Small Group Intervention for 5th Grade Girls involved with Relational Aggression Jennifer Goslin June 1, 2012

Relational Aggression Has only been the focus of research since the late 1980’s (Geiger, Zimmer-Gembeck & Crick, 2004) The aggressor uses relationships as a way of harming the intended target (Geiger et al., 2004) Talking about someone behind their back Excluding others Spreading rumors Using body language in a hurtful way Telling someone not to be friends with certain people Telling someone to do something or they won’t be their friend anymore Terms to know: overt aggression- physical and direct verbal aggression Social aggression (term widely used by Underwood) is same as relational but incldues non-verbal behaviors but I include this in the definition of relational aggression Indirect aggression- harm done in a concealed way The lack of consensus on a common term, definition and method of measurement has led to unclear picture of who is at risk

Relational Aggressive Behavior & Peer Relationships Social DominanceTheory (Neal 2010) Kids can be perceived as popular but not liked (Estell et al., 2008) Others experience peer rejection (Schechtman & Ifargan, 2009) Rejected children engage in overt/relational aggression more and were more likely to be victims- 4th graders (Putallaz et al., 2007) Neal 2010- Social dominance theory implies that some children use social aggression as a mechanism toward advancement in the peer social hierarchy. Thus, these behaviors should be positively associated with perceived popularity and social network position because these indicators focus more heavily on children’s prominence within their peer group. (p. 125) The combination of decreased peer tolerance for physical aggression and developmental advances in cognition and social skills that provide early adolescents with enhanced capacity to manipulate social relationships may make socially aggressive behaviors an increasingly viable strategy for securing social dominance. (p. 128) Rejected children (Putallaz et al, 2007)- rejected children may aggress in a manner that provokes reciprocal aggression, either because of its reactive nature or because of their general lack of skillfulness....the lack of social competence of rejected children may make even their relationally aggressive acts obvious to their peers. (p. 540)

Gender Differences Conflicting evidence of the prevalence of relational aggression among girls as compared to boys Girls perceived indirect and direct relational aggression as more harmful than boys (Coyne et al., 2006; Murray-Close et al., 2006) Girls preferred relational aggressive behaviors over overtly aggressive behaviors compared to boys (Putallaz et al., 2007; Leff et al., 2010) Girls are more relationally victimized while boys are more overtly victimized (Dempsey et al, 2006; Putallaz et al., 2007)

Interventions Few programs target relational aggression Working with victims Social problem solving skills Inclusion Improving entry into peer relationships Prosocial behaviors Coping strategies Assertiveness skills Working with kids who are relationally aggressive Learn how to resolve conflict without manipulative strategies Use social influence in a prosocial manner Both groups need to connect with kids outside their own peer group

Getalong Girls Group- Methodology 16 fifth grade girls (split into two groups) 8 White/non-Hispanic, 5 Hispanic, 2 African American and 1 Asian 3 students were receiving Special Education services and 4 students were English Language Learners Curriculum was modified from Kupkovits’ (2011) book- Relational Aggression in Girls Every girl was invited to participate- 45 were interested, 33 had parental consent. 16 were chosen from teacher/counselor input for this study. The others could do a spring group

Procedure Students were met individually 5th grade teachers Signed consent Pre-assessment for knowledge & beliefs about relational aggression 5th grade teachers Pre-classroom behavior evaluation for each girl 30 minute groups that met during lunch/recess over 8 weeks Activities utilized pictures, active participation and writing exercises Lessons focused on learning about relational aggression, assertiveness skills, healthy friendships, feelings, and empathy Journals – voluntary and brought each week