Aggression and related stressful life events among Chinese adolescents living in rural areas: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Aggression is a serious problem for both individuals and society. Despite progress in aggression research, its persistence among adolescents living in rural areas remains to be investigated. We evaluate the prevalence of aggression and the association between stressful life events and aggression in a nationwide, school-based sample of adolescents living in rural areas of China.

Methods: A sample of 13,495 Chinese rural students (7065 boys and 6430 girls; 11-20 years old) was selected from 15 representative rural areas from 5 provinces in China using stratified randomized cluster sampling. Aggression, stressful life events, neglect, emotional management, social support, and demographic characteristics were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to estimate the association of stressful life events and aggression after controlling for confounds.

Results: The prevalence of aggressive behavior among Chinese adolescents living in rural areas was 24.3%. Regression analyses indicated that the odds of aggression were negatively influenced by chronic long-term stressors related to interpersonal problems (OR=2.03, 95% CI [1.75-2.36]), health adaptation difficulties (OR=1.21, 95% CI [1.09-1.34]), and other troubles (OR=1.93, 95% CI [1.74-2.14]), even after adjustment for parental neglect, emotional management, social support, and other relevant factors.

Limitations: This study was cross-sectional; thus, it is necessary to validate the causal relationship between stressful life events and aggression via follow-up studies.

Conclusions: Aggression was prevalent among Chinese adolescents living in rural areas, and interpersonal problems, health adaption difficulties, and other troubles were considered potential independent risk factors for aggression.

Keywords: Adolescents; Aggression; Mental health; Rural communities; Stressful life events.