The thesis investigates the relation between interparental verbal aggression, parent-daughter verbal aggression, and verbal aggression in female Hispanic college student’s dating relationships (N= 599). This study builds on previous work that has been conducted to provide evidence of the influence of parental verbal conflict strategies on college women’s own experiences with and use of verbal aggression (Black, Sussman, & Unger, 2010; Luthra & Gidycz, 2006; Martin, 1990; Palazzolo, Roberto, & Babin, 2010; Riggs & O’Leary, 1996). However, this is the first study that has specifically examined this phenomenon within a Hispanic population. Results showed that mothers’ high levels of verbal conflict with fathers were predictive of having high levels of verbal conflicts with their daughters. This in turn, predicted daughters’ use of verbal conflict with their intimate partner. Similarly, fathers’ high levels of verbal conflict with mothers were predictive of having high levels of verbal conflicts with their daughters. However, this was not found to be predictive of daughters’ use of verbal conflict with their intimate partner.

This study examines the effects of childhood verbal aggression on self-esteem and intimate relationships in adulthood. This study was based on the premises that an individual’s morals and behaviors are affected by one’s life experiences. A case study analysis approach was used to analyze data gathered from 151 participants in the South East region of the United States. The researcher found that the participants that showed lower levels of intimacy in relationships also have experienced threats, ridicule, or insults during childhood. The conclusions drawn from the findings suggest that an individual that experiences verbal aggression in childhood will affect their levels of intimacy in adulthood.

No description available.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Swearing is a subject largely ignored in academic circles but impossible to ignore in the health workplace. Despite its prevalence there has been little academic research into swearing, and certainly none on its impact on nursing staff. Nurses are, of all health workers, most likely to be targets of verbal aggression with up to 100% of nurses in mental health settings reporting verbal abuse. Nurses encounter swearing from patients and their carers, staff, and managers, and use swearwords in communication with each other, but there is no reference in the literature to the effects on nurses of exposure to swearing. This study set out to rectify that lack of research into swearing by answering three main questions: 1. What is the extent of swearing /verbal aggression in a health care setting? 2. What are the implications of swearing for a therapeutic encounter? 3. What is the impact of swearing on nurses? A mixed methods approach was employed. Phase one of the study explored the context of care, utilising the Overt Aggression Scale to describe the nature and extent of swearing and verbal aggression across a range of acute and long-term inpatient mental health settings. Data were derived from 9,623 reports spanning a 10-year period. The sample comprised 384 (72.1%) males and 148 (27.9%) females aged between 9.5 years and 93.3, mean age 45.6, SD=21.00 years. Most frequently reported over the 10-year period was verbal aggression; incidents involving females occurred mainly in connection with the more severe levels of verbal aggression. “Psychosis” was recorded as the main perceived cause of verbal aggression, in itself an insufficient explanation. A rising tendency to cite psychosis emerged as the level of aggression rose and, on average, 1.9 interventions were recorded for each aggressive incident. Phase two surveyed 107 nurses across three health care settings paediatrics, adult mental health, and child and adolescent mental health – by means of a questionnaire designed to elicit a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data, the Nursing Swearing Impact Questionnaire, which included three standardised instruments. The quantitative data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. High levels of swearing were reported, 29% of nurses being sworn at 1 to 5 times per week and 7% “continuously.” A similar incidence occurred within the nursing team, but being sworn at in anger by another staff member was rare and the major use was in jest or in conversation. The study failed to find significant differences between mental health and paediatric settings in the frequency of swearing but did find gender-based differences. High levels of distress caused by being subjected to swearing were evident, particularly when the aggressor was a relative or carer of a patient. Moreover, the respondents appeared to have only a limited range of interventions for use in dealing with the experience of being sworn at. However, what emerges strongly from the data is the extent to which swearing is culture- and context-bound, and the fact that nurses share many of the views and attitudes about swearing held by society at large. The culmination of the findings suggests that swearing is both widespread and underreported in a range of health contexts. The implications of swearing are poorly understood by nurses. These, and the magnitude of their distress in being subjected to it, render them ill-equipped to deal with the experience. The concomitant negative effects on empathy result in the nurses’ distancing themselves from the patient when confronted and implementing only a restricted range of interventions and detrimental effects on the quality of the therapeutic relationship will have negative effects on patient outcomes. Given the levels of swearing reported and its consequences on the therapeutic relationship, further research is warranted.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Swearing is a subject largely ignored in academic circles but impossible to ignore in the health workplace. Despite its prevalence there has been little academic research into swearing, and certainly none on its impact on nursing staff. Nurses are, of all health workers, most likely to be targets of verbal aggression with up to 100% of nurses in mental health settings reporting verbal abuse. Nurses encounter swearing from patients and their carers, staff, and managers, and use swearwords in communication with each other, but there is no reference in the literature to the effects on nurses of exposure to swearing. This study set out to rectify that lack of research into swearing by answering three main questions: 1. What is the extent of swearing /verbal aggression in a health care setting? 2. What are the implications of swearing for a therapeutic encounter? 3. What is the impact of swearing on nurses? A mixed methods approach was employed. Phase one of the study explored the context of care, utilising the Overt Aggression Scale to describe the nature and extent of swearing and verbal aggression across a range of acute and long-term inpatient mental health settings. Data were derived from 9,623 reports spanning a 10-year period. The sample comprised 384 (72.1%) males and 148 (27.9%) females aged between 9.5 years and 93.3, mean age 45.6, SD=21.00 years. Most frequently reported over the 10-year period was verbal aggression; incidents involving females occurred mainly in connection with the more severe levels of verbal aggression. “Psychosis” was recorded as the main perceived cause of verbal aggression, in itself an insufficient explanation. A rising tendency to cite psychosis emerged as the level of aggression rose and, on average, 1.9 interventions were recorded for each aggressive incident. Phase two surveyed 107 nurses across three health care settings paediatrics, adult mental health, and child and adolescent mental health – by means of a questionnaire designed to elicit a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data, the Nursing Swearing Impact Questionnaire, which included three standardised instruments. The quantitative data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. High levels of swearing were reported, 29% of nurses being sworn at 1 to 5 times per week and 7% “continuously.” A similar incidence occurred within the nursing team, but being sworn at in anger by another staff member was rare and the major use was in jest or in conversation. The study failed to find significant differences between mental health and paediatric settings in the frequency of swearing but did find gender-based differences. High levels of distress caused by being subjected to swearing were evident, particularly when the aggressor was a relative or carer of a patient. Moreover, the respondents appeared to have only a limited range of interventions for use in dealing with the experience of being sworn at. However, what emerges strongly from the data is the extent to which swearing is culture- and context-bound, and the fact that nurses share many of the views and attitudes about swearing held by society at large. The culmination of the findings suggests that swearing is both widespread and underreported in a range of health contexts. The implications of swearing are poorly understood by nurses. These, and the magnitude of their distress in being subjected to it, render them ill-equipped to deal with the experience. The concomitant negative effects on empathy result in the nurses’ distancing themselves from the patient when confronted and implementing only a restricted range of interventions and detrimental effects on the quality of the therapeutic relationship will have negative effects on patient outcomes. Given the levels of swearing reported and its consequences on the therapeutic relationship, further research is warranted.

Published article at Central University of Technology Free State, Bloemfontein / In South Africa the educational system has seen many changes over the past few years. Transformation in education has been introduced to correct imbalances of the previous South African educational system and to improve learner achievement in some of the previously disadvantaged schools. Despite changes that have been implemented, learners in many South African schools are still underperforming. The primary aim of this investigation reported in this article was to establish the extent to which selected micro communication factors, namely, immediacy, verbal aggression and compliance gaining influence learner achievement. The researcher argues that micro communication factors in the classroom could influence learner performance either positively or negatively. According to Robinson, learner achievement refers to the ability of a learner to succeed in an assessment and to display a satisfactory level of competence.

This study seeks to explicate the impact of sex and gender in the relationships among attachment, romantic jealousy, and aggression. Attachment theory (e.g., Bowlby, 1969) posits that unique attachment styles develop based on experiences with primary caregiver(s). These attachment styles (e.g., secure, preoccupied, dismissing, and fearful) are enduring, and come to define attachment in adult romantic relationships (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1992; Hazan & Shaver, 1987). Attachment theory argues that differences in jealousy in adult romantic relationships are a function of attachment style (e.g., Guerrero, 1998). Similarly, attachment frameworks explain aggression (e.g., physical, verbal, and indirect/social/relational) as a function of attachment style, suggesting that these constructs (both aggression and jealousy) are borne from early childhood experiences. Theories that posit sex and gender differences, however, argue that aggression and jealousy are rooted in biological (i.e., sex-linked), evolutionary (i.e., adaptive), and social (i.e., learned) explanations of how men and women differ.This study aims to examine these theoretical perspectives in an attempt to further understand how differences between the two (attachment and sex/gender theories) can be explained. Results from this study indicate that sex and gender are unique, and do have differential effects on the relationships among attachment, aggression, and romantic jealousy in romantic relationships. Though the moderating effects of sex and gender are not always strong, findings from this study suggest that biology, evolution, and socialization likely interact and influence variability in attachment, aggression, and romantic jealousy.

Šių laikų informacinės erdvės plitimas (ir plėtimas) tapo nemenku iššūkiu ne tik tarpusavio komunikacijos prasme, bet paliečia giluminius tikėjimo klodus bei kitaip veikia gerokai gilesnius žmogaus asmenybės darinius. Virtualumas, kaip neregimos esamybės atitikmuo, po truputį, bet užtikrintai braunasi žmogaus (pa)sąmonėn ir keičia patį žmogų su visa jo vertybių sistema neišskiriant tikėjimo reikalų. Tokiame kontekste yra itin svarbu atlikti tyrimus, kuriais remiantis būtų galima identifikuoti esmines iš virtualybės sklindančias prieš tikėjimą nukreiptas agresijos formas. Tačiau tyrimų atlikimas yra neatsiejamas nuo būtinybės identifikuoti „atramos taškus“. Tuo tikslu teorinėje darbo dalyje yra aptariami Bažnyčios išleisti dokumentai, kurie siejasi su visuomenės komunikavimo priemonėmis, ir išgryninami etiniai jų principai. Remiantis Bažnyčios Magisteriumo dokumentais, visose žiniasklaidos srityse, žanruose, rūšyse galioja pagrindinis etinis principas: žmogus ir bendruomenė yra visuomenės komunikavimo priemonių naudojimo tikslas ir matas. Komunikacija privalo tarnauti visapusiškam žmogaus vystymuisi ir gėriui. Ištyrus esmines verbalinės agresijos kryptis pagal poveikį tikintiems daroma išvada, kad verbalinė agresija dažniausiai pasireiškia netiesioginiu būdu, agresyvaus teksto autoriui aprašinėjant „herojų“. Dažniausiai juo tampa dvasiškis. Verbalinės agresijos poveikio stiprumas priklauso nuo akceptuotojo nuostatų, tačiau stebimas įdomus fenomenas: dažniausiai agresyvių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The spread (and expansion) of today’s information space has become a major challenge not only in terms of mutual communication. It also touches deep layers of faith and has other impacts on much deeper formations of human personality. Virtuality, as equivalent to unseen existence, slowly, but surely intrudes into human consciousness and changes a human being and his whole value system, including faith matters. In this context, studies are necessary, on the basis of which the main forms of aggression that arise from virtuality and are directed against faith could be identified. However, the performance of studies is inseparable from the necessity to identify “reference points”. Thus, the theoretical part of the paper focuses on the documents released by the Church, which are related with public communication measures, and distinguishes their ethical principles. According to the documents of the Magisterium of the Church, the main ethical principle prevails in all fields, genres and kinds of media: a human being and society is the objective and a measure of the use of public communication measures. Communication must serve a thorough human development and goodness. The research of the main trends of verbal aggression by impact on the congregation permits to make the following conclusion: verbal aggression is generally expressed indirectly by describing a “hero” by aggressive text author. Usually a churchman becomes a target. The intenseness of the impact of verbal... [to full text]

Despite the detrimental effects of aggression, Reality Television is replete with portrayals of female direct and indirect aggression for the sake of entertainment. Direct, physical and verbal aggression may be easy to identify but indirect aggression can be circuitous and subtle such as gossiping and exclusion from the group. Victims of indirect aggression can experience long-term psychological repercussions such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and self-abusive behaviour. Exposure to indirect relational aggression on Reality Television has also been shown to increase physical aggression in its viewers. Combining three theoretical frameworks this study draws on social cognitive theory, cultivation theory as well as feminist frameworks. Female adults were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews discussing their perceptions and influence of Reality Television clips portraying female aggression.

In recent years superhero movies have skyrocketed in popularity, bringing with them plots and characters that tend to exhibit high levels of aggression. As social learners, humans often learn from what they observe, and especially emulate characters they admire – including fictional superheroes and villains. Consequently, this study content analyzed non-physical aggressions (verbal aggression, relational aggression, and violent ideation) in the top 25 highest grossing superhero movies between 2005 and 2015. Results found an average of 171.8 acts of non-physical aggression per movie. Females in these movies were also significantly more likely to engage in verbal and relational aggressions, which contributes to gender stereotypes about aggression. Unfortunately, due to a failure in intercoder reliability testing, these results are unreliable.