Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T03:00:03.860Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A short-term longitudinal study of growth of relational aggression during middle childhood: Associations with gender, friendship intimacy, and internalizing problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2007

DIANNA MURRAY-CLOSE ,
JAMIE M. OSTROV  and
NICKI R. CRICK
DIANNA MURRAY-CLOSE
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
JAMIE M. OSTROV
Affiliation:
University at Buffalo, State University of New York
NICKI R. CRICK
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Trajectories of relational aggression were examined in a large, diverse sample of fourth-grade students. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine relational aggression over 1 calendar year. The results indicated that relational aggression increased in a linear fashion for girls over the course of the study. In addition, increases in friend intimate exchange were associated with time-dependent increases in relational aggression among girls only. Relational aggression and internalizing “tracked” together across the course of the study. Overall, the findings suggest relational aggression becomes increasingly common among elementary school girls, and girls' close, dyadic relationships may fuel relationally aggressive behavior in some contexts. Finally, the results indicate that relational aggression trajectories are dynamically associated with maladjustment.This study was funded by grants from NIMH (MH63684) and NSF (BCS-0126521) to N. C. Crick. Preparation of this manuscript was supported by a NIMH Traineeship (MH-15755) to D. Murray-Close and J. M. Ostrov. Portions of this manuscript were presented at the 2004 Biennial Meeting of The Society for Research on Adolescence, Baltimore, MD. We thank Kathleen E. Woods for her assistance and comments on an earlier draft, Dr. Jeff Long for his statistical consultation and assistance with this study, and Peter Ralston and the entire School Buddies Project team for assistance with the collection of this data. Finally, we thank the principals, teachers, parents, and children for their participation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , January 2007 , pp. 187 - 203
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. S. (1991). Manual for the Teacher's Report Form and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
Berndt, T. J. (1996). Transitions in friendship and friends' influence. In J. A. Graber & J. Brooks-Gunn (Eds.), Transitions through adolescence: Interpersonal domains and contexts (pp. 57–84). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bjorkqvist, K. (1994). Sex differences in physical, verbal, and indirect aggression: A review of recent research. Sex Roles, 30, 177–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjorkqvist, K., Lagerspetz, K., & Kaukianen, A. (1992). Do girls manipulate and boys fight? Developmental trends in regard to direct and indirect aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 18, 117–127.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blachman, D. R., & Hinshaw, S. P. (2002). Patterns of friendship among girls with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 625–640.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonica, C., Yeshova, K., Arnold, D. H., Fisher, P. H., & Zeljo, A. (2003). Relational aggression and language development in preschoolers. Social Development, 12, 551–562.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briggs-Gowan, M. J., Carter, A. S., & Schwab-Stone, M. (1996). Discrepancies among mother, child, and teacher reports: Examining the contributions of maternal depression and anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24, 749–765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bukowski, W. M., & Kramer, T. L. (1988). Judgments of the features of friendships among early adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Early Adolescence, 6, 331–338.Google Scholar
Byrk, A. S., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Capaldi, D. M. (1992). Co-occurrence of conduct problems and depressive symptoms in early adolescent boys II: A 2-year follow-up at grade 8. Development and Psychopathology, 4, 125–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cicchetti, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (2000). The past as prologue to the future: The times, they've been a'changin'. [Editorial]. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 255–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coie, J. D., & Dodge, K. A. (1998). The development of aggression and antisocial behavior. In W. Damon (Ed.) and N. Eisenberg (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., pp. 779–861). New York: Wiley.
Condry, J. C., & Ross, D. F. (1985). Sex and aggression: The influence of gender label on the perception of aggression in children. Child Development, 56, 225–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R. (1995). Relational aggression: The role of intent attributions, feelings of distress, and provocation type. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 313–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R. (1996). The role of overt aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior in the prediction of children's future social adjustment. Child Development, 67, 2317–2327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R. (1997). Engagement in gender normative versus non-normative forms of aggression: Links to social–psychological adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 33, 610–617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1995). Relational aggression, gender, and social–psychological adjustment. Child Development, 66, 710–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R., Grotpeter, J. K., & Bigbee, M. A. (2002). Relationally and physically aggressive children's intent attributions and feelings of distress for relational and instrumental peer provocations. Child Development, 73, 1134–1142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R., & Werner, N. E. (1998). Response decision processes in relational and overt aggression. Child Development, 69, 1630–1639.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R., Werner, N. E., Casas, J. F., O'Brien, K. M., Nelson, D. A., Grotpeter, J. K., & Markon, K. (1999). Childhood aggression and gender: A new look at an old problem. In D. Bernstein (Ed.). Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Crick, N. R., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2003). The development of psychopathology in females and males: Current progress and future challenges. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 719–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cross, S. E., & Madsen, L. (1997). Models of the self: Self-construals and gender. Psychological Bulletin, 122, 5–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Degirmencioglu, S. M., Urberg, K. A., Tolson, J. M., & Richard, P. (1998). Adolescent friendship networks: Continuity and change over the school year. Merrill–Palmer Quarterly, 44, 313–337.Google Scholar
Devine, D., Kempton, T., & Forehand, R. (1995). Adolescent mood and young adult functioning: A longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 629–640.Google Scholar
French, D. C., Jansen, E. A., & Pidada, S. (2002). United States and Indonesian children's and adolescents' reports of relational aggression by disliked peers. Child Development, 73, 1143–1150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galen, B. R., & Underwood, M. (1997). A developmental investigation of social aggression among girls. Developmental Psychology, 33, 589–599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garber, J., & Flynn, C. (2001). Vulnerability to depression in childhood and adolescence. In R. E. Ingram & J. M. Price (Eds.), Vulnerability to psychopathology: Risk across the lifespan. New York: Guilford Press.
Grotpeter, J. K., & Crick, N. R. (1996). Relational aggression, overt aggression, and friendship. Child Development, 67, 2328–2338CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hammen, C., & Rudolph, K. D. (1996). Childhood depression. In E. J. Mash & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Child psychopathology (pp. 153–195). New York: Guilford Press.
Henington, C., Hughes, J. N., Cavell, T. A., & Thompson, B. (1998). The role of relational aggression in identifying aggressive boys and girls. Journal of School Psychology, 36, 457–477.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higgins, E. T., & Parsons, J. E. (1983). Stages as subcultures: Social–cognitive development and the social life of the child. In E. T. Higgins, W. W. Hartup, & D. N. Ruble (Eds.), Social cognition and social development: A sociocultural perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Keenan, K., & Shaw, D. (1997). Developmental and social influences on young girls' early problem behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 95–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiesner, J. (2002). Depressive symptoms in early adolescence: Their relations with classroom problem behavior and peer status. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12, 463–478.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kovacs, M. (1985). The Children's Depression Inventory. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 995–998.Google Scholar
Leff, S. S., Costigan, T. E., Eiraldi, R., & Power, T. J. (2001, April). An examination of children's aggressive behaviors and social skills as a function of ADHD subtype and gender. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, MN.
Leff, S. S., Kupersmidt, J. B., Patterson, C. J., & Power, T. J. (1999). Factors influencing teacher identification of peer bullies and victims. School Psychology Review, 28, 505–517.Google Scholar
Linder, J. R., Crick, N. R., & Collins, W. A. (2002). Relational aggression and victimization in young adults' romantic relationships: Associations with perceptions of parent, peer, and romantic relationship quality. Social Development, 11, 69–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Long, J. D., & Pellegrini, A. D. (2003). Studying change in dominance and bullying with Hierarchical Linear Models. School Psychology Review, 32, 401–417.Google Scholar
Maccoby, E. E. (1990). Gender and relationships: A developmental account. American Psychologist, 45, 513–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masten, A. S., Roisman, G. I., Long, J. D., Burt, K. B., Obradović, J., Riley, J. R., et al. (2005). Developmental cascades: Linking academic achievement, externalizing, and internalizing symptoms over 20 years. Developmental Psychology, 41, 733–746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescent-limited and life-course persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674–701.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Girgus, J. S. (1994). The emergence of gender differences in depression during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 424–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostrov, J. M., Crick, N. R., & Keating, C. F. (2005). Gender biased perceptions of preschoolers' behavior: How much is aggression and prosocial behavior in the eye of the beholder? Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 52, 393–398.Google Scholar
Ostrov, J. M., & Keating, C. F. (2004). Gender differences in preschool aggression during free play and structured interactions: An observational study. Social Development, 13, 255–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostrov, J. M., Woods, K. E., Jansen, E. A., Casas, J. F., & Crick, N. R. (2004). An observational study of delivered and received aggression and social psychological adjustment in preschool: “This white crayon doesn't work.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 355–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Panak, W. F., & Garber, J. (1992). Role of aggression, rejection, and attributions in the prediction of depression in children. Development and Psychopathology, 4, 145–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, J. G., & Asher, S. R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: Links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 29, 611–621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patterson, G. R. (1982). Coercive family processes: A social learning approach (Vol. 3). Eugene, OR: Castalia Publishing Co.
Pellegrini, A. D., & Archer, J. (in press). Sex differences in competitive and aggressive behavior: A view from sexual selection theory. In B. J. Ellis & D. J. Bjorklund (Eds.), Origins of the social mind: Evolutionary psychology and child development. New York: Guilford Press.
Pellegrini, A. D., & Long, J. D. (2002). A longitudinal study of bullying, dominance, and victimization during the transition from primary school through secondary school. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 20, 259–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellegrini, A. D., & Long, J. D. (2003). A sexual selection theory longitudinal analysis of sexual segregation and integration in early adolescence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 85, 257–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudolph, K. D. (2002). Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 3–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rys, G. S., & Bear, G. G. (1997). Relational aggression and peer relations: Gender and developmental issues. Merrill–Palmer Quarterly, 43, 87–106.Google Scholar
Sebanc, A. M. (2003). The friendship features of preschool children: Links with prosocial behavior and aggression. Social Development, 12, 249–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terry, R., & Coie, J. D. (1991). A comparison of methods for defining sociometric status among children. Developmental Psychology, 27, 867–880.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomada, G., & Schneider, B. H. (1997). Relational aggression, gender, and peer acceptance: Invariance across culture, stability over time, and concordance among informants. Developmental Psychology, 33, 601–609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tremblay, R. E., Boulerice, B., Harden, P. W., McDuff, P., Pérusse, D., Pihl, R. O., & Zoccolillo, M. (1996). Do children in Canada become more aggressive as they approach adolescence? In Human Resources Development Canada & Statistics Canada (Eds.), Growing up in Canada: National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (pp. 127–137). Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Werner, N. E., & Crick, N. R. (2004). Maladaptive peer relationships and the development of relational and physical aggression during middle childhood. Social Development, 13, 495–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verbeke, G., & Molenberghs, G. (2000). Hierarchical linear models for longitudinal data. New York: Springer.
Zalecki, C. A., & Hinshaw, S. P. (2004). Overt and relational aggression in girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33, 125–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar