Relationship of verbal aggresiveness with self-esteem and depression in verbally aggressive adolescents at public middle school

Abstract

This study determines the relationships of verbal aggressiveness with self-esteem and depression in early adolescents. Quantitative, cross-sectional design were conduct in 415 middle school students with verbal aggressiveness in Jakarta that has been screened as participants. The Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (VAS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and 11-ITEM Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS-11) questionnaires that had been validity and reliability tested were used. From all participants, 55.9% committing a moderate level of verbal aggressiveness, 45.5% had low self-esteem, and 50.4% experienced depression. The Pearson product-moment test showed a significant relationship between verbal aggressiveness and self-esteem in early adolescents with verbal aggression, while the Mann–Whitney test also indicated verbal aggressiveness and depression in early adolescents with verbal aggression are related. This study recommends related parties to pay more attention to the verbal aggression incident in early adolescents.