This study aims to find causal factors of aggression in a group of Latino adolescents to achieve a greater understanding of human nature, taking into account personal and contextual variables. The fundamental hypothesis is that moral disengagement, personality traits, self-esteem, values, parenting, sex, and socioeconomic situation can function as possible casual factors of aggression in adolescents. The study examined the variables using the structural equations model (SEM) to determine causal factors of aggression in a sample of 827 adolescents (54% men and 46% women) between 11 and 16 years of age. According to the scientific literature review, sociodemographic, personal, and familiar variables were included in the causal model. The influence of the variables occurred in two ways: one that inhibits aggression and the other that reinforces it. The results are discussed based on identifying protective and risk factors against aggression: biological sex and values of conformity and transcendence as aggression’s inhibitors and, on the other hand, openness, moral disengagement, and leadership values as the most important predictors of aggression.
Introduction. The most widely accepted theoretical and measurement model in personality study is the Big Five Personality Test, designed to measure five traits: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. One of the most commonly used instruments for evaluating personality in children and adolescents is the BFQ-C. However, its applicability may be limited by its length. The short version of the test has shown stability across different cultures but there is no empirical evidence on its psychometric properties to enable it to be used in the Latin American context. Objective. This study seeks to validate the short version of the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C) in the Colombian population. Method. The questionnaire was administered to 844 adolescents (55% boys and 45% girls) aged between 11 and 16 (M = 13.55 and SD = 2.30). Seven possible models were obtained from a series of exploratory and confirmatory analyses to explain the factorial structure of the test, which were compared with each other to find the model with the best statistical fit. Results. The model with the best absolute fit coincided with the five-factor proposal of the scale, for which empirical evidence is provided for the universality of the Big Five model. The factors showed adequate levels of reliability. Discussion and conclusion. The short version of the BFQ-C has good psychometric properties in adolescents and constitutes a useful instrument for measuring personality in the Latin American context.
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