Why do Middle Schoolers with More Positive Outlook Act More Aggressively? (2023)

Undergraduates: Amy Xu, Alyssa Choate, Jasmine Guy, Chris Madden, Nathalia Freitas

Faculty Advisor: Desirae Griffin
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Exposure to violence in schools often negatively impacts students’ mental and physical health. Past research has found that violence exposure predicts increased rates of aggression. Violence exposure also predicts lower levels of positive outlook for the future. To our knowledge, no research has investigated whether positive outlook weakens the relationship between violence exposure and aggression. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between victimization, aggression, and positive outlook in American middle schoolers. We aim to test whether self-reported rates of victimization are associated with levels of aggressive behavior and whether this relationship varies depending on the level of positive outlook in the students. We find that exposure to violence positive predicts aggression and that adolescents with lower levesl of positive outlook are more likely to display aggression. Contrary to expectations, we find that positive outlook does not weaken the relationship between violence exposure and aggression. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

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