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As a major social harm among adolescents, violence is widespread among students [1]. High-risk and violent behavior was reported by 19.7% of male and 19.6% of Iranian students [2]. UNICEF (2019) found that almost 32% of children experience violence at least once a month in most schools worldwide [3]. WHO defines violence against children and adolescents as any action or inaction that damages their health, well-being, psychophysical integrity, freedom and right to achieve full development. Violence has serious lifelong effects on psychophysical health and social functioning. In 2020, WHO reported 200,000 homicides worldwide among youth and adolescents aged 10–29 [4]. Violence is an act that is intentionally taken by any person to hurt another person at any place and time [5]. Violent behavior at school is related to the interpersonal type and refers to any type of voluntary misconduct such as mental and sexual harassment, physical harm, threats or abuse. Affective variables in the complex phenomenon of school violence include impulsivity, empathy, attitudes toward violence, externalizing and internalizing behaviors, self-efficacy, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and parenting styles [6,7,8]. Thus, the presence of one or more of these factors may pave the way for violent behavior among adolescents.
Safety and tranquility at school are essential for learning and positive experiences in the development process of children and adolescents [9]. According to social disorganization theory, the physical and social environment influence selective behavior. Criminal behavior is more likely to occur in individuals facing crime or violence. The media plays a key role in encouraging people to commit crimes by institutionalizing cultural and behavioral norms [10]. Communication skills were found to be related to human communication factors, training programs, family factors, school factors and violence [11]. A qualitative study identified road accidents, falls, fights, sexual assault, robbery and vandalism as common factors among Kenyan adolescents. Individual factors such as gender, poverty, drug use, parental behavior and dropping out of school are also associated with certain broader-level factors such as unsafe neighborhoods and risky livelihoods [12].
Despite the positive and constructive functions of educational subjects, schools represent an environment for the performance of violent behavior, which is institutionalized mainly in individuals through social learning. According to social learning theory, individuals tend to engage in criminal behavior in the face of attitudes that justify and encourage law breaking [13] and individuals learn violent behavior within their lived sociocultural context [14]. The results of Brazil-Murray’s (2018) study show that connecting with each other through social networks can lead to a sense of connectedness and connectedness, something that is coded by social learning theory [15].
School violence lowers students’ self-esteem, self-efficacy and academic performance [16] and spoils their talent and creates psychophysical and social hazards to the health of communities. According to social control theory, individuals follow norms and rules because community-related control prevents crime [17]. Hammam and Ronen-Schönhau [18] found a higher incidence of violence among divorced parents, young adults, and boys compared to girls. Social support is an environmental and self-control resource that reduces violent behavior.
According to Vazina et al. [19]domestic violence, inappropriate socialization, low levels of parental understanding, poor parental supervision, family tension and conflict, mean and deviant peers, and high-risk behavior significantly influence violence in adolescence and early adulthood.
In terms of research focus, most of the studies on violent behavior are related to violence against women, and less has been done to investigate violence among Iranian adolescents, while available statistics show that at least 20% of Iranian students experience some kind of violence in school [2].
As an immigrant-friendly city in Iran with a business atmosphere, Karaj demographically includes various subcultures and ethnic groups of Iranians and non-Iranians. This cultural and demographic heterogeneity can cause social conflicts.
Qualitative research helps to identify the causes and foundations of violent behavior in male students. Considering violent behavior among students as a growing problem in schools, determining these causes can help to find an effective context in violence.
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