Abstract

LOPEZ, Verónica  and  ORPINAS, Pamela. The aggression and victimization scales: validation and prevalence in chilean students. rev.latinoam.psicol. [online]. 2012, vol.44, n.2, pp.109-124. ISSN 0120-0534.

Peer victimization is a recurring phenomenon in education research. However, there are not enough validated instruments for Latin American population. The results of the adaptation and validation of the Aggression and Victimization Scales are showed in this research, its prevalence and characteristics in a sample of 1004 Chilean students enrolled in sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade. The results suggest that the scales, in their Spanish version, have adequate psychometric properties. The prevalence of peer aggression and victimization in Chilean students was a mean of 9.7 for aggression behaviors and 7.9 for victimization behaviors reported during the week prior to the study. Males reported participating in more aggressive behaviors and also receiving more victimization. Victimization decreases in eighth grade. Although no differences were found on self-reported peer aggression in students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, students from medium-low and low SES perceive greater victimization. These results are discussed in light of the need to incorporate research on peer victimization within a broader framework which includes the social dimensions of school violence.

Keywords : victimization; bullying; peer relations; psychometrics.

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