Psychological and Gender Differences in a Simulated Cheating Coercion Situation at School

Marina Begoña Martínez-González, Claudia Patricia Arenas-Rivera, Aura Alicia Cardozo-Rusinque, Aldair Ricardo Morales-Cuadro, Mónica Acuña-Rodríguez, Yamile Turizo-Palencia and Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez
Additional contact information
Marina Begoña Martínez-González: Department of Social Science, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
Claudia Patricia Arenas-Rivera: Department of Social Science, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
Aura Alicia Cardozo-Rusinque: Department of Social Science, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
Aldair Ricardo Morales-Cuadro: Department of Social Science, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
Mónica Acuña-Rodríguez: Department of Social Science, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
Yamile Turizo-Palencia: Department of Social Science, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain

Social Sciences, 2021, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: This study aimed to analyze gender, anxiety, and psychological inflexibility differences of high school students’ behaviors in a simulated situation of peer coercion into academic cheating. Method: A total of 1147 volunteer adolescents participated, (Men: N = 479; Mage = 16.3; Women: N = 668; Mage = 16.2). The participants saw 15 s animated online video presenting peer coercion into an academic cheating situation, including a questionnaire about their reactions to face the situation. They also answered the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for children and adolescents and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y). Gender was associated with the behaviors facing the situation. Higher state anxiety and inflexibility were present in those participants that avoided aggressive behaviors facing the situation; on the other hand, trait anxiety was present in those who reacted aggressively. Finally, higher anxiety and inflexibility were associated with the used moral disengagement mechanisms, but also with peers’ perception as sanctioning or being against the participants’ decision. The most aggressive students were more flexible and less stressed than those who tried to solve assertively. Expectations about peers seem to be relevant to the decision-making facing moral dilemmas and peer victimization.

Keywords: peer victimization; moral disengagement; bullying; disruptive behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/7/265/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/10/7/265/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:7:p:265-:d:591538

Access Statistics for this article

Social Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Yvonne Chu

More articles in Social Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().