The Relationship of Parental Education with Knowledge and Practice Level of Middle School and High School Students of Isfahan Regarding Violent Behaviors

Abstract

Background:

It can be concluded from the existing theories that parental education status, by affecting socioeconomical status of families, can impact the incidence of violent behaviors in teenagers. Therefore, this study was conducted aiming at investigating the relationship between parental education and teenagers’ knowledge of violent behaviors and their incidences.

Methods:

For this cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study, a sample of 5500 teenager students from Isfahan province were selected by random cluster sampling and responded to a 61-item questionnaire. The data collected from by questionnaire was analyzed by Spearman's statistical correlation and multiple regression methods.

Results:

Most of the students under study (89.1%) were living in cities and the rest were rural dwellers. In terms of gender, female to male ratio was approximately equal (49.8% vs. 50.2%). The statistical results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between practice and knowledge (R = 0.092 and P = 0.00), but there is no significant relationship between parental education and practice and there is a significant relationship between parental education and knowledge (Mothers’ education P = 0.00 and R = 0.121 and fathers’ education P = 0.00 and R = 0.109). Moreover, there was a positive significant relationship between teenagers’ knowledge of violence consequences (P = 0.005 and B = 0.048) violent behavior causes (P = 0.00 B = 0.085) and methods of preventing violent behaviors (P = 0.00 and B = 0.085) with teenagers’ practice.

Conclusions:

Based on the results of the present study that indicates teenagers are less aware of the consequences of violent behavior compared to other subscales of knowledge, it is better that teenagers’ education about the violent behaviors are more about the consequences of violent behavior rather than its definitions. Moreover, parental education is related to teenagers’ knowledge of the violent behavior so it is better that in various grades more comprehensive and suitable information regarding violent behaviors be presented.

INTRODUCTION

Illiteracy could have a great impact on all aspects of human life, especially on hygiene, economical growth, cultural development, children's growth and training, disorganization and anomalies in children, employment growth and so on. Usually people living in low economic, social and cultural levels have lower educational levels compared with their peers and the educational level in these families are much lower.[1] In fact, in some of these families, literacy is an alien issue. The profound impact that this low social, cultural, economical status leaves on family members and the society leads to disorganization and mental disorders. Illiteracy is the root and basis of most economical, political, social, cultural and disorganization as well as physical and mental disorders in most of the developing countries.[2]

Most studies conducted concerning the causes of teenagers’ violent behavior believe that the social, economical and cultural status of the family, which could be dependent on parental educational level, is the underlying cause of teenagers’ violent behaviors. There are various theories on the causes of violent behaviors, one of which suggests that violent behavior is a function of the conflict between the goals and the means that people could use legitimately to achieve their goals.[3] Cohen, in his theory of status frustration, relates deviance to social classes and considers the origin of this behavior as the lack of access to society's acceptable purposes. Therefore, based on this theory, it can be stated that low socioeconomic status of students’ parents, failure and their poor academic practice has a great effect on students’ committing violence and dangerous behaviors.[4] The above theories focus more on family socioeconomic status and mostly consider the teenagers’ educational failure to affect their violent behavior.

However, some authors also have considered the role of parents undeniable in their children's normal behavior[5] and even have considered the role of mothers to be more remarkable due to their more presence compared with fathers and have concluded that mothers’ literacy and educational level could have a significant impact on children's educational and career guidance.[6]

Despite these theoretical differences, by reviewing the literature, no research was found that specifically examined the relationship between parental education and teenagers’ knowledge toward violent behaviors and their incidence. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of parental education and teenagers’ knowledge toward violent behaviors and their incidence. Researchers also aim to answer this question whether there is a relationship between knowledge toward doing violent behavior and doing it or not? This way, if there are any of these relationships, one of the groups being at risk would be identified and this identification could be used for making educational interventions to prevent violent behavior.

METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive – correlation study was conducted on a sample of all middle school and high school students in Isfahan province in 2009. Random cluster sampling method was used and the sample size was 5500 people. For data collection, a researcher-made questionnaire was used with two sections namely 40 items for knowledge and 21 items for practice.

Face validity was used to validate the tool by presenting it to experts and the discussed deficiencies were corrected. To measure reliability, the Cronbach's alpha test was used and the alpha coefficient of 0.77 was obtained. To analyze the questionnaire's data, Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between parental education and teenagers’ knowledge about violent behavior and their practice regarding violent behaviors (less violent behavior means having better practice). Furthermore, the multivariate regression method was used to determine correlation of teenagers’ knowledge of violent behaviors and their practice regarding violent behaviors. Multivariate regression test and Spearman's correlation coefficients were performed using SPSS version 15 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL).

RESULTS

In this study, 5500 students in middle school and high school from Isfahan province were included in the study by using random cluster sampling. 89.1% of them were urban dwellers and 10.9% of them were rural dwellers. 49.8% were girls and 50.2% were boys, 45.3% were in middle school and 53.7% were in high school. Frequency distribution of knowledge subscales based on percentage is presented in Table 1.

Table 1.

Frequency distribution of knowledge subscales based on the percentage

First the correlation between teenagers’ knowledge about violent behaviors and their practice regarding violent behaviors in which the dependent variable was the practice regarding violent behaviors (less violent behavior means having better practice) and independent variables were teenagers knowledge subscales regarding violent behaviors that include: Knowledge of violent behavior definition, knowledge of the consequences of violent behavior, knowledge of the causes of violent behavior, knowledge of the ways to prevent violent behaviors. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2.

Multivariate regression (practice regarding violent behaviors and knowledge subscales)

As it can be observed, there is a positive and significant relationship between independent variables such as knowledge of the consequences of violent behavior, knowledge of the causes of violent behaviors and knowledge of the ways of preventing violent behavior, which means more knowledge in this regard results in better practice that is reduction of violent behaviors.

In the next section, the results of Spearman's correlation coefficient to determine the correlation between parental education and teenagers’ knowledge about violent behaviors and their practice regarding violent behaviors (less violent behavior means having better practice) are presented in Table 3.

Table 3.

Spearman's correlation coefficients results

As specified in table, there is a positive and significant relationship between practice and knowledge but no significant relationship was found between practice and parental education and there is a significant relationship between parental education and knowledge. In all of these relationships, correlation coefficient is insignificant.

The results of this study showed that among the independent variables, knowledge of the consequences of violent behavior, knowledge of the causes of violent behavior, knowledge of the ways to prevent violent behaviors have a positive and significant relationship with practice of violent behaviors, which means more knowledge in this regard results in better practice, that is, the reduction in violent behavior.

Based on the findings of this study, knowledge about the definition of violent behavior had no significant relationship with practice regarding violent behaviors in teenagers. According to the data in table[2] regarding the frequency distribution of knowledge subscales based on the percentage, it can be seen that among the knowledge subscales, only 19.7% of teenagers scored between 80 and 100 from the knowledge of behavior consequence subscale. This reveals that teenagers have relatively little knowledge of their violent behavior consequences. In terms of knowing definitions, it is the same but no statistically significant relationship was found between this subscale and violent behavior practice.

However, it should be mentioned that the obtained coefficients show a weak relationship between knowledge subscales and practice yet this relationship exists. These results are consistent with Heilbrun 2009 that states that today, violent behaviors are one of the society's health problems and training in this regard could be helpful.[7]

Yet no other studies were found regarding other findings of the research such as the presence of positive and significant relationship between practice and knowledge and between parental education and knowledge as well as the lack of significant relationship between practice and parental education. Most of the studies have emphasized the importance of the economic and social status that better socioeconomic status causes better practice of children regarding violent behaviors.[8,9]

Since educational status is a tool for economical-social promotion, it can be concluded that families’ education affects violent behavior knowledge anyway and through that on the incidence of violent behaviors in teenagers.[10] Furthermore, Bernat et al. 2012 reported that students who receive better marks on their exams and have better interactions with school staff show fewer violent behaviors. It can be concluded that more educated parents might have better supervision over their children's education and affect their children's violent behaviors that way.[11]

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that knowledge over the incidence of violent behaviors is effective although this effect is insignificant. Based on the results of the present study that shows teenagers have less knowledge regarding the consequences of violent behaviors compared to other knowledge subscales, it is better that teenagers trainings regarding violent behaviors be mostly about the consequences of violent behaviors rather than their definitions. Moreover, parental education is related to teenagers’ knowledge of violent behaviors; therefore, it is better that in trainings of various educational levels, more comprehensive and suitable information regarding violent behaviors be presented.