##submission.abstract##
Aggressive behaviors among young people represent a common concern and
many females and adolescent girls report having been victimized or bullied.
Cost effective strategies are needed to deal with this problem. Current
research has investigated the effect of fighting on cognitive aggression in
elementary school girls. Using a vertical design, 63 fourth- and fifth-graders
(31 fourth and 32 grade 5, average age = 9.6 ± 0.5 years) participated in a
controlled controlled game of On school 2 days a week for 4 consecutive
weeks, program replication was adopted in a previous study with 13-year-old
junior high school students. Participants filled out a short version of 12
questions of the three-time Invasion Question: the basic stage (A0 and A1)
and after the battle intervention (A2). An RM-ANOVA showed significance
in the topic difference between the three assessments (F = 2.91, P = 0.003). At
the verbal abuse level, A1's anger and hostility significantly decreased, while
in the post-intervention phase, only physical aggression was significantly
lower than A1 (A1 = 5, 45 ± 2.47; A2 = 5.04 ± 2.41; F = 5.22, p = 0.005). The
results provide some preliminary insights into the role that fighting can be
part of a physical education program to cope with aggressive and antisocial
behaviors of children, confirming conclusions. encouraging of previous
research in adolescents.
Key words: aggressive behaviours, female children, peer-aggression, physical
education, play engagement.