Prevalence of violence by teachers and its association to students' emotional and behavioral problems and school performance: Findings from secondary school students and teachers in Turkey

Intergenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment and offspring behavioral adjustment problems and competence

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have consistently highlighted that exposure to childhood maltreatment adversely affects the developmental domains of subsequent generations. Little, however, is known about the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment history and adolescent development, as well as the mediator role of offspring childhood maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE

The current study attempts to investigate the mediating role of offspring childhood maltreatment in the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment history and offspring behavioral adjustment problems and competence.

METHODS

Participants were 1102 adolescents aged 10-15 years (Mage = 12.14, SD = 1.22) and their mothers (Mage = 39.40, SD = 5.31). Participating adolescents filled out self-report instruments assessing their childhood maltreatment by their mothers, self-esteem, academic performance, loneliness, and prosocial and aggressive behaviors between October 2018 and May 2019. In addition, we collected data from mothers on their childhood maltreatment history.

RESULTS

We analyzed the data through a structural equation model. The findings revealed insignificant direct effects of maternal childhood maltreatment history on offspring behavioral adjustment problems and competence. Yet, indirect effects demonstrated that offspring maltreatment by mothers mediated the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment history and offspring behavioral adjustment problems and competence. Maternal childhood maltreatment history was significantly associated with offspring maltreatment (β = 0.30; p < .001), which in turn was linked to a higher level of behavioral adjustment problems (β = 0.40; p < .001) and a lower level of competence (β = -0.71; p < .001).

CONCLUSION

The research findings extend our understanding of the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment history and offspring behavioral adjustment problems and competence, identifying the mediating role of offspring maltreatment.

Association between adverse childhood experiences and sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems and academic achievement of children and adolescents

The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on adult health has been extensively examined, but the association between ACEs and sleep, emotion, behavior and academic outcomes of children and adolescents is not well known. A total of 6363 primary and middle school students were included to examine the effect of ACEs on sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems and academic achievement and further explore the mediation role of sleep quality and emotional and behavioral problems. Children and adolescents with ACE exposure had 1.37 times risk of poor sleep quality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-1.55), 1.91 times risk of emotional and behavioral problems (adjusted OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.69-2.15) and 1.21 times risk of self-reported lower academic achievement (adjusted OR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.08-1.36). Most types of ACEs were significantly associated with poor sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems and lower academic achievement. There were dose-response relationships between cumulative ACE exposure and risk of poor sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems, and lower academic achievement. Sleep quality and emotional and behavioral performance mediated 45.9% of the effect of ACEs exposure on math scores and 15.2% of the effect of ACEs exposure on English scores. Early detection and prevention of ACEs among children and adolescents are urgent and essential, and targeted interventions for sleep and emotional and behavioral performance as well as early educational interventions are recommended for children with ACEs exposure.

Research on the impact of the socio-educational environment on the academic performance of college students: the mediating role of study motivation

Background

Enhancing the academic performance (AP) of college students can contribute to the overall scientific literacy among this population, thereby fostering societal progress.

Objective

The study investigates the correlation between college students' AP and the socio-educational environment (SEE, including family, roommates, and teachers), study motivation (SM, including self-efficacy and study behaviors). Based on the research findings, recommendations are offered to students, educators, and school administrators.

Settings

Utilizing a stratified sampling approach, data was collected by selecting a sample of 330 first-year computer science students from a specific local university in Hebei Province, China.

Methods

Data will be collected through a hierarchical sampling method. Using correlation analysis, difference analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) as data analysis methods. The data passed reliability and validity analysis (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.88, KMO = 0.88, χ2/df = 1.49RMSEA = 0.04).

Results

The independent sample T-test results showed that female students had higher academic performance than male students (p < 0.001), and there was no significant difference in academic performance between students from single parent or orphan families and students from normal families (p = 0.14), from non urban areas and from urban areas (p = 0.67). The results of the mediating effect analysis indicate that SM exerts complete mediation in the association between SEE and AP, with a mediating effect value of 0.18.

Conclusion

The educational disparity between urban and rural areas in China is gradually narrowing. Support policies for students from impoverished families in higher education institutions are showing initial effectiveness. The conducive learning environment and educational atmosphere for students can indirectly influence their psychological state, thus impacting their academic performance during their university years.

Problem-Focused Coping and Teacher Emotional Violence: A Serial Mediation Analysis

Although school violence is a serious problem, teacher emotional violence that has short- and long-term detrimental effects on children's development is often overlooked. Considering the potential negative effects, it is important to determine teacher characteristics associated with teacher emotional violence, especially in societies where the prevalence rate of emotional violence is high. The current study investigated the role of teacher stress and burnout and favorable attitudes toward emotional violence in the association between problem-focused coping and teacher emotional violence. Between February and June 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 16 randomly selected secondary schools in İzmir, Turkey. In total, 205 secondary school teachers (64.4% females, Mage = 37.20 years) participated in this study. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed their use of emotional violence, favorable attitudes toward emotional violence, stress and burnout, and problem-focused coping. A serial mediation model was conducted. The model indicated that problem-focused coping was not directly associated with teacher emotional violence. Examination of indirect pathways suggested that favorable attitudes toward emotional violence did not mediate this relationship; however, stress and burnout mediated the link between problem-focused coping and emotional violence. In addition, there was a significant indirect effect from problem-focused coping to emotional violence through stress and burnout and favorable attitudes toward emotional violence. The findings indicate a potential role of teacher characteristics in preventing teacher emotional violence.

A Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Correlates of Emotional Violence by Teachers

There is increasing evidence for the deleterious impact of emotional violence on children`s well-being and development. This systematic review focused on a) the prevalence and (b) correlates of emotional violence by teachers. A literature search of quantitative and peer-reviewed studies published in English between 1980 and April 2021 was conducted. Eighty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies represented all geographical regions of the world, were predominantly cross-sectional and of moderate quality. Studies were heterogeneous in terms of their samples, conceptualization, and measurement of emotional violence. Results indicated that emotional violence by teachers is prevalent across cultural settings, although large variations within and between regions are noted. It is related to mental health, behavioral and academic problems of children above and beyond physical violence by teachers and victimization by peers and parents. Boys are at higher risk of experiencing emotional violence by teachers than girls. Family dysfunction, low socioeconomic status (of the family or the community), and violent school environments appear to increase risk as well. The observed patterns of co-occurrence of emotional violence with physical violence by teachers and victimization by peers as well as perpetration of violence against peers and teachers lend support to notions of poly-victimization and cycles of violence in the school settings. Future research should use representative surveys, examine antecedents, and consequences of emotional violence by teachers using longitudinal and experimental designs and evaluate interventions to prevent emotional violence by teachers.

Risk Factors in Depression and Anxiety Disorders from the Framework of Developmental Psychopathology

Depression and anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders that negatively affect individuals’ life in many ways. Understanding how these highly comorbid emotional disorders develop and persist might guide prevention, intervention, and treatment studies. Some common vulnerability factors underlie depression and anxiety disorders. Developmental psychopathology deals with these vulnerabilities and risk factors from a lifetime perspective. The aim of this review is to present the risk factors associated with depression and anxiety from the perspective of developmental psychopathology. For this purpose, we discussed genetic and biological factors, temperament, negative childhood experiences, family and peer relationships, and some cognitive and emotional factors as risk factors. Also, we discussed how these risk factors lead to depression and anxiety disorders. This review emphasizes that some common transdiagnostic risk factors underlie emotional disorders and highlights the importance of a developmental psychopathology perspective to understand the developmental pathways of depression and anxiety disorders.

The relationship between basic psychological needs and emotional and behavioral problems in middle school students

BACKGROUND

Basic psychological needs are universal sources of mental growth and development.

PURPOSE

This study investigated the relationship between basic psychological needs and emotional and behavioral problems in middle school students.

METHODOLOGY

This study adopted a cross-sectional and correlational research design. The sample consisted of 1099 students from three middle schools with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Data were collected using a sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS). The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

A one-unit increase in autonomy, competence, and relatedness led to a 0.312, 0.263, and 0.312 decrease in emotional and behavioral problems, respectively (p < 0.05). The regression analysis showed that gender (female), academic performance (poor), mother's parenting style (authoritarian), and father's parenting style (permissive) were the risk factors affecting participants' emotional and behavioral problems (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that some basic psychological needs and sociodemographic characteristics make middle school students more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems. Authorities should develop interventions on basic psychological needs to promote emotional and behavioral development. Researchers should assess the effectiveness of those interventions.

Externalizing problems mediate the relation between teacher and peer violence and lower school performance

BACKGROUND

The association between children's exposure to family violence and poor academic outcomes is well-established. Less is known about how exposure to violence in the school context, i.e., by teachers and by peers, affects academic functioning. Moreover, the role of children's mental health problems in this link has hardly been examined.

OBJECTIVES

We examined direct and indirect associations between children's experiences of violence by teachers and peers and children's mental health and school functioning while controlling for children's experiences of parental violence.

PARTICIPANTS

Using a multistage random sampling approach, we obtained a representative sample of 914 students (50.5 % girls, M_age = 12.58 years) from 12 primary schools in Tanzania.

METHODS

In structured interviews, students' experiences of violence and mental health problems were assessed. Students' academic performance and absenteeism were documented using school records. Associations were examined using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Experiences of more teacher and peer violence were each significantly associated with higher externalizing problems (teachers: β = 0.27 [95 %-CI: 0.12, 0.47]; peers: β = 0.17, [95 %-CI: 0.07, 0.32]). Higher externalizing problems were significantly associated with poorer academic performance (β = -0.13, [95 %-CI: -0.23, -0.02]), implying significant indirect associations between students' experiences of teacher violence (β = -0.04, [95 %-CI: -0.08, -0.01]) and peer violence (β = -0.02, [95 %-CI: -0.05, -0.01]) and their academic performance via externalizing problems.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to violence at school may impair children's academic performance indirectly by increasing attention and behaviour problems. Further investigations in longitudinal studies and implementation of interventions to reduce violence in schools are indicated.

Exposure to Recurring Community Violence Scale: A validity and reliability study in Turkey

Recent years have witnessed a substantial increase in the interest in violence occurring at home or school, as well as in neighborhoods. Yet, there is no standardized instrument to measure community violence in Turkey. Thus, the present study aimed to adapt the Exposure to Recurring Community Violence Scale into Turkish and explore its psychometric properties. The sample consisted of 210 participants (57% were females) between 18 and 64 years (Mage = 38.33, SD = 10.67). For criterion-related validity, we evaluated the participants' scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Traumatic Life Events Form, the Relationship Quality Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. We performed all statistical analyses using the FACTOR and SPSS v.20 programs. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 2-factor structure for the scale (victimization and witnessing), explaining 52% of the total variance. As expected, the witnessing and victimization scores were correlated with the subscales of the BSI, the number of traumatic life events, and the subscales of The Relationship Quality Scale. For reliability concerns, we calculated Cronbach's α coefficients to be 0.79 for the victimization and 0.90 for the witnessing. Besides, the findings revealed acceptable psychometric properties for the Turkish version of the Exposure to Recurring Community Violence Scale. Thereby, we concluded that the scale can be used as a reliable and valid measure in the Turkish context. Overall, the scale will likely allow further research to scrutinize the risk factors and consequences of community violence.

Preventing Violence by Teachers in Primary Schools: Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Haiti

Context

Although teacher violence at schools is a serious problem in Haiti, there is a lack of systematic evidence on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in reducing teacher violence in this low-income country.

Objective

To test the effectiveness of the preventative intervention Interaction Competencies with Children for Teachers (ICC-T) aiming to reduce teachers' use of violent disciplinary strategies and to improve their interaction competences with children in the Haitian context.

Design, Setting, Participants

The study is designed as a two-arm matched cluster randomized controlled trial. The sample consists of 468 teachers and 1,008 children from 36 (community and public) primary schools around Cap-Haïtien (Département du Nord) in Haiti. Data will be collected in three phases, before the intervention, and 6 and 18 months after.

Intervention

In the group of intervention schools, ICC-T will be delivered as a 5-day training workshop. Workshop sessions are divided into five modules: 1) improving teacher-student interactions, 2) maltreatment prevention, 3) effective discipline strategies, 4) identifying and supporting burdened students, and 5) implementation in everyday school life.

Main Outcome Measure

The main outcome measure is teacher violence assessed in two ways: (i) teachers' self-reported use of violence, and (ii) children's self-reported experiences of violence by teachers.

Conclusions

Prior evaluations of ICC-T had been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa with promising results. This study will test for the first time the effectiveness of this intervention outside the context of sub-Saharan Africa.

Reducing physical and emotional violence by teachers using the intervention Interaction Competencies with Children - for Teachers (ICC-T): study protocol of a multi-country cluster randomized controlled trial in Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda

Background

Violence has severe and long-lasting negative consequences for children’s and adolescents’ well-being and psychosocial functioning, thereby also hampering communities’ and societies’ economic growth. Positive attitudes towards violence and the lack of access to alternative non-violent strategies are likely to contribute to the high levels of teachers’ ongoing use of violence against children in sub-Saharan African countries. Notwithstanding, there are currently very few school-level interventions to reduce violence by teachers that a) have been scientifically evaluated and b) that focus both on changing attitudes towards violence and on equipping teachers with non-violent discipline strategies. Thus, the present study tests the effectiveness of the preventative intervention Interaction Competencies with Children – for Teachers (ICC-T) in primary and secondary schools in Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana.

Methods

The study is a multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial with schools (clusters) as level of randomization and three data assessment points: baseline assessment prior to the intervention, the first follow-up assessment 6 months after the intervention and the second follow-up assessment 18 months after the intervention. Multi-stage random sampling will be applied to select a total number of 72 schools (24 per country). Schools will be randomly allocated to the intervention and the control condition after baseline. At each school, 40 students (stratified by gender) in the third year of primary school or in the first year of secondary/junior high school and all teachers (expected average number: 20) will be recruited. Thus, the final sample will comprise 2880 students and at least 1440 teachers. Data will be collected using structured clinical interviews. Primary outcome measures are student- and teacher-reported physical and emotional violence by teachers in the past week. Secondary outcome measures include children’s emotional and behavioral problems, quality of life, cognitive functioning, academic performance, school attendance and social competence. Data will be analyzed using multilevel analyses.

Discussion

This study aims to provide further evidence for the effectiveness of ICC-T to reduce teacher violence and to improve children’s functioning (i.e., mental health, well-being, academic performance) across educational settings, societies and cultures.

Trial registration

The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.org under the ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04948580 on July 2, 2021.