The Role of Empathy, Anger Management and Normative Belief about Aggression in Bullying Among Urban, African American Middle School Children

This study used binary logistic regression analysis to examine the role of empathy,anger management, and normative beliefs about aggression on overt bullying, relational bullying, and prosocial behavior in urban African-American middle school children. Participants included 177 African-American sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from two public, urban middle schools in a large city in the Southeast United States. The results of this study indicated that binary logistic regression models including empathy, anger management, and normative beliefs about aggression predicted prosocial behavior, and marginally predicted relational bullying. Nonnative beliefs about aggression had a significant moderating effect, such that for participants who endorsed higher normative beliefs about aggression, low levels of empathy significantly increased the likelihood of being classified as a relational bully. Participants in this study reported highly aggressive behavior, with 24% of the sample being identified as overt bullies. Significant gender differences were also identified in this study. Boys reported more relational aggression than girls, and girls reported higher levels of empathy, and prosocial behavior. Implications for future research and intervention programs for bullying among middle school children are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2007

Author dc:creator

• Esposito, Layla E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Faye Z. Belgrave

• keyword
• Psychology
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• © The Author

Identifier

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1181

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-2180