Relationship Between Personality Traits and Violence Involvement -a Study of High School Students in Northern Iraq - PubMed

Background: violence is considered to be a global phenomenon; committing violence significantly impacts individuals physical and psychological states. There are several risk factors for increasing violence, of which personality traits represent the most substantial risk.

Objective: the current research aims to examine the association among the 'big five' risk factors and involvement in violence among high school students in the north of Iraq.

Methods: The sample comprised 468 students, 242 boys, and 226 girls aged 16 to 20. Two self-report instruments were used for data collection. Firstly, we divided the Maudsly Violence Questionnaire into two factors: acceptance of violence and machismo. Secondly, we used the Big Five Inventory, which includes questions on extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, consciousness, and openness.

Result: the result showed a significant positive correlation between extraversion, neuroticism, and violence involvement. Agreeableness, openness, and consciousness were negatively correlated. In terms of demographic variables, the findings suggest that boys are more likely to be involved in violence than girls. The results indicated that personality traits neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, openness, and consciousness predicted violence.

Conclusion: personality traits significantly impact individuals' behaviors that reflect their lives. The potential for violence is a predictor for detecting and preventing violent actions and could be used in many justices and governmental systems.

1. 1. Dahlberg LL, Krug EG. Violence a global public health problem. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2006 Jun;11:277–292.
2. 1. Krug EG, Mercy JA, Dahlberg LL, Zwi AB. The world report on violence and health. The Lancet. 2002 Oct 5;360(9339):1083–1088. - PubMed
3. 1. Wolf A, Gray R, Fazel S. Violence as a public health problem: An ecological study of 169 countries. Soc Sci Med. 2014 Mar 1;104:220–227. - PMC - PubMed
4. 1. Walker J, Bowes N. The evaluation of violent thinking in adult offenders and non-offenders using the Maudsley Violence Questionnaire. Crim Behav Ment Health. 2013;23(2):113–123. - PubMed
5. 1. Holzer KJ, AbiNader MA, Vaughn MG, Salas-Wright CP, Oh S. Crime and Violence in Older Adults: Findings From the 2002 to 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. J Interpers Violence. 2022 Jan 1;37(1–2):764–781. - PubMed