Incidence of the practice of physical and sporting activities as a regulator of school violence

Abstract

School violence has become a phenomenon of global impact due to the severe and long-lasting negative consequences on victims. School violence is more evident in the primary education stage, being expressed physically, verbally, and through social exclusion or ICT. Sports can serve as a prevention strategy against the emergence of violent behaviors in the classroom. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to analyze the relationship between the practice of physical activity and victimization by school violence based on gender. After employing a non-probability, convenience-based sampling technique, a total of 113 subjects (74 men, 39 women; Mage = 10.66, E.D. =. 74) completed the questionnaires PAQ-C and «Harassment and School Violence». The results indicate the prevalence of cyber-violence and indirect physical violence for both sexes. Significant differences are shown between genders for direct physical violence. A moderate sports practice oriented to disciplines such as football or athletics leads to greater victimization in all dimensions. On the contrary, a high practice directed towards martial arts or popular games appears to reduce the rates of perceived violence. The amount of physical activity carried out and the type of sport practiced act as regulators in the victimization of school violence, which indicates the need to promote strategies that favor sports adherence in school children in less competitive environments and more focused on sports education.