive behavior in a rural middle school population

Adolescent violent, aggressive and disruptive behavior falls along a continuum that crosses several diagnostic categories within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV). A peak in school violence was reached in 1992–1993 and a 29% decline was reported in 1999 by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In the 1998–1999 school year the chance that a school aged child would die in a school was one in 2 million. Genetic/Biological, Psychological and Social impacts upon adolescent aggression appear related to the time of onset and extent of aggressive behavior. An extensive research base has found that adolescent aggression is based on an extremely complex set of factors, which are critically interdependent. Comprehensive research suggests that there is a relatively stable aggressive reaction tendency within individuals from early childhood into adulthood. The current study is an attempt to assess the impact of social skills and beliefs about aggression upon the student's aggressive and disruptive behaviors as ranked by their teachers. The student's actual disciplinary record of problem behaviors within the school environment was also collected for comparison. Data regarding grades, absences, tardy, and family socio economic status was collected. The current study examines the behavior of 178 students recruited from the student body of a rural middle school population composed of 190 sixth graders, 185 seventh graders, and 181 eighth graders. In collecting data 42 sixth graders, 61 seventh graders, and 118 eighth graders participated. The students completed packets of the Social Skills Rating System Survey and a Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale in their homeroom and the homeroom teacher completed the Child Behavior Checklist Aggression Scale. The middle school students rated as aggressive by their teachers, and those who expressed beliefs that aggression was an appropriate response, reported significantly lowered social skills. The students who had disciplinary records were primarily male, had poor academic records, and did not rate themselves as having significantly lowered social skills. Children who have received school discipline may be inaccurate in their ratings of their social skills or these children may exhibit more Instrumental rather than Reactive aggressive and disruptive behaviors.