Examining the attitudes of high school students who do and do not do sports towards aggression and violence

This study aimed to investigate the aggression and violence tendencies of high school students who participate in sports and those who do not. The sample consisted of 324 students enrolled in the 2024-2025 academic year. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Kar-Ya Aggression Scale, and the Violence Tendency Scale. Reliability analyses showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.80–0.93). The findings revealed that male students reported significantly higher violence tendency scores than female students (t = 2.657, p = 0.008). Grade level was also significant (F = 3.467, p = 0.017), with 11th graders scoring higher than 9th graders. Furthermore, students who reported their family relationships as “average” scored higher on violence than those who reported their family relationships as “good” (H = 11.327, p = 0.003). Regarding aggression, gender differences only emerged in physical aggression, with male students scoring higher (t = 2.874, p = 0.004). Grade level significantly affected overall aggression (F = 2.646, p = 0.049), physical aggression (F = 5.281, p < 0.001), and anger (F = 4.283, p = 0.006). Family relationships significantly affected total aggression and its subscales (H values = 8.331–18.974, all p < 0.05), with students from “middle” families scoring higher. In contrast, sports participation (all p > 0.05) and number of siblings (all p > 0.05) did not create significant differences. In conclusion, demographic and relational factors, particularly gender, grade level, and family relationships, were observed to be more effective than sports participation in shaping adolescents’ aggression and violence tendencies.