Identifying Social-Cognitive Factors Influencing Aggression in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Indian Study

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period during which the likelihood of experiencing self-regulation failures like aggressive outbursts is increased. Recent Indian studies on adolescents have reported an increasing incidence of aggressive acts during this time of transition, which is a threat to the adolescent, the victim and society in general. This study focuses on the social-cognitive perspective, implying that aggression is a social behaviour that is largely affected by one’s beliefs about the acceptability of aggression and the degree of cognitive and effortful control they have over their emotions. Such beliefs are likely to be influenced by emotion socialisation, wherein parents and peers act as key agents. With this perspective, the current study, through a mediational model, explains the social-cognitive factors predicting aggressive behaviour in adolescents. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out on a sample of 475 adolescent students from the Delhi-NCR region recruited through purposive sampling. The data were collected through self-report questionnaires from schools and colleges. The model was tested using SPSS AMOS and was found to be a good fit for the data. The findings of this study are crucial from a risk and intervention perspective. It emphasises the need to build socially and emotionally competent students who not only have the skills needed to succeed but also nurture healthy social relationships and maintain positive mental health through adaptive emotion regulation skills.