Low levels of physiological arousal in response to stress (e.g., low skin conductance level reactivity; SCLR) have long been conceptualized as a marker of fearlessness and a risk factor for physical aggression (e.g., hitting). Less is known, however, about how individual differences in children’s SCLR and early caregiving experiences interact to produce aggressive behavior. Preliminary evidence suggests that children with low SCLR may be at an increased risk of aggression in the context of highly negative or low positive parenting. Additionally, although most early parenting socialization research has focused on physical aggression, mounting evidence implicates parenting style in the development of relational aggression (i.e., inflicting harm by damaging one’s relationships). In a community sample of 236 pre-adolescent children, we examined children’s SCLR, assessed during a standard laboratory interview, as a moderator of the link between parents’ self-reported positive (i.e., authoritative) and negative (i.e., permissive, authoritarian, psychologically controlling) parenting styles and children’s relational aggression, reported by teachers. Results indicated that increased levels of negative parenting predicted increased relational aggression; however, only permissive parenting marginally interacted with SCLR (p = .076), such that higher levels of permissive parenting predicted increased relational aggression for children with low, but not high, SCLR. No significant main effects or interactions were found with positive parenting. Overall, the results from the present study suggest that decreasing rates of negative parenting may be key to decreasing children’s relational aggression, and that behavioral monitoring and limit-setting with follow-through may be especially important facets of parenting for children with low physiological reactivity.

Relational aggression is associated with significant psychosocial consequences for children including anxiety, depression, and delinquency. Few research studies have examined the relationship between parenting and childhood relational aggression. Furthermore, only one previous published investigation has examined the relationship between observed parenting and child relational aggression. The current study examined the relationship between six observed parenting factors (laxness, overreactivity, negative affect, disparagement, problem-solving, and positive emotional support) and teacher-reported relational aggression. Forty-six children, mainly of European-American and Puerto-Rican descent, between 7 and 10 years old (M = 8.29, SD = .75), participated in the study. Observational data from a discipline (clean-up) task and a problem-solving task were used to assess the six parenting factors. In the overall sample, none of the parenting factors predicted child relational aggression. However, laxness significantly predicted relational aggression for girls. Furthermore, for Puerto Rican children, negative affect and disparagement predicted relational aggression. Future studies should continue to explore the relationship between relational aggression and parenting and attempt to identify protective factors for relational aggression.

No description available.

Using questionnaires, self report, and partner report of spouse, this longitudinal investigation examined the relationship between couple insecure attachment, covert relational aggression, and sexual satisfaction of each partner one year after their initial assessment, while controlling for sexual satisfaction at the time of our initial assessment. Findings showed that wives were more impacted by both actor and partner effects of covert relational aggression. Wives' sexual satisfaction was predicted by the increase in insecure attachment of both self and spouse through covert relational aggression. Wives insecure attachment did not cause a significant decrease in husbands' sexual satisfaction at time 2. Husbands were also impacted but to a lesser degree. An increase in husbands' insecure attachment showed a significant increase in husbands' covert relational aggression. The increase in his covert relational aggression did not, however, predict a significant decline in sexual satisfaction for husbands.

The purpose of this study was to examine marital romantic relational aggression in parents and its impact on adolescent relational aggression, adolescent romantic relational aggression, internalizing, and school engagement with self-regulation as a potential mediator. Gender differences were also examined. Adolescents were from 328 two-parent families in a large north-western city in the United States and were between 12 and 17 years of age (M=14.24, SD=1.00, 51% female) at time 4. All independent variables except adolescent self-regulation were measured at wave 4, and all adolescent variables were measured at wave 5. Results indicate that higher levels of romantic relational aggression from mother to father was directly related to higher relational aggression in girls and lower romantic relational aggression in boys one year later. Father romantic relational aggression was directly and negatively related to romantic relational aggression in girls one year later. Mother romantic relational aggression was indirectly related to all outcomes in females only, in the predicted directions, through adolescent self-regulation. Father romantic relational aggression was indirectly related, in the predicted directions, to relational aggression, internalizing, and school engagement in boys only. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Mark A. Barnett / To date, the research testing the predictors of relational aggression has largely mirrored that of the more robust physical aggression literature. Similar to the physical aggression literature, research on relational aggression has focused on age and gender differences and, more recently, the possible associations between relational aggression and other variables. However, there is a lack of research investigating the parent and peer behaviors that could potentially model relationally aggressive behavior in children. The current study drew upon social-cognitive models of aggression to test such associations. Specifically, I measured parents’ use of psychological control with their children, parents’ use of manipulative behavior with their children and other adults, and peer groups’ use of relational aggression to determine whether these variables predicted children’s use of relational aggression. It was expected that the aforementioned variables would be positively associated with children’s use of relational aggression. One hundred and sixty-five fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children (52% male) enrolled in public elementary schools in the Midwest participated in the study. Additionally, 137 female and 70 male caregivers also participated. The children completed questionnaires to measure a) their use of relational aggression, b) their peers’ use of relational and physical aggression, c) the cohesiveness and distinctiveness of their main group of friends, and d) their parents’ use of psychological control. The caregivers also completed questionnaires that assessed a) their behaviors toward other adults when angry, b) how they respond to their children’s misbehavior, and c) social desirability. Consistent with Social Learning Theory and the Social-Cognitive Theory of Aggression, children’s use of relational aggression was positively related to their mothers’ use of psychological control and to their peer groups’ use of relational aggression especially when that peer group was seen as relatively cohesive and distinct. In addition, children’s use of relational aggression was more strongly associated with their parents’ use of psychological control than was their peer groups’ use of relational aggression. The current study was the first to examine and compare the associations between parent- and peer-related variables and children’s use of relational aggression.

In the current study, we investigated the association between relational aggression and measures of delinquency and overt aggression in a sample of detained adolescent girls. We also tested the validity of the distinction between reactive and proactive subtypes of relational aggression by testing their independent associations with important emotional, behavioral, personality, social, and cognitive variables that have been studied in past research and found to be important for distinguishing between reactive and proactive overt aggression. Our sample consisted of 58 predominantly African-American (78%) adolescent girls recruited from three juvenile detention centers in the southeastern United States. Participants ranged in age from 12 to 18 (Mn = 14.98; SD = 1.30). Relational aggression was measured using both self-report and observation, while overt aggression, delinquency, and social-psychological variables were measured using self-report only. As predicted, both self-reported and observed relational aggression were associated with higher rates of self-reported delinquency. Self-reported relational aggression was also associated with self-reported overt aggression, while observed relational aggression was not. On a self-report rating scale, we found evidence for four subscales that were moderately correlated and had good internal consistency. These subscales corresponded to the four aggressive subtypes (i.e., reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, proactive relational). Further, we found evidence for divergence between reactive and proactive relational aggression on emotional dysregulation, CU traits, and positive outcome expectations for aggression, supporting the hypothesis that these are important subtypes that could involve distinct developmental processes, similar to reactive and proactive subtypes of overt aggression. Finally, this study found that relational aggression accounted for unique variance in callous and unemotional (CU) traits among detained girls, even after controlling for levels of overt aggression. The current findings highlight the importance of assessing relational aggression in detained girls and could have implications for designing more successful interventions for girls in the juvenile justice system.

The purpose of the current study is to examine the association between self-esteem and the forms and functions of aggression. Research supports the existence of four aggressive subtypes (i.e., reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, and proactive relational), and past research has found associations between aggression and self-esteem. However, past studies have not examined the relationships between all four subtypes of aggression and self-esteem together. 141 adolescents were recruited from the community with a mean age of 13.55. The sampled group was composed of 51% females and 52% Caucasians. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on self-esteem and aggression. The results provide support for an association between proactive aggression and self-esteem. Additionally, overt aggression was more associated with self-esteem than relational aggression. These findings will help fill the gap in literature on the forms and functions of aggression and will further define the relationship between aggression and self-esteem.

Hostile attribution of intent (HAI) is a social information processing pattern that reflects a distorted interpretation of ambiguous social situations as overly negative, personal, and aggressive, leading to further aggression. Previous research has documented the existence of HAI in connection with relational aggression among adolescent girls, but little is known about the role of HAI and physical aggression in this population. This qualitative study explored the experiences of adolescent girls involved in physical fights with another girl in order to determine the types of provocation that led to physical aggression. Participants were 11 girls, ages 15 to 17 years, and 7 parent participants of the girls. School disciplinary records were used to identify participants for the study. All girls who had a disciplinary record for engaging in a physical fight with another female student were invited to participate. A semi-structured interview was conducted, and the parents were given a single-question survey related to socioeconomic status. Data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research as described by Hill, Thompson, and Williams (1997). The study participants reported that relational provocations, such as “talking mess” and “mean mugging,” led to physical aggression. They also noted that the type of help offered by adults to reduce conflict was not effective. Many participants reported receiving messages from adults implying it was acceptable to fight, provided that the participant won the fight. Finally, participants reported that disrespect is an acceptable and expected reason to get into a physical fight. / text