Citation

Nikel. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 2020; 110: e104746.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104746

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explain submissiveness, aggressiveness, and assertiveness in terms of self-efficacy and the Big Five personality traits. Participants were 398 primary-school children (49.5% girls) aged 8-11 years. Measures of submissiveness, aggressiveness, assertiveness, self-efficacy, and the Big Five personality traits were obtained from children self-reports. The results revealed statistically significant differences between submissive, assertive, and aggressive children on the Big Five personality traits and self-efficacy. Aggressive behaviours were predicted by agreeableness and self-efficacy in self-control. In addition, self-efficacy in self-control was negatively related to aggressiveness only when agreeableness was low; this relationship was insignificant in children with high agreeableness. The results also revealed some significant differences between submissive, assertive, and aggressive behaviour in school-age children; that is, on agreeableness and self-efficacy in self-control, assertive children and aggressive children sat at opposite ends of the continuum, while submissive children were situated in the middle.

Language: en

Keywords

Aggressiveness; Assertiveness; Personality traits; Self-efficacy; Submissiveness