Forms and Functions of Aggression in Adolescents: Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Peer Conflict Scale

  • Paula Vagos
  • Daniel Rijo
  • Isabel M. Santos
  • Monica A. Marsee
Article
First Online:

Abstract

Aggression in adolescence may assume different forms and functions, and is often associated with maladjustment. To adequately assess aggression in adolescence, instruments need to evaluate both its forms and its functions, as is the case with the Peer Conflict Scale. This research presents and evaluates the Portuguese version of this instrument, and evaluates levels of aggression in an adolescent community sample (n = 785; 63.6 % female, mean age of 15.97 years old). The four factor structure originally proposed for the instrument (i.e. proactive overt, reactive overt, proactive relational and reactive relational aggression) represented a satisfactory solution for the data, and for both girls and boys. Results also have shown adequate reliability. Regarding levels of aggression, boys reported being overall more aggressive than girls. When aggression is impulsive/ reactive, both boys and girls practice its overt form. It is only when the aggression is pondered upon (proactive) that boys and girls chose to use different forms of aggression. Accurately evaluating different forms and functions of aggression has implications for designing, implementing and evaluating adequate and tailored interventions.

Keywords

Aggression Assessment Psychometrics Adolescence 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by a research scholarship by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal and the European Social Fund (SFRH / BPD / 72299 / 2010).

Conflict of Interest

None of the authors have academic, personal or political relationships with the participants or participating institutions. No financial, employment, consultancies or honoraria were involved in the relationships between participants or participating institutions and the research team. The authors have no potential conflict of interest pertaining to this submission to Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment.

Experiment Participants

Ethical standards for investigations involving human participants were always considered. The procedure for this investigation was approved by the appropriate institutional review committees and responsible government agency. Human participants or their legal representatives gave informed consent to participating in this investigation.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Paula Vagos
    • 1
    • 4
  • Daniel Rijo
    • 1
  • Isabel M. Santos
    • 2
  • Monica A. Marsee
    • 3
  1. 1.Department of Psychology and Educational SciencesUniversidade of CoimbraCoimbraPortugal
  2. 2.Departament of EducationUniversidade of AveiroAveiroPortugal
  3. 3.Department of PsychologyUniversity of New OrleansNew OrleansUSA
  4. 4.Departamento de EducaçãoCoimbraPortugal

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