A Psychopathology and Socio-Psychiatric Study of Delinquent Adolescents doing School Violence

Park, Ji Do; Choi, Hyun Kyung; Jang, Woo Sung; Cho, Dong Hwan; Kim, Jeong Gee

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of school violence, self concept, psychopathology and psychosocial characteristics of male aldolescent delinquency doing school violence. And we hoped to use this result as basic material for prevention of school violence through comparison of those of students group. METHOD: We surveyed 725 male adolescents including 331 deliquents from educational program called "Big Brothers and Sisters" in Pusan. We used self-reporting questionnaire composed of demographic data and attitude to violence. In order to investigate the psychopathology and self-concept, we used Child Behavior Check List, Youth edit, Korean version(CBCL) and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Statistical methods employed were Chi-square, t-test, two-way ANOVA. RESULT: The results show that in most demographic and psychosocial factor including age, education, socio-economic condition, religion and relationship with friends, there was no significant difference between delinquent and student group. And there was no significant difference between bully and non-bully in both group. The frequency of alcohol drinking and smoking were higher in bullying groups. For the feeling of watching violent mass-media, bullying delinquents reported more excited state than non-bullying delinquents in both group. On results of CBCL, subscales of delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior, externalizing problem, social scale in delinquent group were higher than those in student group. Subscale of somatic complaints, thought problem, attention problem, delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior, internalizing problem, and externalizing problem in bullying group were higher than those in nonbullying group. In both delinquent and student group, subscale of delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior, and externalizing problem in bullying group were significantly higher than those in nonbully group. In the results of self-concept scale, subscales of behavior, intellectual and school status in delinquent group were lower than those in student group. Subscale of somatic complaints, thought problem, attention problem, delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior, internalizing problem, and externalizing problem in bullying group were higher than those in nonbully group.
CONCLUSION
In both delinquent and student groups, most psychosocial factors in bully group were not significantly different with those in nonbully group. Bully group was more influenced by internal psychic state, psychopathology and environmental factor than nonbully group.