Abstract
Use of violent video games during school years, quality of
social relations and problems of aggressive behaviour. Videogames
are amongst Italian children’s favourite recreational
activities and are regularly used by over 70% of
children, preadolescents and adolescents aged 6 to 17
years old. The videogames available on the market are
often characterised by violent content, and these are
frequently children and young people’s favourites. The
international literature has highlighted how the use of
video games with violent content puts young people
at risk of developing problems of aggressive behaviour.
The research aims are to replicate in the Italian context
the results mentioned in the international literature and
to verify whether exposure to violent video games is
linked to problems of aggressive behaviour. Four questionnaires
(CBCL – Child Behavior Checklist; TRI –
Test delle Relazioni Interpersonali; AFV – Aggressività
Fisica e Verbale; CCSC – Children’s Coping Strategies
Checklist) were administered to 574 children between
7 and 15 years of age (M = 11.86; SD = 1.11), attending
primary or middle schools in the Province of Milan and
Varese. Questionnaires measured the following variables:
problems of internalisation and externalisation (CBCL),
quality of interpersonal relationships (TRI), problems
of physical and verbal aggression (AFV), and quality of
coping strategies (CCSC). Results show that children
and adolescents who prefer violent games show higher
scores of externalisation, physical and verbal aggressiveness.
Regression analyses show that the use of violent
video games is a positive predictor of aggressive behaviour,
while the overall quality of interpersonal relations
is a negative predictor of aggressive behaviour.
Lingua originale | Inglese |
---|---|
pagine (da-a) | 16-31 |
Numero di pagine | 16 |
Rivista | GIORNALE DI PSICOLOGIA DELLO SVILUPPO |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2012 |
Keywords
- Aggressive behavior
- Videogames