Predicting physical and verbal aggression perpetration among teenage boys: an application of the theory of planned behavior

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-12-2020-0110
• Published date: 25 June 2021
• Date: 25 June 2021
• Pages: 276-287
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Inequalities & diverse/minority groups,Sociology,Race & ethnic studies,Minorities,Multiculturalism,Racial identity,Work,economy & organizations
• Author: Kayvan Alimoradi,Seyed Hedayat Davarpanah,Parvaneh Taymoori,Afshin Ostovar,Khaled Rahmani

Predicting physical and verbal aggression

perpetration among teenage boys:

an application of the theory

of planned behavior

Kayvan Alimoradi, Seyed Hedayat Davarpanah, Parvaneh Taymoori, Afshin Ostovar and

Khaled Rahmani

Abstract

Purpose –Aggression has been introduced as one of the serious problems in public health. The

purpose of thispaper is to evaluate the ability of the extended theory of plannedbehavior (TPB) to predict

the physicaland verbal aggression behavior.

Design/methodology/approach –In this research, 462 teenagers were evaluated through the

demographicquestionnaire along with the main structuresof the TPB as a predictor of behavior.After one

month of follow-up, physical and verbal aggression was evaluated. Demographic data were analyzed

descriptivelyby SPSS21 and predictability of the structures for intention and behaviorof the physical and

verbal aggressionwas analyzed by AMOS.

Findings –Mean and standarddeviation of participants’ age were 14.70 and 1.12years, respectively. In

this research, 22.5% of theparticipants did not show physical aggression overthe last one month and

20% of them did not showverbal aggression over the last month. Path analysisrevealed that the variables

of the TPB predicted 61% and 32% of variance of intention and physical aggression behavior,

respectively, while thesevariables could describe 43% and 22% of the variance of intention and verbal

aggression behavior, respectively. All of the conceptscould be significant predictors of the behaviors.

Subjective norms were the best predictor of the intention for physical and verbal aggression. Intention

and perceivedbehavioral control were good predictorsof physical and verbal aggression.

Research limitations/implications –Given the role ofsubjective norms in intention and also the roleof

intention and perceivedbehavioral control of people for aggression, it can be concludedthat emphasis

on social and psychological education about subjective norms, peer groups and self-control can help

reducethis problem.

Originality/value –A few studies have predicted behavior occurrence in the future. Given the lack of

focus on the role of constructs that may bring about future behaviors, the current research was

conducted to use the structures of the TPB to predict behavioral intention as well as perpetration of

physicaland verbal aggressive behaviors, independently.

Keywords Aggression, Teenage, TPB, Physical, Verbal

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Aggression refers to the behaviors perpetrated with the aim and intention of causing

physical or psychological harm to the other party(Colman, 2015). It has been introduced as

one of the serious problems in public health(Krug et al.,2002). Aggression is classified into

various types, including hostile aggression, instrumental aggression (Krahe

´,2013),

relational aggression and emotional aggression (Brehm and Kassin, 2005). However, it is

(Informationabout the

authorscan be found at the

end of this article.)

Received 11 December 2020

Revised 8 March 2021

Accepted 5 May 2021

This study was derived from a

thesis written by Keyvan

Alimoradi under the support of

the Research and Technology

Deputy of Bushehr University of

Medical Sciences. This project

is the development of previous

studies of the researcher and

yielded new results.

PAGE 276 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HEALTHCARE jVOL. 15 NO. 3 2022, pp. 276-287, ©EmeraldPublishing Limited, ISSN 2056-4902DOI 10.1108/IJHRH-12-2020-0110