Exposure to family violence and school violence among Palestinian high schoolers: The moderating effect of gender and school climate

Background: There is a serious dearth of research on the phenomenon of school violence in the Arab world. Moreover, studies have examined the relationship between students' exposure to family violence (EFV) and school violence. Objective: This study measured the correlation between Palestinian high schoolers' EFV (i.e., witnessing and experiencing family violence) and their violence against both peers and school staff. The moderating effects of gender and school climate were also explored. Participants, setting, and method: A pioneer survey was conducted among 1183 7-12th graders (about 55 % boys) in the Hebron district of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), using a self-administered questionnaire, and informed by social learning theory (SLT). Their ages ranged from 12 to 19 years (M = 14.64, SD = 1.47). More than a third (38.8 %) attended all-boy schools, 32.5 % attended all-girl schools, and 28.7 % attended co-ed schools. Most (71.2 %) of the participants lived in rural areas, 26.5 % lived in urban areas, 2 % lived as semi-nomads, and 0.3 % lived in refugee camps. Results: A considerable percentage of students behaved violently towards other students, but the rates of student violence against school staff were lower. Results of t-test show that boys behaved more violently against students and school staff than did girls. Correlation as well as multiple regression analyses revealed significant relationships between EFV and violent behavior against other students and the school staff, which were moderated by participants' gender and perceived school climate (PSC). A negative PSC predicted a higher degree of both types of violence. Conclusion: School violence is possibly learned as a result of EFV. This learning is more likely to occur among boys than among girls; however, it is less likely to occur where positive PSC prevails. The study's strengths and limitations as well as its implications for future research and for practice are discussed.