Beliefs about aggression play a key role in how youth interpret and respond to social situations and are related to aggressive behavior. Adolescents may report beliefs supporting aggression and engage in aggression due to reinforcement within their environment, rather than due to maladaptive social information-processing (SIP) biases. The purpose of this study was to examine adolescents’ patterns of beliefs about aggression and how these patterns relate to SIP. This study used latent class analysis (LCA), the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations paradigm, and a Problem Solving Interview to examine differences in SIP between adolescents with varying patterns of beliefs about aggression. Participants included 435 sixth and seventh grade students (45% male, 63% African American, 22% Caucasian) from two urban schools and a semi-rural school. A LCA of the beliefs about aggression measure identified four classes of adolescents: (a) a Beliefs Against Fighting (Against) class that opposed the use of aggression (21% of the sample); (b) a Fighting is Sometimes Necessary (Sometimes) class that endorsed beliefs that fighting is sometimes inevitable (31%); (c) a Beliefs Supporting Fighting (Support) class that supported aggression across multiple contexts (33%); and (d) a Low Responders class that disagreed with all items (12%). Differences among classes were found on gender and race/ethnicity. As hypothesized, significant differences were found such that the Sometimes and Against classes differed from the Support class in reporting that it is ok to fight in response to non-physical aggression and effectiveness ratings of physical aggression and effective nonviolent responses. The Sometimes class was also less likely than the Support class, but more likely than the Against class to report behavioral intentions for aggression, revenge goals, and aggression as a first response to problem situations. Contrary to the hypotheses, classes did not differ in several areas, including hostile and benign intent attributions and generation of prosocial responses. These differences suggest the need for using prevention approaches that address multiple patterns of beliefs about aggression, such as interventions that improve SIP for adolescents with beliefs supporting aggression and universal prevention programs that address school climate for adolescents with beliefs that fighting is sometimes necessary.

Youth violence in the Baton Rouge inner-city area continues to create heightened concerns for the communities as well as the financial and healthcare systems. Even though violence prevention programs are in place in the area, no decline has been recorded in those who are being affected by violence. Due to lack of research in this field, a need for a sound research study exists to understand how Youth Peace Olympics (YPO) community-based program may be related to changes in attitudes about aggression and violence. A correlational cross-sectional research design was used to evaluate participants' beliefs about aggression, measured using the Normative Beliefs about Aggression instrument by the organization at the beginning and end of the summer program, in addition to secondary data that was provided to me (n=50). Social cognitive theory and the social development model were used as the theoretical framework for the study. Results showed a statistically significant decrease in retaliation approval of aggression scores (pretest M = 2.24, posttest M = 1.91; t[49] = 4.07, p =.000) and marginal statistically significant decrease in general approval of aggression scores (pretest M = 1.48, posttest M = 1.31; t[49] = 1.96, p = .055). Age, gender, and ethnicity were not found to be related to pretest attitudes or pretest/posttest changes in attitudes regarding retaliation approval or general approval of aggression at statistically significant levels. The potential for positive social change is to provide researchers and community-level stakeholders with preliminary program evaluation data related to attitudes about aggression/violence approval.

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