Aggressive Behavior and Personal and School Adjustmentin a Sample of Spanish Adolescent Students

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine to what extent aggressive behavior toward peers predicts problems of personal and school adjustment in aggressive adolescents, boys and girls. A sample of 1510 Spanish adolescents of compulsory secondary school was used. The logistic regression analyses showed that, in relation to personal adjustment, aggressive behavior significantly predicted for both sexes high scores in depressive symptoms, perceived stress and loneliness, and low scores on self-esteem, life satisfaction and empathy. For the school variables, aggressive behavior was associated with low scores on academic involvement, affiliation with peers, perceived teacher support and positive attitude toward school.