Purpose

The purpose of this scale is to record the frequency of victimization and aggression elements.

Analysis

These elements measure the frequency of victimization or self-reported aggressive behavior during the past week. It combines extended versions of an Aggression Scale and a Victimization Scale (both found in the same Brief Guide) and asks respondents to consider how many times specific behaviors occurred.

Research Method

It has previously been used with 4th and 5th-grade students but can be adapted for older youth age groups as well.

Scale Scoring

For each question, indicate how many times you engaged in the behavior over the past 7 days. Scores for all items are summed. The desired score range is from 0 to 72 points. Each point represents one instance of reported victimization or aggression by the student during the past week. If four or more items are missing, it is not possible to calculate the score. If three or fewer items are missing, these values are replaced by the average score of the respondent. Higher scores indicate higher levels of victimization and aggression.

Bibliography

Orpinas, P., & Frankowski, R. (2001). The aggression scale: a self-report measure of aggressive behavior for young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 21(1): 51–68.