Social Policy Report Brief How Relational Aggression Affects Children’s

Development and Well-being

Relational aggression is most prevalent among elementary and middle school girls and is most

prevalent in grades 4-9 (11) when social skills are developing and peer groups are influential.

Relational aggression has strong comorbidity with depression, conduct disorder, anxiety,

attachment disorders, and physical aggression (12). 31% suffer from depression, anxiety and

attachment disorders. This can lead to poor academic achievement, social and cognitive

development, and well-being (13). Relational aggression has been shown to occur in both boys and

girls, but girls are seen to utilize it more. These children are more likely to have poor social skills

and be involved in the justice system in adolescence (14).

Why Does This Matter?

Policy Implications

To strengthen children’s knowledge and social problem-solving skills as well as increase the

use of prosocial behaviors, policymakers could:

Promote the implementation of informal posters into schools outlining a clear

definition of what relational aggression is, looks like, and examples of prosocial

behavior that can be understood by elementary and middle school children.

Set in place that each elementary and middle school have some form of social

aggression bullying prevention program instituted to all grades in the appropriate

language complexity.

Provide training to community leaders to increase the child’s access to adults who

they can ask about how to solve a socially aggressive problem.

Create a stronger sense of community within schools because if children feel they

belong to their school they are less likely to engage in relationally aggressive

behaviors (1)

1.Maurizi, L., Ceballo, R., Epstein-Ngo, Q., & Cortina, K. (2013). Does Neighborhood Belonging Matter? Examining School and Neighborhood Belonging as Protective Factors for Latino

Adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 83(2), 323-334. doi:10.1111/ajop.12017; 2. Kwon, K., Kim, E.M., Sheridan, S.M. (2014). The Role of Beliefs About the Importance of

Social Skills in Elementary Children’s Social Behaviors and School Attitudes. Journal of Child Youth Care Forum, 43, 455-467. Doi: 10.007/s10566-014-9247-0; 3. Dulmus, C., Sowers, K.

M., & Theriot, M. T. (2006). Prevalence and bullying experiences of victims and victims who become bullies (bully-victims) at rural schools. Victims and Offenders, 1(1), 15-31. & Nansel,

T. R. Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment .

Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094–2100.; 4.Zweig, J.M., Dank, M., Lachman, P., Yahner, J. (2013). Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying.

Washington, DC: Urban Institute Justice Policy Center; 5. National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013; 6.The National Crime Victimization Survey, 2011; 7.Leff, S. (2011). Preventing

and Intervening in Relational Aggression [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/cyfc/our-programs/lessons-from-the-

field/relational-aggression/docs/LeffPPT.pdf ; 8. Leadbeater, B., Banister, E., Ellis, W., & Yeung, R. (2008). Victimization and Relational Aggression in Adolescent Romantic Relationships:

The Influence of Parental and Peer Behaviors, and Individual Adjustment. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 37, 359-372. doi: 10.1007/s10964-007-9269-0.

Office for

Policy and

Communication

for Children’s

Development

and Well-

being

Policy and

Communications

Justine Wendland

B.A.

Brief Writer

Justine Wendland

Social Policy

Report

Justine Wendland

For additional

information about

Relational

Aggression among

Girls please visit

http://www.canadi

ancrc.com/PDFs/A

ggressive_Girls_Fe

male_Violence_HE

ALTH_CANADA_e.

pdf

Facts at a Glance

What the Research Says

Children’s beliefs about the importance of

social skills, school attitudes, social skills,

aggression, and school attitudes yielded no

differences between boys and girls. (2)

Children in Canadian rural schools are 3-5%

more likely to experience relational aggression

than those in urban schools. (3)

50% of female and 39% of males reported

experiencing relational aggression (4)

In 2013 the National Center for Educational

Statistics in the United States found roughly 1

in 3 (27.8%) students reported experiencing

some form of relational aggression in during

the last school year (5)

27.8% of students in the US age 12-18

reported incidents of bullying at their school in

2011 (6)

Re

Relational aggression can lead to social

problem-solving deficits, internalizing of

problems, peer and relationship problems in

adolescence and adulthood, and comorbidity

with other disorders (7).

The costs of relational aggression to society are

significant and continue to grow as the child

enters into adulthood (8).

Relationally aggressive children are at higher

risk of involving themselves in deviant peers

groups, engaging in physical aggression, and

significantly impacting the rates of academic

success (9)

The majority of risk factors reside in an

unstructured school-based context. (10)

9. Leff, S. (2011). Preventing and Intervening in Relational Aggression [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/cyfc/our-programs/lessons-from-the-field/relational-

aggression/docs/LeffPPT.pdf; Leadbeater, B., Banister, E., Ellis, W., & Yeung, R. (2008). Victimization and Relational Aggression in Adolescent Romantic Relationships: The Influence of Parental and Peer Behaviors, and Individual

Adjustment. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 37, 359-372. doi: 10.1007/s10964-007-9269-0; 10.Merrell, K., Buchanan, R., & Tran, O. (2006). RELATIONAL AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A REVIEW WITH

IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL SETTINGs. Journal of Psychology in the Schools, 43(3), 345-360. doi:10.1002/pits.20145, 8 Maurizi, L., Ceballo, R., Epstein-Ngo, Q., & Cortina, K. (2013). Does Neighborhood Belonging Matter?

Examining School and Neighborhood Belonging as Protective Factors for Latino Adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 83(2), 323-334. doi:10.1111/ajop.12017; Leff, S., Waasdorp, T.E., Paskewich, B., Gullan, R., Jawad, A.

Power, T. (2010). The Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday Program: A Preliminary Evaluation of Acceptability and Impact. School Psychology Review, 39(4), 569-587. Retrieved from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113534/;; Leff, S. (2011). Preventing and Intervening in Relational Aggression [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/cyfc/our-programs/lessons-from-the-field/relational-aggression/docs/LeffPPT.pdf, 9 Leff, S. (2011). Preventing and Intervening in Relational Aggression [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Lecture

Notes Online Web site: http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/cyfc/our-programs/lessons-from-the-field/relational-aggression/docs/LeffPPT.pdf; 11. (Card & Kistner, 2006; Leff, Waasdorp, Paskewich, Gullan, Jawad, MacEvoy, Feinberg,

& Power, 2010; White et al., 2011; Ostrov & Godleski, 2013; Radliff & Joseph, 2011); 11. (Card & Kistner, 2006; Leff, Waasdorp, Paskewich, Gullan, Jawad, MacEvoy, Feinberg, & Power, 2010; White et al., 2011; Ostrov & Godleski,

2013; Radliff & Joseph, 2011); 12. (Leff, 2011; Leadbeater, Banister, Ellis, & Yeung, 2008).; 13. (Maurizi, Ceballo, Epstein-Ngo, & Cortina, 2013; Leff, et al., 2010, Leff, 2011); 14. DeAngelis, T. (2003). Girls use a different kind of

weapon. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/girls.aspx.

Policy implications (continued)

Policymakers and nongovernment organizations-including professional organizations-could also:

Build public understanding of the importance of early childhood socially aggressive behaviors and

their co-morbidity with other issues and future concerns.

Have school wide presentations about relational aggression to make the issue more aware to children.

Provide extra resources and materials for rural communities.

Form connections with school to offer parents of relationally aggressive children extra training if both

parents and teacher feel it would be beneficial

Involve the target population in the decision making before implementing new policies or programs to

ensure they are targeting the behavior relationally aggressive children and their peers identify as

problematic. Relationally aggressive children are more likely to have

lower academic achievement, increased likelihood of

developing physical aggression, and poorer social

problem-solving skills. All of which, if not dealt with in

childhood, will continue into adolescence and young

adulthood. The cost to the community and Province will

be significantly more long term than implementing a

social aggression prevention program school wide staring

in elementary school.