title: Media violence exposure and physical aggression in fifth-grade children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association of media violence exposure and physical aggression in fifth graders across 3 media types.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from a population-based, cross-sectional survey of 5,147 fifth graders and their parents in 3 US metropolitan areas. We used multivariable linear regression and report partial correlation coefficients to examine associations between children's exposure to violence in television/film, video games, and music (reported time spent consuming media and reported frequency of violent content: physical fighting, hurting, shooting, or killing) and the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Child-reported media violence exposure was associated with physical aggression after multivariable adjustment for sociodemographics, family and community violence, and child mental health symptoms (partial correlation coefficients: TV, 0.17; video games, 0.15; music, 0.14). This association was significant and independent for television, video games, and music violence exposure in a model including all 3 media types (partial correlation coefficients: TV, 0.11; video games, 0.09; music, 0.09). There was a significant positive interaction between media time and media violence for video games and music but not for television. Effect sizes for the association of media violence exposure and physical aggression were greater in magnitude than for most of the other examined variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between physical aggression and media violence exposure is robust and persistent; the strength of this association of media violence may be at least as important as that of other factors with physical aggression in children, such as neighborhood violence, home violence, child mental health, and male gender.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif; RAND, Santa Monica, Calif. Electronic address: tcoker@mednet.ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Tumaini R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Coker
authors.affiliation: RAND, Santa Monica, Calif.
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Schwebel
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Windle
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Sara L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Toomey
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, Tex.
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Tortolero
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.
authors.forename: Marci F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hertz
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, Tex.
authors.forename: Melissa F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Peskin
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schuster
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000069581:Exposure to Violence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D009040:Motion Pictures; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009146:Music; D013690:Television; D018910:Video Games
keywords: aggressive behavior; media; media violence; violent behavior