Aggression In Girls Research Articles

Morningness/eveningness, morning-to-afternoon cortisol ratio, and antisocial behavior problems during puberty.

The relationship between morningness/eveningness (M/E) and morning-to-afternoon cortisol ratio, pubertal timing, and antisocial behavior was examined in 111 girls and boys ages 8 to 13 years. Cortisol levels showed a significant increase after awakening and declined thereafter (p<.05). Eveningness was related to a composite measure of antisocial behavior and rule-breaking and attention behavior problems and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms in boys and relational aggression in girls. In boys only, lower a.m. to p.m. cortisol ratio, indicating less circadian decrease in cortisol, was related to attention problems. Early pubertal timing was associated with boys' rule-breaking and attention behavior problems and CD symptoms and girls' relational aggression. The findings indicate that evening activity preference; extreme a.m. to p.m. cortisol ratios, in one case; and early pubertal timing were associated with antisocial behavior even in young adolescents, but the findings were stronger for boys than for girls.

“Sugar and Spice But Not Always Nice”: Gender Socialization and its Impact on Development and Maintenance of Aggression in Adolescent Girls

Aggression in girls is a problem that is gaining increased attention. The indirect forms of relational aggression historically used by girls to harm their victims are increasingly escalating into physical altercations. An understanding of the interplay between the developmental and contextual factors that contribute to learned aggression in girls is needed to inform program development that truly responds to the unique gender socialization of girls. This article examines parental, environmental, and peer factors for their contributions to the development of girls’ aggression. Implications for program development that teaches girls and their families alternative ways of expressing their needs and protecting themselves from harm is discussed.

Social status and aggressive and disruptive behavior in girls: Individual, group, and classroom influences

Recent studies have found distinct subtypes of aggressive youth, marked by either high social status or social marginalization, and that various measures of status differentially associate with aggression. The majority of these studies, however, focused on boys, adolescents, and/or relational aggression in girls. The current research examined how the kind of status measured and the social ecology affect the association between overt aggression and social status in a sample of 187 3rd grade girls. Cluster analysis uncovered aggressive-popular, aggressive-unpopular, and prosocial-popular configurations. Although likeability was related solely to prosocial behavior, other measures of status co-occurred with both prosocial and aggressive behavior. Peer-group behavior complemented that of individuals, though peer-group and classroom acceptance of aggression were not related to cluster prevalence.

Bullying Girls – Changes after Brief Strategic Family Therapy

Aims: Many girls bully others. They are conspicuous because of their risk-taking behavior, increased anger, problematic interpersonal relationships and poor quality of life. Our aim was to determine the effi cacy of brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) for bullying-related behavior, anger reduction, improvement of interpersonal relationships, and improvement of health-related quality of life in girls who bully, and to fi nd out whether their expressive aggression correlates with their distinctive psychological features. Methods: 40 bullying girls were recruited from the general population: 20 were randomly selected for 3 months of BSFT. Follow-up took place 12 months after the therapy had ended. The results of treatment were examined using the Adolescents’ Risktaking Behavior Scale (ARBS), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-D), and the SF–36 Health Survey (SF–36). Results: In comparison with the control group (CG) (according to the intent-to-treat principle), bullying behavior in the BSFT group was reduced (BSFT-G from n=20 to n=6; CG from n=20 to n=18, p=0.05) and statistically signifi cant changes in all risk-taking behaviors (ARBS), on most STAXI, IIP-D, and SF–36 scales were observed after BSFT. The reduction in expressive aggression (Anger-Out scale of the STAXI) correlated with the reduction on several scales of the ARBS, IIP-D, and SF–36. Follow-up a year later showed relatively stable events. Conclusions: Our fi ndings suggest that bullying girls suffer from psychological and social problems which may be reduced by the use of BSFT. Expressive aggression in girls appears to correlate with several types of risk-taking behavior and interpersonal problems, as well as with health-related quality of life.

Parenting predictors of relational aggression among Puerto Rican and European American school-age children

The relationship between parenting and physical aggression is well established. However, less consideration has been given to parenting and relational aggression. The present study investigated four aspects of maternal parenting – overreactivity, laxness, positive affect and negative affect – and their relationships to relational aggression, in a sample of ethnically and socioeconomically diverse families. In the overall sample, positive maternal affect predicted less relational aggression, and negative maternal affect predicted more relational aggression. Laxness was associated with relational aggression in girls. For European American participants, negative affect, overreactivity, and laxness predicted relational aggression, whereas these relationships did not hold for Puerto Rican families. When parenting predictors were considered together, negative affect emerged as the most consistent predictor of relational aggression. Results suggest the need for more research on predictors of relational aggression, and for continued consideration of gender and ethnicity.

Powerlessness and the Use of Indirect Aggression in Friendships

Aggression in girls, especially indirect aggression perpetrated by girls toward other girls, has received increasing attention in the popular press. Various explanations have been offered to explain why girls might use indirect methods more so than boys, including both biological and social explanations. We tested a social contextual explanation; that is, that powerlessness is associated with the use of indirect aggression strategies. Power was conceptualized as both an individual difference variable and as an interpersonal variable. In two studies, we found that for both men and women, lack of power in same gender friendships (defined as anxiety about one’s status in friendships) was associated with greater use of indirect aggression strategies. Further, individual differences in deferent personality characteristics and lack of relational control in a friendship were unrelated to the use of indirect aggression.

From Risky Behavior to Health Risk: Continuity Across Two Generations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of childhood aggression and social withdrawal on adolescent health risk behaviors and adult health outcomes, and to examine the transfer of health risk to preschool offspring. This was a prospective, longitudinal, and intergenerational study of 114 mothers from disadvantaged neighborhoods, who were identified in childhood as being highly aggressive and/or withdrawn or with low scores on these 2 behavioral risk dimensions, and their preschool offspring aged 1 to 6 years old. The health histories of mothers (adolescent health risk behavior, health during pregnancy, current symptoms) and target children were taken during structured interviews conducted at home. Regression analyses tested the relationship between maternal childhood risk status and subsequent health outcomes, and these were followed by structural equation modeling of a proposed intergenerational pathway. Maternal childhood aggression predicted current health risk behaviors (e.g., daily cigarette smoking), whereas maternal childhood social withdrawal was not associated with maternal health risk at the time of testing. Mothers who had high scores on both aggression and withdrawal were more likely to engage in adolescent health risk behavior, which was directly related to health problems in preschoolers (even after controlling for covariates, such as neonatal health status and sex). In summary, there are distinct health trajectories for women who are highly aggressive and socially withdrawn in childhood, with implications for women's long-term health. Specifically, aggression in girls is likely to lead to health risk behaviors that may also place the next generation at risk for pediatric illness. Results are interpreted in terms of the health-hostility link, best known in adult men and intergenerational models.

Aversive Parenting in China: Associations With Child Physical and Relational Aggression

This study assessed the combined and differential contributions of Chinese mothers and fathers (in terms of spouse-reported physically coercive and psychologically controlling parenting) to the development of peer-reported physical and relational aggression in their preschool-age children (mean age of 5 years). Results of the two-group (boys and girls) latent sum and difference structural equation model showed that combined parenting effects were slightly more prevalent than differential effects in predicting aggression. Furthermore, physical coercion was predictive of aggression in boys whereas psychological control was primarily associated with aggression in girls. Findings extend our understanding of relational aggression and the meaning of aversive parenting, particularly within the Chinese cultural context.

They're Cool: Social Status and Peer Group Supports for Aggressive Boys and Girls

This study examined who among the 526 fourth to sixth graders are nominated as among the coolest kids in their class. There were two questions: (1) Are popular-aggressive (tough) children nominated as cool by a broad spectrum of their peers, or only by a select few? (2) Does variability in children’s cool nominations more closely follow their individual characteristics or group affiliations? Three-level hierarchical linear modeling (nominators in groups in classrooms) tested the study hypotheses. The main finding was that children in aggressive groups nominated tough peers as cool and children in nonaggressive groups nominated popular-nonaggressive (model) peers, regardless of nominators’ individual characteristics or the prominence of their groups across diverse classroom contexts. Girls were proportionately more likely to nominate tough than model boys, but only a minority (less than 25 percent) of relatively aggressive girls nominated any boys as cool. Findings indicate that normative boy and girl peer cultures give broad reputational support to some aggressive children.

A Longitudinal Study of Relational Aggression, Physical Aggression, and Children's Social–Psychological Adjustment

Although great strides have recently been made in our understanding of relational aggression and its consequences, one significant limitation has been the lack of prospective studies. The present research addressed this issue by identifying and assessing groups of relationally aggressive, physically aggressive, relationally plus physically aggressive (co-morbid), and nonaggressive children during their third grade year in elementary school and then reassessing them a year later, during fourth-grade (N = 224, 113 girls). Two aspects of social-psychological adjustment were assessed during both assessment periods including internalizing difficulties (i.e., withdrawal, depression/anxiety, and somatic complaints) and externalizing problems (i.e., aggressive behavior, delinquency). It was revealed that the strongest predictor of future social-psychological adjustment problems and increases in these problems from third to fourth was the combination of relational and physical aggression. Relational aggression also contributed unique information, relative to physical aggression, in the prediction of future maladjustment. Implications of these findings for future research and prevention efforts, particularly for aggressive girls, are discussed.

Social Information Processing and Coping Strategies of Shy/Withdrawn and Aggressive Children: Does Friendship Matter?

The primary objectives of this investigation were to examine the attributions, emotional reactions, and coping strategies of shy/withdrawn and aggressive girls and boys and to examine whether such social cognitions differ within the relationship context of friendship. Drawn from a sample of fifth and sixth graders (M age = 10.79 years; SD = .77), 78 shy/withdrawn, 76 aggressive, and 85 control children were presented with hypothetical social situations that first involved unfamiliar peers, and then a mutual good friend. Results revealed group and gender differences and similarities, depending on the relationship context. From our findings emerges a central message: friends' involvement during interpersonal challenges or stressors mitigates children's attributions, emotions, and coping responses.

The Development and Treatment of Girlhood Aggression

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewsFull AccessThe Development and Treatment of Girlhood AggressionMaryann Davis, Ph.D.Maryann DavisSearch for more papers by this author, Ph.D.Published Online:1 Feb 2006https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.57.2.281AboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail This edited volume offers current pioneering work on the development and consequences of aggression among girls. The purpose of the volume is to highlight current understanding, identify targets for treatment and prevention, and raise new questions about future research.The book is organized into five sections, each with two research chapters and a concluding commentary chapter. This format is appealing, as commentators clarify the importance, similarities, or differences in findings as well as critique methods or interpretation. Each section includes a focus, developmental and measurement issues, physical aggression, social context, treatment aspects, and outcomes among young adults. There is also much overlap in the reported findings, which are, fortunately, largely congruent. Readers should note, however, that most of the studies were conducted in Canada.Important findings that arose repeatedly include the fact that there are many similarities between the causes and nature of girls' and boys' aggression, but that there are important differences, including the social nature and consequences of girlhood aggression and the relationship of aggressive adolescent girls to boys. Various authors provide compelling evidence that physical aggression among girls, although less prevalent than among boys, has serious consequences—for example, teen pregnancy, school failure, unemployment, and relational violence. The final chapters, emphasizing young adult functioning, particularly as it relates to parenting the next generation, provides some of the most compelling reasons for expanded research in this area.Some of the most intriguing chapters include the finding, by Baillargeon and colleagues, that physical aggression, when carefully measured on the basis of concretely observable forms—for example, fighting, kicking, and biting—evidences gender differences as early as ages 2 and 3 years. The chapter by Xie and colleagues offers a thorough discussion of measures and definitions of social aggression, which is consistently more common among girls than boys. However, although these and other authors submit that it is also important to reduce social aggression, they fail to demonstrate its impact on either the perpetrator or the victim and, in fact, provide data suggesting that socially aggressive girls are educationally more successful. One of the most easily read and intriguing chapters is by Artz, who describes themes that have emerged from her qualitative study of violent adolescent girls in Vancouver, British Columbia. She concludes that the most violent girls are caught in a trap of seeking to ally with those they perceive as being in power—namely, males. These girls resort to violence to protect their reputations and their romantic or sexual relationships and define their own worth primarily in terms of their ability to attract male peers. Finally, the chapter by Stack and associates on girls' aggression across the life course provides compelling evidence about the link of girlhood aggression, through complex pathways, to poor as well as adequate parenting. Of particular interest is the finding that although girlhood aggression was found to predict numerous subsequent difficulties, the group at the highest risk was girls who were highly aggressive and socially withdrawn.Overall, this is a very useful and thought-provoking book for both clinicians and researchers.Dr. Davis is assistant professor in the center for mental health services research of the department of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.edited by Debra Pepler, Kirsten Madsen, Christopher Webster, and Katrhyn Levene; Mahwah, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003, 256 pages, $69.95 FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byNone Volume 57Issue 2 February 2006Pages 281-281 Metrics History Published online 1 February 2006 Published in print 1 February 2006

Review of The Development and Treatment of Girlhood Aggression.

DEBRA J. PEPLER, KIRSTEN C. MADSEN, CHRISTOPHER D. WEBSTER, and KATHRYN S. LEVENE (Eds.) The Development and Treatment of Girlhood Aggression Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005, 336 pages (ISBN 0-8058-4039-7, CDN$87.96 Cloth) Reviewed by ISABELA GRANIC This edited volume represents a compilation of papers that were presented at a 1999 symposium on girls' aggression and includes all the presenters in that symposium as well as several additional authors who contributed chapters or commentaries. It includes the pioneering work of a prestigious set of international scholars who have recently turned their research lens towards the burgeoning field of girls' aggressive behaviour. The general objectives of the book are to 1) provide up-to-date information about what is known about aggressive girls, 2) discuss prevention and intervention implications, and 3) raise new questions for future research. The collective authors meet these goals admirably. It is an ambitious volume covering a wide array of issues, disciplines and developmental phases. Each of the chapters is well written and thoughtful, highlighting current research knowledge and the large number of questions still to be answered through future studies. After each of the five sections of the book, a commentary is provided by some of the most prominent researchers in the field. On the whole, these commentaries are extremely useful in contextualizing each chapter and highlighting the key strengths, limitations, controversies, and implications associated with the papers. Aggressive girls have long been overlooked in the research literature and this set of papers makes a compelling case for why this should be, and is, no longer the case. The book provides a comprehensive sweep of what is currently known about the development and treatment of girls' aggression and, thus, it would make an excellent graduate text for students studying developmental psychopathology and clinical psychology, particularly those interested in childhood aggression and sex differences. Throughout the various chapters, a number of related themes emerge. Although these themes may be important for understanding aggression in boys as well, the authors argue convincingly that these issues are particularly salient and provide stronger predictive power for girls' aggression. First, it is clear to most of the volume's contributors that girls' aggressive behaviour should be understood and studied as a relationship problem. As highlighted in the chapters by Pepler and Madsen, Pepler and Craig, Miller-Johnson, and colleagues, Xie and colleagues, Artz, and Levene and colleagues, the most important factors that promote, maintain, and amplify aggression in girls all point to difficulties in core relationships. These relationships include those with parents, siblings, friends, peer groups, and romantic partners. A second theme that re-emerges throughout the various chapters is the importance of understanding the developmental context within which girls' aggression is embedded. The risks, long-term outcomes, and treatment implications differ substantially for 2-3-year-old girls who are physically aggressive (discussed by Baillargeon, Tremblay, & Wilms), adolescent girls who engage in fierce forms of social aggression (examined by Xie, Cairns, & Cairns as well as Artz), and antisocial women who become mothers to at-risk children (discussed by Zoccolillo and colleagues and Stack and colleagues). A third theme that is highlighted by several authors is the transactional, interactional nature of girls' aggression. That is, aggressive behaviour in these troubled girls' lives develops through a confluence of intraindividual factors, including hyperactivity/inattention, early pubertal development and social cognitions, which reciprocally and iteratively interact with risky environmental contexts such as poor parenting practices, sexual abuse, aggressive siblings, and antisocial peer contexts. The chapter by Pepler and Craig makes this point most explicitly, but the interactional framework is evident in the majority of the contributions. …

Aggression, antisocial behavior, and violence among girls: a developmental perspective

Part I: Setting the Stage: Understanding the Development of Gender Differences in Aggression and Antisocial Behavior. Maccoby, Aggression in the Context of Gender Development. Susman, Pajer, Biology-behavior Integration and Antisocial Behavior in Girls. Zahn-Waxler, Polanichka, All Things Interpersonal: Socialization and Female Aggression. Part II: Aggression and Victimization Among Girls in Childhood. Crick, Ostrov, Appleyard, Jansen, Casas, Relational Aggression in Early Childhood: You Can't Come to My Birthday Party Unless.... Pepler, Craig, Yuile, Connolly, Girls Who Bully: A Developmental and Relational Perspective. Putallaz, Kupersmidt, Coie, McKnight, Grimes, A Behavior Analysis of Girls' Aggression and Victimization. Part III: Understanding Antisocial and Related Problem Behaviors in Adolescent Girls. Bierman, Bruschi, Domitrovich, Yan Fang, Miller-Johnson, and the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group, Early Disruptive Behaviors Associated with Emerging Antisocial Behavior Among Girls. Trickett, Gordis, Aggression and Antisocial Behavior in Sexually Abused Females. Giordano, Cernkovich, Lowery, A Long-term Follow-up of Serious Adolescent Female Offenders. Chesney-Lind, Belknap, Trends in Delinquent Girls' Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review of the Evidence. Part IV: Girls as Perpetrators and Victims of Abusive and Conflictual Relationships: Adolescence and Adulthood. Capaldi, Kim, Shortt, Women's Involvement in Aggression in Young Adult Romantic Relationships: A Developmental Systems Model. Zoccolillo, Paquette, Azar, Cote, Tremblay, Parenting as an Important Outcome of Conduct Disorder in Girls. Serbin, Stack, De Genna, Grunzeweig, Temcheff, Schwartzman, Ledingham, When Aggressive Girls Become Mothers: Problems in Parenting, Health, and Development across Two Generations, V. Implications for Policy and Prevention. Underwood, Coie, Commentary 1: Future Directions and Priorities for Prevention and Intervention. Dodge, Commentary 2: Public Policy and the Discovery of Girls' Aggressive Behavior.

The Relationship Between Indirect and Physical Aggression on Television and in Real Life

AbstractViewing indirect aggression on television has been shown to have negative short‐term effects on a viewer's subsequent aggressive behavior; however, the longer term relationship between viewing indirect aggression on television and in real life has not yet been examined. Three hundred and forty‐seven adolescents, aged 11–14, were asked to list their five favorite television programs. These programs were analyzed for the amount and type of aggression they contained. Peer‐nominated indirect aggression was predicted by other aggressive behavior, sex, and televised indirect aggression. In particular, indirectly aggressive girls viewed more indirect aggression on television than any other group. Peer‐nominated physical aggression was predicted by other aggressive behavior and sex, but not by televised physical or indirect aggression. This study provides a starting point for future long‐term research on the effect of viewing indirect aggression in the media.

The Relevance of the Social Information Processing Model for Understanding Relational Aggression in Girls

Two studies examined whether social information-processing variables predict relational aggression in girls. In Study 1, fourth- through sixth-grade girls reported their intent attributions, social goals, outcome expectancies for relational aggression, and the likelihood that they would choose a relationally aggressive response in response to vignettes depicting ambiguous relational provocation situations. In Study 2, girls reported their intent attributions, evaluations of relational aggression, and likelihood of choosing a relationally aggressive response in response to ambiguous relational provocation vignettes. Social-cognitive variables failed to relate significantly to peer nominations of relational aggression in predicted ways in either study, challenging the relevance of the social information-processing model for girls.

A Psychoeducational Group for Aggressive Adolescent Girls

This article describes an eight-session psychoeducational group for aggressive adolescent girls. The content of the group sessions is based on research that has identified gender-specific issues related to aggression in adolescent girls, such as gender-role socialization, childhood abuse, relational aggression, horizontal violence, and girl culture. Nonaggressive coping strategies are also discussed. Initial evaluation showed that girls did change some of their attitudes about their aggressive behavior.

Relational, Indirect, Adaptive, or Just Mean: Recent Studies on Aggression in Adolescent Girls—Part II

Recent research on gender differences in aggressive behaviors is reviewed in this second of a two-part article on the aggression of girls. The objective here is to use findings from studies done by social scientists to confirm and extend vivid reports in recent popular texts (Hadley, 2003). Findings are first summarized and then detailed with methodological issues and some theoretical implications discussed by way of conclusion. This recent research supports observations of differences in the aggression of boys and of girls. It points to the need for further research and discussion on the topic of gender and aggression.

Relational Aggression of Girls in Treatment: A Challenge for Male Practitioners

ABSTRACT This study examined the concept of relational aggression and its application to high-risk girls in treatment. Sixteen male practitioners from 9 different agencies serving young people were interviewed about their feelings and perceptions in working with female clients. The survey presents selected examples of manifestations of relational aggression and victimization related to the cross-gender therapeutic relationship. These examples expand upon traditional notions of the concept, which tended to focus on peer-to-peer relationships in the school setting. Implications for practice are discussed.

"That I Would Be Good": Laying the Groundwork for the History of American Girlhood

It has taken a century and a half for the snakes and snails of girls rather than the sugar and spice to attract attention. Texts such as Rachel Simmon's Odd Girl Out: The Secret Culture of Aggression in Girls (2002) and Sharon Lamb's The Secret Lives of Girls: What Good Girls Really Do-Sex Play, Aggression, and Their Guilt (2002) are on the bestseller list. Reactions to the brutal hazing by girls at a Michigan high school recently, and the plethora of horrific stories aired on talk shows such as Oprah and Montel demonstrate that debunking the myth of the good carries emotional freight even in these jaded times. But that is not all: girls are also presented as exceptionally vulnerable in texts like Mary Pipher's bestselling Reviving Ophelia (1994), or thwarted by social expectations, as in Smart Girls, Gifted Women (1985) by Barbara Kerr. Alongside its famous campaigns to stop drugs and alcohol abuse, the Ad Council has now turned to the business of encouraging Americans to value girls. For those of us who were girls, have girls, or study girls, it is clear that girlhood as a subject is coming into its own and yet, despite the wealth of recent popular texts on girls in American culture, girl remains relatively unexplored. This is surprising in part because the history of childhood has become such a viable field in the past fifteen years. Yet, historians of childhood have focused more on region, race, and ethnicity than gender. There are a few exceptions, such as Miriam Formanek-Brunell's Made to Play House (1993) and Beverly Lyon Clark's Regendering the School Story (1996). But even as these works take a historical perspective on the intersection of gender, age, and cultural change, one cannot describe them as histories. They stem from gender studies and are more about cultural analysis than the historical experiences of girls. Such approaches cannot be pulled apart entirely, of course, but that does not mean they are one and the same.