Attitudes Supporting Violence and Aggressive Behavior Among Adolescents in Israel: The Role of Family and Peers

A secondary analysis of data obtained from a national representative sample of the adolescent population in Israel was conducted to explore the association between the quality of social relationships of adolescents and aggressive behavior. The quality of parent-adolescent relations and the quality of peer relations were not directly related to aggressive behavior. Adolescents who were close to their parents and their peers were less likely to report exposure to negative relations with other adolescents. Adolescents who reported being insulted held attitudes favoring the use of aggressive behavior, associated more with delinquent adolescents, and reported a high level of aggression toward others. Adolescents who did not share intimate communication with significant others tended to be more exposed to unpleasant behavior, to associate with delinquent peers, and to adopt aggressive attitudes and behaviors. The results suggest that experiencing negative relations during adolescence might be a risk factor predicting aggressive conduct.