Influence of Television Programs Genre on Violent Behaviour among Young Children

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between television program genre and aggression behaviour in primary school students.
Study Design: Cross sectional design.
Place and Duration of Study: The current study conducted in the five provinces of Iran which selected trough a multi-stage random sampling from different geographical areas comprising of North, South, West, East and central area of Iran during September and December, 2011.
Methodology: Four hundred twenty four primary students from different grades (grade one to five) were recruited in study. This survey investigated whether exposure to television program type was related to children's use of social aggression that explored using Buss- Perry standard questionnaire.
Results: The results of the survey revealed a significant relationship between watching movies with action genre and aggression level among students (p<0.05). Finding indicated that there was no difference between mean of aggression level among children who interested in particular type of TV programs, except animation which showed a significant difference (p<0.05).
Conclusion: In conclusion current study provides additional evidence to support that content of television programs particularly its genre is very important in shaping the children behavior. As a new perspective, focus on genre as an important element in producing of television programs could be helpful for authorities.