Peer violence in adolescence: A study with students in the beginning in the end or the 3rd cicle of basic education

Abstract

This study aims at characterizing behaviours of peer violence, according to school level, gender and socio affective variables. Participants include a sample of 80 students attending the 3^rd level of elementary education (grades 7 – 9), which were evaluated with QEVE, in two distinct moments: 7^th and 9^th grades. The results show that: i) the most frequent conducts of victimization and aggression are social exclusion and verbal aggression; ii) the victimization rates decrease from 7th to 9th grade although the aggression rates remain stable; iii) boys find themselves more involved in physical bullying situations than girls; vi) the felling towards school (i.e., school liking) and the perception of having friends are revealed has important protective aspects in victimization and aggression conducts. These results are suggestive of a differential educational intervention, oriented to socioemotional literacy, highlighting the role of peers in prevention of school violence.