Positivity Ratio Links Self-control Skills to Physical Aggression and Happiness in Young Palestinians Living in Gaza

Abstract

The study examined a potential underlying mechanism through which self-control skills (SCSs) may predict more happiness on the one hand and less hostility, anger and peer aggression on the other hand in an understudied sample of 744 Palestinian youngsters (Grades 8-12) from the Gaza Strip, a military conflict area. The hypothesized model was confirmed: self-reported SCS linked with happiness through positivity ratio as a mediator; SCS linked with physical aggression through the association of positivity ratio with hostility, and anger; and anger mediated the link between hostility and physical aggression. Additional analyses showed that girls scored higher than boys in SCS and boys scored higher than girls on positivity ratio, happiness, hostility, anger, and physical aggression. The study highlights the importance of imparting SCS to increase positivity ratio, so that, despite exposure to extreme adversity, youngsters in Gaza and elsewhere may experience not only less aggression but also more happiness.

Meaning in Life, Self-Control, Positive and Negative Affect: Exploring Gender Differences Among Adolescents

“…With respect to SC skills, we expected female adolescents to report on higher SC skills in comparison with male adolescents (Hypothesis 2). The findings corroborate previous studies (e.g., Brody & Hall, 2010; Nolen-Hoeksema, 2012; Orkibi & Ronen, 2017; Ronen et al, 2013; Rosenbaum, Ronen, Abuelaish, Orkibi, & Hamama, 2018) that report higher SC skill scores in females versus males. A plausible explanation might be related to the developmental changes occurring in adolescence in terms of brain development, endocrinology, emotions, cognition, behavior, and interpersonal relationships (Goldbeck, Schmitz, Nesier, Herschbach, & Henrich, 2007; Žukauskienė, 2014).…”

Self‐control and problem‐solving skills of undergraduate nursing program students, and an analysis of influential factors

“…The female students' self‐control and problem‐solving skills were found to be significantly higher than those of the male students. Concurring with the findings of the present study, recent studies in the literature have reported self‐control and problem‐solving skills to be significantly higher in women than in men 3,8,18,24,25 . In Yakut's 6 study of self‐control among university students, although the self‐control scores of female students were higher than those of their male counterparts, the difference was not found to be statistically significant.…”

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Validation of employees' self-leadership using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis

“…If problems, obstacles or situations of self-conflict are encouraged, Bandura's self-control theory believes that a suitable behaviour or ability will be selected to reach the expected goals. Later, Rosenbaum (1980) and Rosenbaum et al (2018) modified and further expanded the characteristics of individual self-regulation as follows.…”