Teacher Reports of Peer Aggression in Preschool: its Relationship to DSM-IV Externalizing Symptoms

Abstract

Objective: to establish the prevalence and associations of peer aggression as manifested in preschool children, in community-based populations and to study links with DSM-IV externalizing diagnoses. Method: Subjects were 1,104 children, 3-to-5-year-olds attending rural and urban pre-schools classes. Teachers completed the Peer Conflict Scale (PCS) to inform about direct physical and verbal aggression, object aggression and symbolic aggression and the questionnaire on psychopathology ECI-4. Results: 6.6% (n = 73) had at least one positive item on the PCS. This percentage dropped to 2.6% (n = 29) if we take into account a minimum of three positive items. Physical direct aggression was the more prevalent type of aggressive behavior, followed by verbal aggression, object aggression and symbolic aggression. Significant differences by gender and age were found. Peer aggression was associated with male gender from three years of age. Physical, object and verbal aggressive behavior was linked with externalizing disorders. This association was very strong with oppositional disorder. Conclusions: The present research with a Spanish population confirms the existence of peer aggression in preschoolers and the gender differences. Our chief contribution is about the age of emergence of sex differences and gender differences in different types of peer aggression. Keywords: preschool peer aggression, preschool externalizing disorders, peer conflict scale (PCS)Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de agresión preescolar hacia iguales en la comunidad y su correlación con categorías externalizantes del DSM-IV. Método: La muestra fue de 1104 niños de 3 a 6 años, procedentes de aulas preescolares urbanas y rurales. Se aplicó a los maestros la Peer Conflict Scale (PCS), para recabar información de agresiones físicas directas, verbales, con objetos y simbólicas, y el cuestionario de psicopatología ECI-IV. Resultados: Un 6.6% (n = 73) puntuó positivamente por lo menos en un item de la PCS. Este porcentaje decreció hasta un 2.6 % (n = 29) con una definición de caso más exigente (mínimo tres ítems positivos). La agresión física directa fue la forma más frecuente de agresión seguida de agresión verbal y agresión con objetos. Hubo diferencias significativas según edad y sexo. La agresión dirigida a iguales se asocia al sexo masculino desde los 3 años. La agresión física directa, con objetos y verbal correlaciona con trastornos externalizantes, principalmente con trastornos oposicionistas. Conclusiones: Esta investigación en población española confirma la existencia de agresividad hacia iguales en preescolares así como diferencias según sexo. Nuestra principal aportación es haber encontrado diferencias de sexo en el inicio y en los tipos de agresividad hacia iguales. Palabras clave: agresión preescolar hacia iguales, trastornos preescolares externalizantes, PCS

Influence of Age and Gender in Acquiring Social Skills in Portuguese Preschool Education

“…This pattern of social behavior will trigger a reaction from others according to the perceived default, whether positive or negative. Study Domènech-Llaberia (2008) found that physical aggression is the most common, followed by verbal aggression and that aggression among peers is associated with three-year old male children.…”

Bullying in preschool children

“…The most prevalent forms of bullying in preschool children are verbal and physical aggressiveness, social exclusion and rumor spreading (Vlachou, 2011;Vlachou et al, 2011). The physical form is more frequent in younger ages (Domènech-Llaberia et al, 2008;Perren, 2000), since the verbal form requires more developed social, cognitive and linguistic skills, which are observed at older ages (Perren, 2000). This explains the reason why verbal aggressiveness is considered to be more sophisticated (Vlachou et al, 2011).…”

Views of Teachers, Parents, and Counselors toward the Preschool Version of First Step to Success Early Intervention Program (FSS-PSV) in Preventing Antisocial Behaviors

“…Classifications that were made in literature were taken into account in this study, and a classification was made based on this framework. Based on studies conducted by Hamlett (2007), Tremblay (2012), and Domenech-Llaberia et al (2008) offensive behaviors were classified as physical attack and verbal attack. Behaviors such as hitting, pushing, choking peers, damaging goods by beating or breaking, bursting with anger and shouting, overreaction and screaming, fighting with peers, and biting were coded under the physical attack theme.…”