Forms and factors of peer violence and victimisation

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to explore the latent structure of violence and victimisation based on the factor analysis of the Peer Violence and Victimisation Questionnaire (PVVQ), as well as to examine the correlates of violence and victimisation. The sample included 649 secondary school students (61.8% male) from the urban area. Besides the PVVQ, the Aggressiveness questionnaire AVDH was administered. Based on parallel analysis, three factors were extracted in the violence domain, as well as in the victimisation domain of the PVVQ. The factors were interpreted as a physical, verbal and relational form of violence and victimisation, which is in line with common classifications. The correlations of those forms with the aggressiveness dimensions were positive. The relationships with gender, school grade and school achievement referred to the importance of interaction effects between the mentioned characteristics of students and the tendency towards violence or being exposed to it. The main result is that boys from lower school grades and students with lower school achievement in general, are more prone to manifesting physical violence and more often are the target of physical violence. These groups of students are the target groups for preventive programs. The resulting effects indicated the complexity of the violence phenomenon and pointed to the need to consider the wider context of student?s characteristics in the determination of violence.