Aggression/Victimization Scale

Abstract

The Aggression/Victimization Scale is a self-report measure designed to quantify the frequency of both aggressive behaviors displayed by the respondent and experiences of victimization received from peers. The scale utilizes a 12-item format, combining shorter versions of established Aggression and Victimization scales previously found in the same assessment compendium. Respondents are required to recall and report the number of times specific behaviors occurred within the preceding seven days, providing a temporal snapshot of recent engagement in, or exposure to, peer conflict.

This instrument is utilized primarily for screening and research in educational settings to assess involvement in behaviors related to bullying and violence among youth. It provides a comprehensive score reflecting the student’s overall level of aggression and victimization during the measured period.

Keywords

Aggression, Victimization, Bullying, Delinquency, Antisocial Behavior, Youth, School Conflict, Peer Conflict, Self-report, School Violence.

Authors

P. Orpinas, R. Frankowski

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Aggression/Victimization Scale is to provide researchers and practitioners with an efficient, quantitative tool for assessing the prevalence and frequency of aggressive and victimizing behaviors among youth populations, particularly in school environments. By focusing on a short recall period (seven days), the scale aims to capture recent behavioral patterns, making it highly useful for evaluating the immediate impact of prevention or intervention programs targeting peer conflict.

It is specifically structured to combine two critical dimensions—the perpetration of aggression and the experience of victimization—into a single, concise instrument. This dual focus allows for a nuanced assessment of an individual’s involvement in peer conflict dynamics, including identifying students who may occupy the “bully-victim” role.

Construct

The scale measures the overarching construct of involvement in peer conflict, which is operationalized through two distinct and equally weighted sub-constructs: Aggression (A1) and Victimization (O1). The Aggression sub-scale captures proactive and reactive behaviors directed toward peers, such as physical harm, verbal abuse, and social exclusion.

Conversely, the Victimization sub-scale captures experiences of being targeted by peers through similar behaviors (e.g., being hit, teased, or socially excluded). The instrument assesses both overt forms of aggression (physical and verbal) and relational forms of aggression (social exclusion and rumor spreading), providing a broad measure of violent and antisocial behavior within the school context.

Validity

While the provided summary does not detail specific psychometric validity coefficients for this combined, shortened scale, the instrument is derived from longer, established measures of youth aggression and victimization. The original research supporting the core Aggression Scale (Orpinas & Frankowski, 2001) established its content and construct validity for young adolescents, ensuring that the items accurately reflect common aggressive behaviors.

The clear thematic grouping of the 12 items into two distinct categories (Aggression and Victimization) suggests strong face validity. The scale’s utility as a measure of Delinquency and Antisocial Behavior is supported by its inclusion in authoritative compendiums of violence-related assessment tools published by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Reliability

Specific internal consistency estimates, such as Cronbach’s Alpha, are not provided in the source material for the Aggression/Victimization Scale. However, the instrument’s reliance on previously validated scales suggests foundational reliability. Its design, which mandates reporting behavior frequency over a fixed, short timeframe (seven days), enhances the reliability of the data collected by minimizing the potential for recall bias often associated with scales requiring retrospective reports over longer periods.

Factor Analysis

The scale is structurally composed of two primary dimensions: Aggression (perpetration) and Victimization (experience). This inherent division strongly implies a two-factor structure, which would typically be confirmed through factor analysis. Researchers generally analyze the scores from the Aggression and Victimization items separately, or as a combined total, depending on the research objective, thereby supporting the conceptual independence of these two behavioral factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure; Behavioral frequency inventory.

Format: 12 items utilizing a frequency response scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6+ times).

Language Available: English (Inferred).

Population Group: Youth and Adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized for students in grades 4 and 5, but noted as easily adaptable for older youth populations.

Population Details: Suitable for school-based populations where peer conflict, aggression, and victimization are relevant concerns. The scale is designed to quantify recent behavioral instances.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the frequency of specific behaviors during the preceding seven days. Point values for all items are added, resulting in an intended total score range between 0 and 72 points. Each point represents one reported instance of either victimization or aggression. If four or more items are missing, the score cannot be computed. If three or fewer items are missing, these values are replaced by the respondent’s average score. Higher scores indicate higher levels of involvement in aggressive and victimizing behaviors.

Keywords

Aggression, Victimization, Psychometrics, Delinquency, Antisocial Behavior, Peer Conflict, School Violence, Youth, Bullying.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Aggression/Victimization Scale is documented in the publication “Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools,” compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The original research for the core Aggression Scale was published by Orpinas and Frankowski in 2001. Specific details regarding permissions or usage fees for this abbreviated, combined version are generally governed by the standard terms for instruments included in publicly available research compendiums, suggesting broad accessibility for academic and non-commercial research.

References

Orpinas, P., & Frankowski, R. (2001). The aggression scale: a self-report measure of aggressive behavior for young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 21(1):51-68.

The instrument can be found on pages 171-172 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf.

An additional resource link (PDF) is available here: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED486261.pdf.

Items of the Aggression/Victimization Scale

Victimization

1. How many times did a kid from your school tease you?
2. How many times did a kid from your school push‚ shove‚ or hit you?
3. How many times did a kid from your school call you a bad name?
4. How many times did kids from your school say that they were going to hit you?
5. How many times did other kids leave you out on purpose?
6. How many times did a student make up something about you to make other kids not like you anymore?

Aggression

7. How many times did you tease a kid from your school?
8. How many times did you push‚ shove‚ or hit a kid from you school?
9. How many times did you call a kid from your school a bad name?
10. How many times did you say that you would hit a kid from your school?
11. How many times did you leave out another kid on purpose?
12. How many times did you make up something about other students to make other kids not like them anymore?