School Self-Esteem as a Moderator of the Impact of Violent Behaviour among Adolescents on their Psychosocial Well-being in Douala, Cameroon

Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage characterised by physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes, during which self-esteem and well-being significantly influence behaviour, including violent tendencies. In Cameroon, adolescent violence is a growing concern, with aggression often linked to poor psychosocial well-being, yet protective factors in school settings remain underexplored. This study investigates the moderating role of school self-esteem in the relationship between psychosocial well-being and violent behaviour among 414 schooling adolescents (aged 13-18 years) in Douala Municipality, Cameroon, using a cross-sectional design with quota sampling to ensure balanced representation across gender, school type (public, denominational, lay private), and socioeconomic status. Participants completed three validated instruments: the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), the school subscale of Coopersmith’s Self-Esteem Inventory, and the Adolescent Aggression Scale of Orpinas and Frankowski (2001). Descriptive statistics revealed moderate psychosocial well-being, positive school self-esteem, and right-skewed violent behaviour scores, indicating a subset of high-risk individuals. Regression analyses demonstrated that both psychosocial well-being and school self-esteem independently predicted reduced violent behaviour. Significantly, the interaction term was significant, with simple slopes analysis showing the protective effect of well-being was stronger for adolescents with high self-esteem versus low self-esteem. These findings extend social cognitive theory by demonstrating how school-based self-perceptions amplify the violence-preventive benefits of psychosocial well-being in a Cameroonian context. The results highlight the importance of simultaneously enhancing both psychological well-being and academic self-concept in school-based interventions, while suggesting that institutional climate qualitatively shapes these protective mechanisms. This study provides empirical support for culturally responsive violence prevention strategies in sub-Saharan African educational settings.