title: Aggression in Teachers is Related to Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity as Occupational Stress.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aggression in the workplace is increasingly recognized as a serious problem, but there are few studies about worker aggression toward outsiders in the workplace. We investigated the association between aggression and occupational stress among teachers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of 1583 teachers, principals, and vice-principals. Aggression was measured using the Japanese version of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ). The survey respondents were classified into tertiles according to the BAQ score. The high BAQ group was defined as the upper tertile for the BAQ total score (BAQ total score 625). Occupational stress was measured using the Japanese version of the Generic Job Stress Questionnaire. Comparisons among the groups were performed using multiple logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1583 respondents, 488 were included in the high BAQ group. After adjusting for demographic and occupational variables, high role conflict and role ambiguity were significantly associated with belonging to the high BAQ group. In subscales of the BAQ, high role conflict and role ambiguity related to high levels of hostility, and physical aggression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occupational stress such as role conflict and role ambiguity was associated with aggression among teachers. It is necessary to reduce problems which relates to role conflict and role ambiguity for preventing teachers' aggression.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanchika
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konish
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakada
authors.forename: Koki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000786:Anger; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D011316:Preventive Psychiatry / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*