Asertividad y estrés en niños de educación básica media en una institución educativa de la ciudad de Quito, durante el periodo septiembre 2025 a enero 2026

Abstract

Assertiveness and child stress influence school adjustment and the emotional wellbeing of children in middle basic education. In this context, academic and family demands may generate stress, while assertiveness functions as a key social skill for emotional expression. The general objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between assertiveness and stress in children of middle basic education from an educational institution in the city of Quito, during the period from September 2025 to January 2026. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, descriptivecorrelational, and cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 47 middle basic education students, selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Children’s Assertive Behavior Scale (CABS) to assess assertive, passive, and aggressive behaviors, and the Inventario Infantil de Estresores Cotidianos (IIEC) to measure child stress across the dimensions of school stress, family stress, and health and psychosomatic problems. The results indicated that most children presented low to moderate levels of stress, with differences according to sex and age. No statistically significant relationship was found between assertiveness and stress; however, an inverse relationship was identified between assertive behavior and aggressive behavior, highlighting the role of assertiveness in behavioral regulation and school coexistence.