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The development of a Peer Aggression Coping Self-Efficacy Scale for adolescents
1Psychology Department, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia. puneet.singh@psy.mq.edu.au
The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|December 10, 2009
Summary
This study introduces the Peer Aggression Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, a reliable tool for measuring children's confidence in handling peer aggression. Higher scores correlate with better psychological adjustment, indicating its utility in assessing coping strategies.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Peer aggression is a significant concern impacting children's well-being.
- Assessing children's self-efficacy in coping with peer aggression is crucial for intervention.
- Existing measures may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of coping self-efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a new scale measuring children's self-efficacy for coping with peer aggression.
- To examine the reliability and validity of the Peer Aggression Coping Self-Efficacy Scale.
- To explore the relationship between coping self-efficacy and psychological adjustment in children.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 2,161 participants aged 10-15 years.
- Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to establish scale structure.
- Internal consistencies and correlations with psychological adjustment variables were calculated to assess reliability and validity.
Main Results:
- Factor analyses supported four domains: proactive behavior, avoiding aggression, avoiding self-blame, and victim-role disengagement.
- Internal consistencies for the domains ranged from .87 to .90.
- Higher coping self-efficacy was linked to lower social anxiety, cognitive depression, and externalizing symptoms.
Conclusions:
- The Peer Aggression Coping Self-Efficacy Scale is a reliable and valid measure.
- The scale effectively assesses children's confidence in employing various strategies against peer aggression.
- Findings suggest that enhanced coping self-efficacy is associated with improved psychological adjustment in children.
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