Relational Aggression Research Articles

Relational Aggression Targeting the Parent-Child Bond: A Pilot Study of Parent-Child Bond-Breaking Behavior

ABSTRACT Relational aggression involves targeting and weaponizing relationships. Similarly, what is currently called parental alienation (PA) behavior, concerns targeting and weaponizing the parent–child relationship in the context of separation and divorce by one parent in order to disrupt the bond between the child and their other parent. In this study we report results from 46 separated and divorced parents evaluating a new parent-child bond-breaking measure and examining associations among parents’ attachment, romantic relational aggression, and bond-breaking. Recognition of parent-child bond-breaking as relational aggression links it to a robust scientific literature base, enhances measurement, and opens new lines of scientific inquiry.

Investigating Preschoolers’ Perspectives on Aggression Through Observation and Video-Stimulated Recall

ABSTRACT This article explores video-stimulated recall as a novel approach to understanding children’s decisions to engage in relational and physical aggression. Past studies have relied on caregiver and observer reports to investigate children’s social behaviors, omitting children’s experience and interpretation of their own behavior. Within this Australian study, 68 children age 3 to 5 years were assessed for relational aggression by teachers. Nine children identified by teachers with high relational aggression and seven children identified with average levels of relational aggression were video recorded while engaging in free play. Immediately afterward, video footage of the child engaging in aggressive behavior was shown to the child to stimulate recall of the reasons for their behavior. Subsequent analysis were focused on assessing the intentions and functions of children’s aggressive behaviors, as reported by the child. Focusing on children’s own interpretations enabled a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the child’s social cognitive processes about the intent and functions of their aggression. We demonstrate that video observations alongside video-stimulated interviews can be used to effectively elicit children’s interpretations of their own behaviors. Incorporating children’s perspectives in research and practice has several implications, such as improving communication between children and adults and fostering children’s self-reflective awareness.

Verbal, physical and relational aggression: individual differences in emotion and cognitive regulation strategies

Cognitive and emotion regulation strategies play an influential role in the display of aggression, however much of this research has failed to identify specific regulation strategies related to aggression. The study’s objective was to assess how emotional processes and the habitual use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies are associated with trait aggression. Participants (N = 306; Mage = 33.79; SD = 13.29), completed a self-report survey battery assessing four subtypes of trait aggression (physical, verbal and romantic relational and peer-directed relational), emotion (anger, hostility) and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (blaming others, blaming self, ruminating, catastrophizing). Results indicated that anger and hostility (the emotion based variables) had greater influence on all subtypes of trait aggression (physical, verbal, and relational aggression), compared to cognitive emotion regulation strategies which had less of an influence. Blaming others had a positive association with physical and peer directed relational aggression. Low levels of rumination were associated with physical aggression, while low levels of self-blame were associated with peer directed relational aggression. Findings suggest that maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies have differential impact on different forms of aggressive behavior.

Can Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Protect from Relational Aggression and Victimization in College?

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of peer relationships in college, limited research has explored factors protecting students from the development of relational aggression and victimization, despite evidence of the manifestation of these phenomena. This study explored associations between negative emotional states, mindfulness and self-compassion, and relational aggression and victimization in a sample of college students. It was hypothesized that facets of mindfulness and self-compassion would predict lesser relational aggression/victimization and mediate the relationship between negative emotional states and relational aggression/victimization. A total of 389 university students were recruited from United Kingdom tertiary education institutions completing measures on relational aggression and victimization, mindfulness and self-compassion, and negative emotional states. Using regression analyses, results indicated that mindfulness facets of acting with awareness and nonjudgement negatively predicted relational aggression, while acting with awareness and reverse self-isolation negatively predicted relational victimization. The findings supported the hypothesis that mindfulness facets mediated the relationship between negative emotional states and relational aggression/victimization suggesting that these processes may operate protectively. The study considers research and practice implications in colleges.

A Social Process Model of forms of aggression and victimization and internalizing problems

Using one-year longitudinal data, the present study examined the association between forms of aggression and internalizing problems and whether peer rejection and victimization mediated this association among Taiwanese children. Participants in the current study were 269 fourth and fifth graders (51% boys and 49% girls; M age = 10.02 for boys and 9.99 for girls, at the first time point) from four public elementary schools in northern Taiwan. Data was collected at three time points during one calendar year, six months apart (fall of grades 4 and 5, spring of grades 4 and 5, fall of grades 5 and 6). Serial mediation models were tested in which independent variables were forms of aggression (relational and physical), mediators were peer rejection and forms of peer victimization (relational and physical), and dependent variables were internalizing problems. Results indicated that peer rejection and relational victimization, in that order, mediated the association between relational aggression and internalizing problems, while controlling for gender (serial mediation: relational aggression → peer rejection → relational victimization → internalizing problems). In contrast, the results did not support the mediation or indirect effect of physical aggression on internalizing problems through peer rejection and physical victimization. However, physical aggression directly predicted internalizing problems during one school year. These differences in the pathways from each form of aggression to internalizing problems via peer rejection and forms of peer victimization suggest the need for differentiated intervention and prevention programs for at-risk youth with forms of aggression and victimization in Taiwanese schools.

Unique roles of adolescents' friends and fathers in predicting verbal aggression in future adult romantic relationships.

This 20-year prospective study examined verbal aggression and intense conflict within the family of origin and between adolescents and their close friends as predictors of future verbal aggression in adult romantic relationships. A diverse community sample of 154 individuals was assessed repeatedly from age 13 to 34 years using self-, parent, peer, and romantic partner reports. As hypothesized, verbal aggression in adult romantic relationships was best predicted by both paternal verbal aggression toward mothers and by intense conflict within adolescent close friendships, with each factor contributing unique variance to explaining adult romantic verbal aggression. These factors also interacted, such that paternal verbal aggression was predictive of future romantic verbal aggression only in the context of co-occurring intense conflict between an adolescent and their closest friend. Predictions remained robust even after accounting for levels of parental abusive behavior toward the adolescent, levels of physical violence between parents, and the overall quality of the adolescent's close friendship. Results indicate the critical importance of exposure to aggression and conflict within key horizontal relationships in adolescence. Implications for early identification of risk as well as for potential preventive interventions are discussed.

Associations between forms of aggression and peer victimization: Does prosocial behavior matter?

Relatively little is known regarding factors that may mitigate the strength of the associations between forms of aggressive behavior and peer victimization. The goal of the current study was to investigate prosocial behavior as a moderator of these links over a 2-year period during middle childhood. Participants included 410 third-grade students (53% boys) and their homeroom teachers. Results indicated that prosocial behavior was associated with lower initial levels of victimization, whereas relational aggression was associated with higher initial levels of victimization. Physical aggression predicted more stable patterns of victimization over time, and prosocial behavior moderated the prospective link from relational aggression to peer victimization; specifically, relational aggression predicted decreases in victimization at higher levels of prosocial behavior and more stable patterns over time when levels of prosocial behavior were low. Further, gender differences were observed in the moderating effect of prosocial behavior on the prospective link from physical aggression to peer victimization, such that it served as a risk factor for boys and a protective factor for girls.

A social-ecological model of preschoolers' aggressive behavior: An exploratory analysis.

Understanding classroom-level correlates of preschool children's aggressive behavior is critical to identifying multiple avenues for intervention within schools. The present school-based study evaluated the reliability and validity of a classroom-level measure of physical and relational aggression and examined a social-ecological model to test whether individual variables (i.e., temperament), dyadic peer factors (i.e., peer victimization, the number of a child's play partners), and classroom-level aggression were associated with individual aggression. Observations of play partners and teacher reports of temperament (i.e., daring, prosociality, and negative emotionality), peer victimization (i.e., physical and relational victimization), and classroom aggression were collected in a sample of preschoolers (N = 307; Mage = 48.99 months, SD = 7.51). Observer reports of aggression were used to create aggression severity and directionality scores, reflecting the overall level of aggression a child displays and their propensity to use physical relative to relational aggression, respectively. There was evidence to support the reliability and validity of the classroom-level aggression measure providing initial support that this measure could be used by school psychologists. A multilevel regression model indicated that higher levels of negative emotionality, daring, and a greater number of play partners were associated with higher levels of aggression severity. Children in classrooms with more relational aggression were more likely to use relational instead of physical aggression. These findings demonstrate the importance for school psychologists to account for multiple levels of influence when examining preschoolers' aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Violência escolar e o exercício da autoridade do professor: um estudo com adolescentes de São Paulo

Abstract This article investigated school violence based on a longitudinal survey conducted with adolescents in São Paulo. This is a quantitative research that analyzed the relation between the experience and the practice of violence among adolescents and their perceptions of the school climate and teachers’ authority with a structural equation model. Results showed that school victimization and relational aggression are related and negatively influence the evaluation of the school climate and the legitimacy of teachers. In turn, when teachers exercise their power based on values such as respect and impartiality, there is a positive effect on students’ perceptions, which might be a key to avoiding conflicts.

A convolutional neural network with image and numerical data to improve farming of edible crickets as a source of food-A decision support system.

Crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) produce sounds as a natural means to communicate and convey various behaviors and activities, including mating, feeding, aggression, distress, and more. These vocalizations are intricately linked to prevailing environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. By accurately monitoring, identifying, and appropriately addressing these behaviors and activities, the farming and production of crickets can be enhanced. This research implemented a decision support system that leverages machine learning (ML) algorithms to decode and classify cricket songs, along with their associated key weather variables (temperature and humidity). Videos capturing cricket behavior and weather variables were recorded. From these videos, sound signals were extracted and classified such as calling, aggression, and courtship. Numerical and image features were extracted from the sound signals and combined with the weather variables. The extracted numerical features, i.e., Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), Linear Frequency Cepstral Coefficients, and chroma, were used to train shallow (support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, and random forest (RF)) ML algorithms. While image features, i.e., spectrograms, were used to train different state-of-the-art deep ML models, i,e., convolutional neural network architectures (ResNet152V2, VGG16, and EfficientNetB4). In the deep ML category, ResNet152V2 had the best accuracy of 99.42%. The RF algorithm had the best accuracy of 95.63% in the shallow ML category when trained with a combination of MFCC+chroma and after feature selection. In descending order of importance, the top 6 ranked features in the RF algorithm were, namely humidity, temperature, C#, mfcc11, mfcc10, and D. From the selected features, it is notable that temperature and humidity are necessary for growth and metabolic activities in insects. Moreover, the songs produced by certain cricket species naturally align to musical tones such as C# and D as ranked by the algorithm. Using this knowledge, a decision support system was built to guide farmers about the optimal temperature and humidity ranges and interpret the songs (calling, aggression, and courtship) in relation to weather variables. With this information, farmers can put in place suitable measures such as temperature regulation, humidity control, addressing aggressors, and other relevant interventions to minimize or eliminate losses and enhance cricket production.

Psychosocial Factors and Dating Violence: A Review of the Literature

Dating violence is a major source of concern among the general population. Previous literature reviews have studied many other risk factors and dyadic implications of dating violence, but there has been very little research done in diverse elements of psychosocial factors linked to dating violence. The articles related to the term’s psychosocial factors (personality traits, attachment style and loneliness) and we looked for phrases linked to dating violence (aggression in romantic partnerships, violence in intimate relationships). The studies for this literature review must be from original studies with any gender sampling and should be written in English. This review included 27 papers that met the criteria for inclusion. The findings of this literature analysis revealed inconsistent results regarding the association between psychosocial factors and violent behaviour in romantic relationships, with some studies unable to detect such links. These findings are explored in terms of current gaps in the literature as well as suggested future research areas. The implication of this study can help in understanding the psychosocial factors that form the basis of relational aggression in romantic relationships and as a proactive step to avoid from being a victim of relational aggression.

The Effectiveness of Positive Mindfulness Therapy on Covert Relational Aggression and Marital Life Quality of Women Suffering from Marital Maladjustment

Background and Objective: Women suffering from marital maladjustment face many problems in their married life, especially in psychological fields, including covert relational aggression and marital life quality. The present research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of positive mindfulness therapy on covert relational aggression and marital life quality of women suffering from marital maladjustment. Methods and Materials: This research was a semi-experimental with a pretest and posttest design with a control group. The research population were all women suffering from marital maladjustment who referred to counseling centers in the three cities of Tehran city in the autumn season of 2023 year; So that the sample size for each group was considered to be 20 people and these people after checking the inclusion criteria were selected by purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned into two equal groups. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of 90 minutes of positive mindfulness therapy and the control group remained on the waiting list for therapy. To collect data were used from scales of covert relational aggression (Nelson and Carroll, 2006), marital quality life (Zhang et al., 2013) and marital adjustment (Spanier, 1976), and for data analysis were used from multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS version 26 software. Findings: The results showed that positive mindfulness therapy significantly reduced the covert relational aggression and increased the marital life quality of women suffering from marital maladjustment (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the mentioned results, therapists, counselors and psychologists can use positive mindfulness therapy to reduce the covert relational aggression and increase the marital life quality of vulnerable groups, including women suffering from marital maladjustment.

Can Empathy Moderate the Interaction Between Anxiety and Indirect Aggression? Evidence-Based Study of Adolescent Girls

The current study looked into the connections between adolescent females' anxiety, empathy, and indirect aggression. It was hypothesized that the three different forms of anxiety (i.e., state, trait, and social anxiety) would predict and positively correlate to indirect aggression while empathy would moderate this relationship. A descriptive-predictive research design was employed and a sample of (N = 210) adolescent girls between the ages of (13 and 18) years (M = 14.54, SD = 1.27) was taken through a non-probability purposive sampling method. Study variables were assessed through the short version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Social Interaction Anxiety Inventory (SIAS), the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), and Relational Aggression Scale. Results showed a positive correlation among study variables and all three types of anxiety predicted indirect aggression while empathy moderated the relationship between them. This study was an empirical and research-based addition to the already existing indigenous body of literature regarding anxiety in school environments that could potentially cause indirect aggression among adolescent girls. Moreover, it provided insight into associations and predictions regarding study variables and filled the existing gap in the literature. These findings have implications within the fields of school psychology, gender psychology, and social psychology.

Maintenance Effects for Preschool Students Participating in First Step Next

In preschool settings, ample evidence has long existed that some administrators and educators rely heavily on exclusionary practices to address unwanted behaviors despite evidence they are ineffective. There is a need for evidence-based interventions that provide teachers with skills to foster positive student–teacher relationships, teach students skills that result in positive interactions with teachers and peers, and provide opportunities to practice new skills during daily classroom interactions. First Step Next (FSN) is a short-term, multi-component Tier 2 intervention that helps address these needs. The current study examines the extent to which the immediate post-intervention effects were maintained after the FSN intervention was delivered in U.S. preschool classrooms. Results provide evidence that initial, post-intervention gains reported for social skills, problem behavior, student–teacher conflict, and relational aggression domains were maintained for 2 months post-intervention. The current study adds to the evidence base suggesting that FSN is a promising alternative to exclusionary discipline as its’ implementation addresses several factors contributing to continued reliance on these ineffective approaches such as (a) the escalation of conflicts with students with challenging behavior, (b) failure to anticipate and defuse problem situations, (c) unclear communication of behavioral expectations, and (d) unskilled use of teacher directives.

Preschool Teachers' Cognitions, Emotions, and Tolerance toward Children's Hypothetical Social Behaviors in the Classroom.

Teachers' tolerance toward children's social behaviors is, in part, guided by teachers' cognitions and emotions. Few studies have examined the associations between teachers' cognitions, emotions, and tolerance toward children's social behaviors. This study aimed to (1) describe the cognitions, emotions, and tolerance of Portuguese preschool teachers toward children's shy, physically and relationally aggressive, rough-and-tumble play, exuberant, and unsociable behaviors at preschool, depending on children's sex; and (2) examine the direct and indirect associations (via teachers' emotions) between teachers' cognitions and tolerance toward children's social behaviors, depending on children's sex. One hundred and seven preschool teachers completed the Child Behaviors Vignettes. Preschool teachers displayed more negative views toward children's physical and relational aggression, reported positive perspectives toward children's rough play and mixed attitudes toward children's exuberance, and differentiated shy from unsociable behaviors. Direct associations between teachers' cognitions and tolerance were found only for physical aggression. Teachers' anticipation of negative peer costs and academic performance appear to exert an indirect influence on teachers' tolerance toward physical aggression and unsociability, via increased levels of worry. These findings highlight the role of teachers' emotions for tolerance toward children's social behaviors and the need to enhance their self-awareness.

Distribution and Pathogenicity of Fusarium Species Associated with Soybean Root Rot in Northeast China

<i>Fusarium</i> root rot is an increasingly severe problem in soybean cultivation. Although several <i>Fusarium</i> species have been reported to infect soybean roots in Heilongjiang province, their frequency and aggressiveness have not been systematically quantified in the region. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and distribution of <i>Fusarium</i> species that cause soybean root rot in Heilongjiang province over two years. A total of 485 isolates belonging to nine <i>Fusarium</i> species were identified, with <i>F. oxysporum</i> and <i>F. solani</i> being the most prevalent. Pot experiments were conducted to examine the relative aggressiveness of different <i>Fusarium</i> species on soybean roots, revealing that <i>F. oxysporum</i> and <i>F. solani</i> were the most aggressive pathogens, causing the most severe root rot symptoms. The study also assessed the susceptibility of different soybean cultivars to <i>Fusarium</i> root rot caused by <i>F. oxysporum</i> and <i>F. solani</i>. The results indicated that the soybean cultivar DN51 exhibited the most resistance to both pathogens, indicating that it may possess genetic traits that make it less susceptible to <i>Fusarium</i> root rot. These findings provide valuable insights into the diversity and distribution of <i>Fusarium</i> species that cause soybean root rot and could facilitate the development of effective management strategies for this disease.

Aggression and Irritability in Middle Childhood: Between- and Within-Person Associations

ABSTRACT Objective This study tested predicted bidirectional associations between irritability and physical and relational forms of aggression, disentangling theorized within- and between-person effects using latent curve models with structured residuals (LCM-SR) over one year in middle childhood. Gender differences and robustness of results when controlling for other externalizing problems (i.e., attention problems, delinquency) were also considered. Method Children in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 704, 49.9% female) were recruited from schools in a large midwestern city. The sample was diverse in regard to race/ethnicity (31% Black, 29% White, 13% Hmong, 14% Latinx, 4% Native American, 4% Asian, 5% other races/ethnicities). Irritability, attention problems, and delinquency were measured using teacher-report, and physical and relational aggression were measured using self-report at three time points over one calendar year. Results At the between-person level, higher mean levels of irritability predicted higher initial levels of physical and relational aggression. Irritability continued to predict higher levels of physical aggression across the course of the study, whereas the effect of irritability on relational aggression diminished. Boys showed higher starting levels of physical aggression, but no other significant gender differences emerged. No significant within-person associations were found. Conclusions The present study suggests that irritability may represent a between-person risk factor for high levels of physical and relational aggression in middle childhood, although effects on physical aggression may be more persistent. This highlights the importance of considering affective processes to understand the development of aggression trajectories.

Interparental Conflict in Stepfather Families and Emerging Adults’ Mental Health and Aggression

ABSTRACTOvert and covert conflict across two parental dyads (biological mother and biological father, biological mother and stepfather) in the same family were examined in relation to emerging adults’ mental health (i.e., perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety) and aggression (i.e., relational aggression, verbal hostility). In this study, the results from dominance analyses and relative weight analyses revealed the most important interparental conflict variable related to males’ mental health and aggression was conflict between biological mothers and stepfathers (particularly covert). For females, conflict between biological parents (especially covert) was most important to mental health, while conflict between mothers and stepfathers was more strongly related to females’ aggression (particularly overt for verbal hostility and covert for relational aggression).

Adverse childhood experiences and residential care environment: The mediating role of trauma-related symptoms and psychological maladjustment in adolescents

BackgroundResearch has consistently found poorer outcomes in adolescents who have been exposed to early interpersonal adversities, especially those in out-of-home placements. The presence of mental health problems also contributes to the perception of a more negative group climate and peer interactions through cascading effects. ObjectiveTo analyze the sequential relationships between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma-related symptoms, psychological maladjustment, and the perception of group climate and peer interactions. In addition, the study analyzes the mediating role of trauma-related symptoms and psychological maladjustment. Participants and settingThe sample comprised 161 adolescents in out-of-home care (46.6 % males, 49.7 % females, 3.7 % non-binary), aged 12–18 (M = 15.22, SD = 1.59) from 24 residential facilities in Spain. MethodsThis study is part of the VRINEP project. Group care workers reported about ACEs and trauma-related symptoms through online questionnaires, whereas adolescents self-reported about psychological maladjustment, group climate, and peer interactions. ResultsDifferential associations between ACEs with trauma-related symptoms and internalizing problems were found. The relationship between certain ACEs and externalizing problems was fully mediated by trauma-related symptoms. Likewise, psychological maladjustment was related to a more negative perception of the group climate and peer interactions. Although trauma-related symptoms were not directly associated with the perception of the residential environment, they were indirectly associated with peer relational aggression through externalizing problems. ConclusionsMental health has a significant impact on the perception of the group climate and peer interactions among adolescents in residential care who have been exposed to ACEs.

Prevalence and Pattern of Traditional Bullying, Amongst Secondary School Students in Yenagoa, Nigeria

Introduction: Traditional bullying (face to face bullying, that occurs within or around the school premises) among secondary school students is a persistent global public health problem; with varying long lasting mental, physical and academic consequences, not only on the victims but also the bullies and bystanders. It is a common phenomenon that is not limited to physical harm and manifests in many forms such as, verbal, or relational aggression, social exclusion and cyber victims of bullying. Bullying is commonly embedded in power imbalances and can be a call for help from the bullies. Development of an efficient prevention and intervention strategy requires understanding of the causes (family issues, low self esteem or lack of positive role models) of traditional bullying. This study therefore, aimed to determine the prevalence and pattern oftraditional bullying among secondaryschool students in Yenagoa Local Government, Bayelsa State Nigeria, which would aid development and implementation of appropriate antibullying policies. Methods: Adescriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2021to December 2021. Selection of the 1,108 students aged between 10-21years was done by a two-stage sampling technique. The 46-item Bully Survey questionnaire adapted in 2003 by Swearer et al was utilized for data collection. Quantitative data was summarised using descriptive statistics.Test of association was done using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests andbinomial logistic regression analysis was also done to examine associations between variables, withp-value of <0.05 considered significant. Results: Prevalence rates of 40.3%, 81.3%, and 86.3% were foundfor bullying perpetration, victimization and bystander respectively. Verbal bullying such as hauling of insults was the most common form of bullying behaviourperpetrated (64.8%); with sexual bullying being the least type observed (20%). Both bullying perpetration (46.9%) and victimization (88.3%) were significantly more common among female participants, while being a bullying bystander (99.4%) was commoner among male participants.Participants from junior classes were twice as more likely to perpetrate bullying(odds ratio[OR]:2.053, confidence interval[CI]:0.896-4.705). Also, those in schools with no anti-bullying policies were 1.26times more likely to be perpetrators of bullying ([OR] 1.269; CI: 0.229-7.031). School Class (p = 0.030) and absence of anti-bullying policy (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with bullying perpetration in the studied schools. Conclusion: The prevalence of traditional bullying among secondary school students in Yenagoa was very high. Wetherefore recommended that school authorities and the government should formulate appropriate school anti-bullying policies and implement same in order to curb the menace while shielding the weak groups from being victims of bullying in school.