A Closer Look at Relational Aggression

This research examines relational aggression and its increasing prominence in our culture today, specifically with school-aged children. Relational aggression, behaviors that inflict harm through manipulating, damaging, or controlling of relationships, has been proven to be an issue, but it is not easily recognized. Research has found a majority of schools do not mention relational aggression in their bullying contracts. Rather, schools focus on physical aggression, which leads to uneducated students and adults on the issue examined. This research discusses the definition, affects, causes, and needed preventions of relational aggression. Studies found that many aspects of an individual’s life work together to create relationally aggressive tendencies. This research looks at those aspects closely in attempts to educate and implement prevention plans for school-aged children

The role of gender in the relationship between reinforcement sensitivity and aggression among adolescents

This study focuses on the relationship between reinforcement sensitivity and aggression according to the combination of forms and functions of aggression (i.e. proactive overt, proactive relational, reactive overt and reactive relational), and on the moderating role of gender in this relationship. The survey included 656 adolescents (55.33% male) from the city of Zagreb, Croatia. The results show that reward sensitivity has the highest relation with proactive overt aggression, while punishment sensitivity has the highest relation with reactive relational aggression. A moderator analysis shows that boys with high reward sensitivity manifest higher level of proactive overt aggression than girls with high reward sensitivity. Also, boys with high punishment sensitivity manifest higher level of reactive relational aggression than girls with high punishment sensitivity. The findings can help to improve the treatment of aggressive behaviour in adolescence by focusing on reward sensitivity in relation to punishment sensitivity.peer-reviewe

The Short-Term Effects of Viewing Relationally Aggressive Media on Hostile Cognitions in College Women

Correlational and experimental research indicates that relationally aggressive media exposure is associated with increased aggression (e.g., Coyne, Archer, & Eslea, 2004; Coyne et al., 2008; 2011). The General Aggression Model (GAM) (Anderson & Bushman, 2002) suggests that cognitions about aggression mediate the relationship between aggressive media exposure and subsequent behavior, but little research has examined this possibility in regards to relationally aggressive media. The goals of this study were (1) to examine the short-term effects of viewing relationally aggressive media on hostile response generation in women, and (2) to examine whether pre-existing relational aggression moderates these effects. 158 college women were randomly assigned to view either a relationally aggressive or neutral movie clip. After viewing, participants read 5 vignettes that described interpersonal conflicts, and then were asked to generate a behavioral response to each scenario. There was a significant interaction of type of movie clip viewed and pre-existing relational aggression. Specifically, watching the relationally aggressive movie clip caused participants who were high on relational aggression to generate significantly more hostile responses than those low on relational aggression. These findings provide evidence that relationally aggressive media exposure affects cognitive processes underlying aggressive behavior, but that these short-term effects are moderated by individual differences in aggression. Implications for future research are discussed

Relationally Aggressive Media Exposure and Children’s Normative Beliefs: Does Parental Mediation Matter?

Research indicates that relationally aggressive media exposure is positively associated with relational aggression in children. Theories of media effects suggest that these associations may be mediated by aggressive cognitions. Although parental mediation can attenuate the effects of violent media, it is unknown whether there are similar benefits of parental mediation of relationally aggressive media. The current study examined concurrent and longitudinal associations between relationally aggressive television and movie exposure and normative beliefs about relational aggression, and whether parental mediation moderates these associations. Participants were 103 children (50% female) in grades 3-6 and their parents. The following year, 48 children (52% female) were again assessed. Relationally aggressive media exposure predicted concurrent relational aggression norms, even after controlling for physically aggressive media exposure and physical aggression norms. Relationally aggressive television and movie exposure predicted greater subsequent approval of relational aggression only among children whose parents engaged in low levels of active mediation

Pubertal Timing and Youth Internalizing Psychopathology: The Role of Relational Aggression

The current study examined relational aggression as a potential mechanism that explains the association between off-time pubertal development and internalizing problems. Youth gender was also examined as a moderator for this association. Parents of 372 children between the ages of 8 and 17 were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Parents responded to demographic information about themselves, as well as information about their child’s pubertal timing, relational aggression, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Findings indicated that early pubertal timing was associated with both youth anxiety and depressive symptoms indirectly through relational aggression. This study is the first to examine relational aggression as a mechanism by which early pubertal timing leads to internalizing problems. The findings suggest that relational aggression could be a target for intervention among early developing youth who are at risk for internalizing problems

Building a Bond: Longitudinal Relations between Interpersonal School Climate, Student Awareness and Reporting of Violence, and Peer Victimization and Aggression in Adolescents

High prevalence rates and negative outcomes of peer-based aggression and victimization during early adolescence underscore the need to identify causes and consequences of these outcomes. Limited research has examined the impact of environmental and contextual factors, such as school climate, on peer aggression and victimization. Few studies have addressed relations between school climate and specific subtypes of physical and relational aggression and victimization. Although school climate has been assessed via interpersonal subsystems (i.e., student-student and student-teacher relationships), little research has incorporated the role of student awareness and reporting of violence and safety concerns. Further, studies are needed that consider the bi-directional relations between school climate and peer aggression and victimization over time. To address these limitations, the current longitudinal study examined associations between school climate (i.e., student-student and student-teacher relationships and awareness/reporting) and peer aggression and victimization over six months among a sample of 265 middle school students

Cultural Differences in Relational Aggression in an Elementary School-Age Sample

The current study addressed whether there were differences in relational aggression in 9- to 10-year-old boys and girls in Hungarian and German samples. There has been very little empirical research conducted comparing children of diverse cultures in their use of relational aggression. The current study used teachers’ reports of different aggression styles observed in their 9- to 10-year-old students (N = 269). The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence and styles of aggression used in a 9- to 10-year-old culturally diverse population, as it was hypothesized that culture would be a factor in the incidence of relational aggression as well as a difference in boys’ verses girls’ relational aggression within native Hungarian cultures. Data were collected from classroom teachers using the Children’s Social Behavior Scale – Teacher Form (Crick, 1996). Six sets of analyses were conducted, including the evaluation of teacher reports of relational aggression among all 160 Hungarian and all 109 German students, the evaluation of teacher reports of physical aggression among Hungarian and German students, the evaluation of teacher reports of prosocial behavior among Hungarian and German students, the evaluation of teacher reports of relational aggression among Hungarian boys and girls, the evaluation of teacher reports of physical aggression among Hungarian boys and girls, and the evaluation of teacher reports of prosocial behavior among Hungarian boys and girls. Results confirmed 2 out of 2 hypotheses. Teachers reported greater incidence of relational and physical aggression among German students. Teachers reported a greater incidence of prosocial behavior among Hungarian students. Hungarian teachers reported a greater incidence of physical aggression among boys and a greater incidence of prosocial behavior among girls. This research failed to find any differences in Hungarian boys’ and girls’ use of relational aggression in this sample. Overall, the current findings support that cultural differences exist in relational aggression, physical aggression, and prosocial behavior among a 9- to 10-year-olds. It also supported the position that gender differences exist in the use of physical aggression and prosocial behavior among a native Hungarian sample

Interparental Conflict Styles and Parenting Behaviors: Associations With Overt and Relational Aggression Among Chinese Children

This study examined how interparental conflict styles related to Chinese children’s overt and relational aggression directly and indirectly through parenting behaviors. Mothers (n = 670) and fathers (n = 570) reported their overt and covert interparental conflict styles and different parenting behaviors. Children’s (n = 671) aggression was assessed by peer nominations. Consistent with previous research, coercive control and psychological control showed positive associations with children’s overt and relational aggression, which varied by parent-child gender. The significant indirect effects of interparental conflict styles showed that paternal overt conflict was positively related to boys’ aggression mediating through paternal coercive control and that maternal covert conflict was positively related to boys’ aggression mediating through psychological control. Discussions regarding parent-child gender moderations and implications of the findings in the Chinese cultural context are provided

Executive function and theory of mind as predictors of aggressive and prosocial behavior and peer acceptance in early childhood

Executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) are related to children’s social interactions, such as aggression and prosocial behavior, as well as their peer acceptance. However, limited research has examined different forms of aggression and the moderating role of gender. This study investigated links between EF, ToM, physical and relational aggression, prosocial behavior and peer acceptance and explored whether these relations are gender specific. Children (N=106) between 46- and 80-months-old completed tasks assessing cool and hot EF and ToM. Teaching staff rated children’s aggression, prosocial behavior, and peer acceptance. EF and ToM predicted physical, but not relational, aggression. Poor inhibition and delay of gratification were uniquely associated with greater physical aggression. EF and ToM did not predict prosocial behavior or peer acceptance. Added to this, gender did not moderate the relation between either EF or ToM and social outcomes. The correlates of aggression may therefore differ across forms of aggression but not between genders in early childhood

How Culture Impacts Relational Aggression in Elementary School-Age Children

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether cultural differences existed in forms of aggression and prosocial behaviors among 8 to 10 year old students in Ireland (N=145) and Puerto Rico (N=56) and if the prevalence of these forms of aggression differed between genders. Classroom teachers using the Children’s Social Behavior Scale – Teacher Form (Crick, 1996) rated all students in their classes on relational aggression, physical aggression, and prosocial behaviors. Three 2 (culture) by 2 (gender) analyses of variance were performed on each of the following dependent variables: relational aggression, physical aggression, and prosocial behavior. Teachers reported greater prevalence of relational aggression in Puerto Ricanstudents and greater prevalence of prosocial behavior among Irish students. Nosignificant differences were reported between cultures in physical aggression. Teachersreported higher prevalence of physical aggression among males compared to females andhigher prevalence of prosocial behavior among females when compared to males. Nosignificant gender differences were found in relational aggression. An interaction effectwas found in prosocial behavior with Irish females being higher in prosocial behaviorthan Puerto Rican females and Irish males. This research supports that culturaldifferences exist in relational aggression and prosocial behaviors among 8 to 10 yearviiolds. Gender differences in physical aggression and prosocial behaviors in this agesample were also supported. Future research, and the study\u27s limitations were discussed