The Mediating Effect of Self-control on the Relationship between Exposure to Violence and Fighting among Chinese Secondary School Students

Fighting in school is a specific type of violence that has been understudied in China. A total of 2,918 students were recruited through a stratified sampling method from eleven secondary schools in China. The results showed that around 14% of respondents had been involved in school fighting, and self-control significantly mediated the relationship between exposure to family violence and involvement in school fighting for both male and female students. In addition, exposure to violence on the Internet had direct and indirect effects on school fighting among male students, but not female students. Exposure to violent content on television and in magazines or newspapers had no significant effect on school fighting among both male and female students. Finally, involvement in school fighting should be understood from both individual and social environmental perspectives.