Jamie Ostrov - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jamie Ostrov

Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2010

The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression a... more The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression are presented. Specifically, the predictive utility of proactive and reactive peer-directed relational aggression, as well as romantic relational aggression, are explored in a large (N = 1387) study of adults. The measure had adequate reliability and validity and the subscales demonstrated unique predictive abilities for a number of dependent variables. In particular, reactive but not proactive relational aggression was uniquely associated with history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and feelings of distress regarding relational provocation situations. Reactive relational aggression was also more strongly related to anger and hostility than proactive aggression. In addition, relational aggression in the context of romantic relationships was uniquely related to anger, hostility, impulsivity, history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and emotional sensitivity to relational provocations, even when controlling for peer-directed relational aggression. Gender differences in overall levels of relational aggression were not observed; however, males were most likely to engage in peer-directed proactive and reactive relational aggression whereas females were most likely to engage in romantic relational aggression. In a second study (N = 150), relational aggression was higher in a sample of adults with Intermittent Explosive Disorder than in a sample of healthy controls or psychiatric controls. The findings highlight the importance of assessing subtypes of relational aggression in adult samples. Ways in which this measure may extend research in psychology and psychiatry are discussed.

Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, Jan 18, 2014

The development and course of the subtypes of peer victimization is a relatively understudied top... more The development and course of the subtypes of peer victimization is a relatively understudied topic despite the association of victimization with important developmental and clinical outcomes. Moreover, understanding potential predictors, such as peer rejection and emotion regulation, in early childhood may be especially important to elucidate possible bidirectional pathways between relational and physical victimization and rejection. The current study (N = 97) was designed to explore several gaps and limitations in the peer victimization and peer rejection literature. In particular, the prospective associations between relational and physical victimization and peer rejection over the course of 3.5 months during early childhood (i.e., 3 to 5 years old) were investigated in an integrated model. The study consisted of 97 (42 girls) preschool children recruited from four early childhood schools in the northeast of the United States. Using observations, research assistant report, and te...

Development and Psychopathology, 2014

A short-term longitudinal study during early childhood (N ¼ 301; 155 girls; M ¼ 44.76 months old,... more A short-term longitudinal study during early childhood (N ¼ 301; 155 girls; M ¼ 44.76 months old, SD ¼ 8.20) investigated the prospective associations between peer victimization and aggression subtypes. Specifically, observations of relational and physical victimization as well as teacher reports of the forms (i.e., relational and physical) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggression were collected at two time points during an academic year. Withinand between-group gender differences were examined as part of the preliminary analyses. In order to address key study questions, both directions of effect between peer victimization and aggression subtypes were examined. We found that teacher-reported proactive relational aggression predicted decreases in observed relational victimization over time, whereas reactive relational aggression predicted increases in observed relational victimization over time. Ways in which these and other findings extend the literature are discussed.

“My Voice Is Not Going to Be Silent”: What Can Parents Do About Children’s Bullying?

ABSTRACT The child development literature gives a resounding affirmation that parents matter in i... more ABSTRACT The child development literature gives a resounding affirmation that parents matter in instances when a child is bullying others or being victimized. However, not all actions taken by parents are effective, and at the same time, some parents may elect to respond to children's bullying with inaction. We briefly present advice and information for parents as to the importance of their involvement, and seek to identify the ways of getting involved that might be most helpful. Aspects of the theoretical and empirical literature concerning parental responses to bullying are reviewed. A summary is then given of some common recommendations for parents made by current online resources. Next, we describe legal issues that are important for parents to know, and end by highlighting some specific areas where more research is needed.

Forms and Functions of Aggression during Early Childhood: A Short-term Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT The school classroom and playground provide an important context for learning about youn... more ABSTRACT The school classroom and playground provide an important context for learning about young children's social interactions. A multimethod, multiinformant, short-term longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the utility of including school-based observational assessments of both form (i.e., physical and relational) and function (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggressive behavior at school with a young sample during early childhood (132 children; M = 44.37 months; SD = 9.88). The study revealed low intercorrelations between observed proactive and reactive functions of aggression and low to moderate levels of stability. Based on 160 min of observation per child for an academic year, the findings revealed that boys are more physically aggressive to peers than are girls, whereas girls are more relationally aggressive than are boys. The results provide evidence for the differential association between aggression categories and future social-psychological adjustment constructs with particular relevancy for school contexts (i.e., peer rejection and student-teacher conflict). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Topics in Language Disorders, 2007

This review explores the development of relational aggression and relational victimization among ... more This review explores the development of relational aggression and relational victimization among peers, with specific emphasis on clinical implications for speech-language pathologists. Developmental manifestations of relational aggression and victimization are reviewed from early childhood through emerging adulthood. The concurrent and prospective associations between relational aggression and language development are examined specifically. Best practices in the assessment and evaluation of relational aggression and victimization are introduced and the current empirically based interventions for relational aggression and victimization are highlighted. Finally, a developmental psychopathology framework is introduced to guide future clinical practice and scholarship in the study of children and adolescents with comorbid language and peer relationship problems.

Social Development, 2006

Preschool children (N = 78) enrolled in multi-informant, multi-method longitudinal study were par... more Preschool children (N = 78) enrolled in multi-informant, multi-method longitudinal study were participants in a study designed to investigate the role of media exposure (i.e., violent and educational) on concurrent and future aggressive and prosocial behavior. Specifically, the amount of media exposure and nature of the content was used to predict concurrent and future physical, verbal and relational aggression as well as prosocial behavior for girls and boys. This two year longitudinal study found that media exposure predicted various subtypes of aggression and prosocial behavior. These findings are qualified by the gender of the focal child. That is, parental reports of media exposure were associated with relational aggression for girls and physical aggression for boys at school. Ways in which these findings extend our understanding of the role of media during early childhood are discussed.

Psychological Review, 2010

An integrative model is proposed for understanding the development of physical and relational agg... more An integrative model is proposed for understanding the development of physical and relational aggression in early and middle childhood. The central goal was to posit a new theoretical framework that expands on existing social-cognitive and gender schema models (i.e., Social Information-Processing Model of Children's Adjustment [N. R. Crick & K. A. Dodge, 1994] and the Schematic-Processing Model of Sex Role Stereotyping [C. L. Martin & C. F. ). The proposed model suggests several individual-and group-level effects and the available evidence for each of these hypotheses is discussed. The ways in which the proposed model may guide future research in the field are presented.

A longitudinal investigation of relational & physical aggression in early childhood

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2008

A sample of 679 (341 women) emerging adults (M = 18.90 years; SD = 1.11; range = 18.00-22.92) par... more A sample of 679 (341 women) emerging adults (M = 18.90 years; SD = 1.11; range = 18.00-22.92) participated in a study on the utility of forms (i.e., physical and relational) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggression. We examined the link between these four subtypes of aggression and personality pathology (i.e., psychopathic features, borderline personality disorder features, and antisocial personality disorder features). The study supports the psychometric properties (i.e., test-retest reliability, internal consistency, discriminant validity) of a recently introduced measure of forms and functions of aggression during emerging adulthood. Aggression subtypes were uniquely associated with indices of personality pathology. For example, proactive (i.e., planned, instrumental or goal-oriented) and reactive (i.e., impulsive, hostile or retaliatory) functions of relational aggression were uniquely associated with borderline personality disorder features even after controlling for functions of physical aggression and gender. The results highlight the differential associations between forms and functions of aggression and indices of personality pathology in typically developing emerging adults.

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 2010

Relational aggression includes behaviors intended to damage the social status and relationships o... more Relational aggression includes behaviors intended to damage the social status and relationships of others. Recent work has demonstrated problematic outcomes for both aggressors and victims. These behaviors have been associated with psychopathology, including early borderline personality pathology. Despite the importance in better understanding these behaviors, numerous questions remain regarding the validity of different informants and methods for assessing relational aggression. In a community-based sample of 330 families evenly split by child gender (50.3% female), relational aggression data was assessed via multiple informants (mother, father, and self) and multiple methods (questionnaire and interview). The results suggest that mothers and fathers show higher agreement for girls' relational aggression than for boys' and that the presence of gender differences depends on the method of measurement. In addition, both mothers and fathers reports of relational aggression uniquely predicted internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and social problems, with fathers' reports emerging as a particularly robust predictor. Relational aggression scores accounted for a greater amount of predicted variance in externalizing behaviors than in the other two domains. Results are discussed in the context of the utility of multiple informants and the conceptualization of relational aggression in a broader externalizing psychopathology framework.

Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2010

The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression a... more The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression are presented. Specifically, the predictive utility of proactive and reactive peer-directed relational aggression, as well as romantic relational aggression, are explored in a large (N = 1387) study of adults. The measure had adequate reliability and validity and the subscales demonstrated unique predictive abilities for a number of dependent variables. In particular, reactive but not proactive relational aggression was uniquely associated with history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and feelings of distress regarding relational provocation situations. Reactive relational aggression was also more strongly related to anger and hostility than proactive aggression. In addition, relational aggression in the context of romantic relationships was uniquely related to anger, hostility, impulsivity, history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and emotional sensitivity to relational provocations, even when controlling for peer-directed relational aggression. Gender differences in overall levels of relational aggression were not observed; however, males were most likely to engage in peer-directed proactive and reactive relational aggression whereas females were most likely to engage in romantic relational aggression. In a second study (N = 150), relational aggression was higher in a sample of adults with Intermittent Explosive Disorder than in a sample of healthy controls or psychiatric controls. The findings highlight the importance of assessing subtypes of relational aggression in adult samples. Ways in which this measure may extend research in psychology and psychiatry are discussed.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2013

The central goal of this study was to examine the prospective associations between forms (i.e., p... more The central goal of this study was to examine the prospective associations between forms (i.e., physical and relational) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggressive behavior with social (i.e., peer rejection) and affective (i.e., anger, emotion regulation skills) processes during early childhood (N = 96, mean age = 42.80 months, SD = 7.57). A cross-lagged path analysis revealed that proactive relational aggression was uniquely associated with decreases in peer rejection, whereas reactive relational aggression was associated with increases in peer rejection over time. Proactive relational aggression predicted decreases in anger, whereas reactive relational aggression tended to be associated with increases in anger. Proactive relational aggression uniquely predicted increases in emotion regulation skills, whereas reactive relational aggression tended to be associated with decreases in emotion regulation skills over time. Finally, anger was significantly associated with increases in several subtypes of aggressive behavior. In sum, the findings provide further support for the distinction between subtypes of aggressive behavior in young children.

Parent Alcohol Problems and Peer Bullying and Victimization: Child Gender and Toddler Attachment Security as Moderators

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2010

This study examined the association between parents&a... more This study examined the association between parents' alcoholism and peer bullying and victimization in middle childhood in 162 community-recruited families (80 girls and 82 boys) with and without alcohol problems. Toddler-mother attachment was assessed at 18 months of child age, and child reports of peer bullying and victimization were obtained in 4th grade. There was a direct association between fathers' alcohol symptoms and bullying of peers, as well as indirect association via toddler-mother attachment security. Multiple group models indicated that the direct association between parents' alcohol symptoms and bullying was significant for boys but not girls. The association between maternal alcohol symptoms and bullying was significant for secure but not insecure boys or secure/insecure girls. The association between fathers' alcohol symptoms and bullying was significant for insecure boys but not secure boys or secure/insecure girls.

Relational Aggression, Physical Aggression and Deception During Early Childhood: A Multimethod, Multi-informant Short-Term Longitudinal Study

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2008

A short-term longitudinal study examined relational and physical aggression and deceptive behavio... more A short-term longitudinal study examined relational and physical aggression and deceptive behavior among 120 preschool-aged children (M = 44.36 months old, SD = 11.07). Multiple informants and methods (i.e., observational, teacher reports) were used. Evidence for discriminant validity of the observations of aggression subtypes was found. For example, observations of relational aggression were more highly associated with teacher reports of relational aggression than teacher reports of physical aggression. Observed relational aggression was significantly associated with concurrent and prospective increases in deceptive behavior, even after controlling for gender and observed physical aggression. In addition, observed relational aggression was a unique significant predictor of concurrent deception, above and beyond teacher reports of aggression subtypes, which provides important support for the utility of the observational methods.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2006

To understand the development of relational aggression during early childhood, 91 girls and boys ... more To understand the development of relational aggression during early childhood, 91 girls and boys (M age = 39.0; SD = 7.6 months) and their teachers participated in an 18-month longitudinal study. Children were observed for relational and physical aggression during free play in four time periods. Individually administered interviews were conducted to provide peer reports of relational and physical aggression. Teachers completed measures of relational and physical aggression and peer rejection. Findings support the psychometric properties of the observational methods for use during early childhood. Results suggest that girls are more relationally aggressive than male peers and boys are more physically aggressive than female peers. Moreover, children primarily direct their aggressive behavior at same-sex peers. Finally, relational aggression was found to be moderately stable during early childhood and was associated with future peer rejection problems. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of developing methods to investigate behavior patterns for understanding the early development of and future social-psychological risks that may be associated with relational aggression.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2006

This study investigated early parent-child relationships and how children's use of relational and... more This study investigated early parent-child relationships and how children's use of relational and physical aggression varies with aspects of those relationships during the preschool years. Specifically, parenting styles, parents' use of psychological control, and parents' report of their children's reunion behaviors were assessed. Analyses revealed significant associations between children's use of both relational and physical aggression and parents' reports of their own and their partner's parenting style, psychological control behaviors, and indicators of the attachment relationship. The results highlight the importance of investigating both mothers' and fathers' parenting and the sex of the child in studies of potential links between parenting behaviors and young children's relational and physical aggression. Findings were considered in the context of each perspective and suggestions for future research and implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2006

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2010

The present study used both categorical and dimensional approaches to test the association betwee... more The present study used both categorical and dimensional approaches to test the association between relational and physical aggression and hostile intent attributions for both relational and instrumental provocation situations using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (M=8.3 years-old, SD=0.19, N=840). A one standard deviation threshold was used to create categorical aggression status groups. In categorical analyses, children who were both relationally and physically aggressive were found to attribute more hostile intent attributions in relationally provocative situations. Results from the dimensional analyses indicated that female gender, physical aggression, and hostile attribution biases for instrumental provocations each predicted increases in relational aggression over time. Further, relational aggression was not predictive of hostile attribution biases for relational provocations, and instead physical aggression was predictive. Implications for the fields of developmental psychology and psychopathology are discussed.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2006

Although great strides have recently been made in our understanding of relational aggression and ... more 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 fourthgrade (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.

Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2010

The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression a... more The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression are presented. Specifically, the predictive utility of proactive and reactive peer-directed relational aggression, as well as romantic relational aggression, are explored in a large (N = 1387) study of adults. The measure had adequate reliability and validity and the subscales demonstrated unique predictive abilities for a number of dependent variables. In particular, reactive but not proactive relational aggression was uniquely associated with history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and feelings of distress regarding relational provocation situations. Reactive relational aggression was also more strongly related to anger and hostility than proactive aggression. In addition, relational aggression in the context of romantic relationships was uniquely related to anger, hostility, impulsivity, history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and emotional sensitivity to relational provocations, even when controlling for peer-directed relational aggression. Gender differences in overall levels of relational aggression were not observed; however, males were most likely to engage in peer-directed proactive and reactive relational aggression whereas females were most likely to engage in romantic relational aggression. In a second study (N = 150), relational aggression was higher in a sample of adults with Intermittent Explosive Disorder than in a sample of healthy controls or psychiatric controls. The findings highlight the importance of assessing subtypes of relational aggression in adult samples. Ways in which this measure may extend research in psychology and psychiatry are discussed.

Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, Jan 18, 2014

The development and course of the subtypes of peer victimization is a relatively understudied top... more The development and course of the subtypes of peer victimization is a relatively understudied topic despite the association of victimization with important developmental and clinical outcomes. Moreover, understanding potential predictors, such as peer rejection and emotion regulation, in early childhood may be especially important to elucidate possible bidirectional pathways between relational and physical victimization and rejection. The current study (N = 97) was designed to explore several gaps and limitations in the peer victimization and peer rejection literature. In particular, the prospective associations between relational and physical victimization and peer rejection over the course of 3.5 months during early childhood (i.e., 3 to 5 years old) were investigated in an integrated model. The study consisted of 97 (42 girls) preschool children recruited from four early childhood schools in the northeast of the United States. Using observations, research assistant report, and te...

Development and Psychopathology, 2014

A short-term longitudinal study during early childhood (N ¼ 301; 155 girls; M ¼ 44.76 months old,... more A short-term longitudinal study during early childhood (N ¼ 301; 155 girls; M ¼ 44.76 months old, SD ¼ 8.20) investigated the prospective associations between peer victimization and aggression subtypes. Specifically, observations of relational and physical victimization as well as teacher reports of the forms (i.e., relational and physical) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggression were collected at two time points during an academic year. Withinand between-group gender differences were examined as part of the preliminary analyses. In order to address key study questions, both directions of effect between peer victimization and aggression subtypes were examined. We found that teacher-reported proactive relational aggression predicted decreases in observed relational victimization over time, whereas reactive relational aggression predicted increases in observed relational victimization over time. Ways in which these and other findings extend the literature are discussed.

“My Voice Is Not Going to Be Silent”: What Can Parents Do About Children’s Bullying?

ABSTRACT The child development literature gives a resounding affirmation that parents matter in i... more ABSTRACT The child development literature gives a resounding affirmation that parents matter in instances when a child is bullying others or being victimized. However, not all actions taken by parents are effective, and at the same time, some parents may elect to respond to children's bullying with inaction. We briefly present advice and information for parents as to the importance of their involvement, and seek to identify the ways of getting involved that might be most helpful. Aspects of the theoretical and empirical literature concerning parental responses to bullying are reviewed. A summary is then given of some common recommendations for parents made by current online resources. Next, we describe legal issues that are important for parents to know, and end by highlighting some specific areas where more research is needed.

Forms and Functions of Aggression during Early Childhood: A Short-term Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT The school classroom and playground provide an important context for learning about youn... more ABSTRACT The school classroom and playground provide an important context for learning about young children's social interactions. A multimethod, multiinformant, short-term longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the utility of including school-based observational assessments of both form (i.e., physical and relational) and function (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggressive behavior at school with a young sample during early childhood (132 children; M = 44.37 months; SD = 9.88). The study revealed low intercorrelations between observed proactive and reactive functions of aggression and low to moderate levels of stability. Based on 160 min of observation per child for an academic year, the findings revealed that boys are more physically aggressive to peers than are girls, whereas girls are more relationally aggressive than are boys. The results provide evidence for the differential association between aggression categories and future social-psychological adjustment constructs with particular relevancy for school contexts (i.e., peer rejection and student-teacher conflict). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Topics in Language Disorders, 2007

This review explores the development of relational aggression and relational victimization among ... more This review explores the development of relational aggression and relational victimization among peers, with specific emphasis on clinical implications for speech-language pathologists. Developmental manifestations of relational aggression and victimization are reviewed from early childhood through emerging adulthood. The concurrent and prospective associations between relational aggression and language development are examined specifically. Best practices in the assessment and evaluation of relational aggression and victimization are introduced and the current empirically based interventions for relational aggression and victimization are highlighted. Finally, a developmental psychopathology framework is introduced to guide future clinical practice and scholarship in the study of children and adolescents with comorbid language and peer relationship problems.

Social Development, 2006

Preschool children (N = 78) enrolled in multi-informant, multi-method longitudinal study were par... more Preschool children (N = 78) enrolled in multi-informant, multi-method longitudinal study were participants in a study designed to investigate the role of media exposure (i.e., violent and educational) on concurrent and future aggressive and prosocial behavior. Specifically, the amount of media exposure and nature of the content was used to predict concurrent and future physical, verbal and relational aggression as well as prosocial behavior for girls and boys. This two year longitudinal study found that media exposure predicted various subtypes of aggression and prosocial behavior. These findings are qualified by the gender of the focal child. That is, parental reports of media exposure were associated with relational aggression for girls and physical aggression for boys at school. Ways in which these findings extend our understanding of the role of media during early childhood are discussed.

Psychological Review, 2010

An integrative model is proposed for understanding the development of physical and relational agg... more An integrative model is proposed for understanding the development of physical and relational aggression in early and middle childhood. The central goal was to posit a new theoretical framework that expands on existing social-cognitive and gender schema models (i.e., Social Information-Processing Model of Children's Adjustment [N. R. Crick & K. A. Dodge, 1994] and the Schematic-Processing Model of Sex Role Stereotyping [C. L. Martin & C. F. ). The proposed model suggests several individual-and group-level effects and the available evidence for each of these hypotheses is discussed. The ways in which the proposed model may guide future research in the field are presented.

A longitudinal investigation of relational & physical aggression in early childhood

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2008

A sample of 679 (341 women) emerging adults (M = 18.90 years; SD = 1.11; range = 18.00-22.92) par... more A sample of 679 (341 women) emerging adults (M = 18.90 years; SD = 1.11; range = 18.00-22.92) participated in a study on the utility of forms (i.e., physical and relational) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggression. We examined the link between these four subtypes of aggression and personality pathology (i.e., psychopathic features, borderline personality disorder features, and antisocial personality disorder features). The study supports the psychometric properties (i.e., test-retest reliability, internal consistency, discriminant validity) of a recently introduced measure of forms and functions of aggression during emerging adulthood. Aggression subtypes were uniquely associated with indices of personality pathology. For example, proactive (i.e., planned, instrumental or goal-oriented) and reactive (i.e., impulsive, hostile or retaliatory) functions of relational aggression were uniquely associated with borderline personality disorder features even after controlling for functions of physical aggression and gender. The results highlight the differential associations between forms and functions of aggression and indices of personality pathology in typically developing emerging adults.

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 2010

Relational aggression includes behaviors intended to damage the social status and relationships o... more Relational aggression includes behaviors intended to damage the social status and relationships of others. Recent work has demonstrated problematic outcomes for both aggressors and victims. These behaviors have been associated with psychopathology, including early borderline personality pathology. Despite the importance in better understanding these behaviors, numerous questions remain regarding the validity of different informants and methods for assessing relational aggression. In a community-based sample of 330 families evenly split by child gender (50.3% female), relational aggression data was assessed via multiple informants (mother, father, and self) and multiple methods (questionnaire and interview). The results suggest that mothers and fathers show higher agreement for girls' relational aggression than for boys' and that the presence of gender differences depends on the method of measurement. In addition, both mothers and fathers reports of relational aggression uniquely predicted internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and social problems, with fathers' reports emerging as a particularly robust predictor. Relational aggression scores accounted for a greater amount of predicted variance in externalizing behaviors than in the other two domains. Results are discussed in the context of the utility of multiple informants and the conceptualization of relational aggression in a broader externalizing psychopathology framework.

Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2010

The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression a... more The psychometric properties of a recently introduced adult self-report of relational aggression are presented. Specifically, the predictive utility of proactive and reactive peer-directed relational aggression, as well as romantic relational aggression, are explored in a large (N = 1387) study of adults. The measure had adequate reliability and validity and the subscales demonstrated unique predictive abilities for a number of dependent variables. In particular, reactive but not proactive relational aggression was uniquely associated with history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and feelings of distress regarding relational provocation situations. Reactive relational aggression was also more strongly related to anger and hostility than proactive aggression. In addition, relational aggression in the context of romantic relationships was uniquely related to anger, hostility, impulsivity, history of abuse, hostile attribution biases, and emotional sensitivity to relational provocations, even when controlling for peer-directed relational aggression. Gender differences in overall levels of relational aggression were not observed; however, males were most likely to engage in peer-directed proactive and reactive relational aggression whereas females were most likely to engage in romantic relational aggression. In a second study (N = 150), relational aggression was higher in a sample of adults with Intermittent Explosive Disorder than in a sample of healthy controls or psychiatric controls. The findings highlight the importance of assessing subtypes of relational aggression in adult samples. Ways in which this measure may extend research in psychology and psychiatry are discussed.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2013

The central goal of this study was to examine the prospective associations between forms (i.e., p... more The central goal of this study was to examine the prospective associations between forms (i.e., physical and relational) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggressive behavior with social (i.e., peer rejection) and affective (i.e., anger, emotion regulation skills) processes during early childhood (N = 96, mean age = 42.80 months, SD = 7.57). A cross-lagged path analysis revealed that proactive relational aggression was uniquely associated with decreases in peer rejection, whereas reactive relational aggression was associated with increases in peer rejection over time. Proactive relational aggression predicted decreases in anger, whereas reactive relational aggression tended to be associated with increases in anger. Proactive relational aggression uniquely predicted increases in emotion regulation skills, whereas reactive relational aggression tended to be associated with decreases in emotion regulation skills over time. Finally, anger was significantly associated with increases in several subtypes of aggressive behavior. In sum, the findings provide further support for the distinction between subtypes of aggressive behavior in young children.

Parent Alcohol Problems and Peer Bullying and Victimization: Child Gender and Toddler Attachment Security as Moderators

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2010

This study examined the association between parents&a... more This study examined the association between parents' alcoholism and peer bullying and victimization in middle childhood in 162 community-recruited families (80 girls and 82 boys) with and without alcohol problems. Toddler-mother attachment was assessed at 18 months of child age, and child reports of peer bullying and victimization were obtained in 4th grade. There was a direct association between fathers' alcohol symptoms and bullying of peers, as well as indirect association via toddler-mother attachment security. Multiple group models indicated that the direct association between parents' alcohol symptoms and bullying was significant for boys but not girls. The association between maternal alcohol symptoms and bullying was significant for secure but not insecure boys or secure/insecure girls. The association between fathers' alcohol symptoms and bullying was significant for insecure boys but not secure boys or secure/insecure girls.

Relational Aggression, Physical Aggression and Deception During Early Childhood: A Multimethod, Multi-informant Short-Term Longitudinal Study

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2008

A short-term longitudinal study examined relational and physical aggression and deceptive behavio... more A short-term longitudinal study examined relational and physical aggression and deceptive behavior among 120 preschool-aged children (M = 44.36 months old, SD = 11.07). Multiple informants and methods (i.e., observational, teacher reports) were used. Evidence for discriminant validity of the observations of aggression subtypes was found. For example, observations of relational aggression were more highly associated with teacher reports of relational aggression than teacher reports of physical aggression. Observed relational aggression was significantly associated with concurrent and prospective increases in deceptive behavior, even after controlling for gender and observed physical aggression. In addition, observed relational aggression was a unique significant predictor of concurrent deception, above and beyond teacher reports of aggression subtypes, which provides important support for the utility of the observational methods.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2006

To understand the development of relational aggression during early childhood, 91 girls and boys ... more To understand the development of relational aggression during early childhood, 91 girls and boys (M age = 39.0; SD = 7.6 months) and their teachers participated in an 18-month longitudinal study. Children were observed for relational and physical aggression during free play in four time periods. Individually administered interviews were conducted to provide peer reports of relational and physical aggression. Teachers completed measures of relational and physical aggression and peer rejection. Findings support the psychometric properties of the observational methods for use during early childhood. Results suggest that girls are more relationally aggressive than male peers and boys are more physically aggressive than female peers. Moreover, children primarily direct their aggressive behavior at same-sex peers. Finally, relational aggression was found to be moderately stable during early childhood and was associated with future peer rejection problems. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of developing methods to investigate behavior patterns for understanding the early development of and future social-psychological risks that may be associated with relational aggression.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2006

This study investigated early parent-child relationships and how children's use of relational and... more This study investigated early parent-child relationships and how children's use of relational and physical aggression varies with aspects of those relationships during the preschool years. Specifically, parenting styles, parents' use of psychological control, and parents' report of their children's reunion behaviors were assessed. Analyses revealed significant associations between children's use of both relational and physical aggression and parents' reports of their own and their partner's parenting style, psychological control behaviors, and indicators of the attachment relationship. The results highlight the importance of investigating both mothers' and fathers' parenting and the sex of the child in studies of potential links between parenting behaviors and young children's relational and physical aggression. Findings were considered in the context of each perspective and suggestions for future research and implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2006

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2010

The present study used both categorical and dimensional approaches to test the association betwee... more The present study used both categorical and dimensional approaches to test the association between relational and physical aggression and hostile intent attributions for both relational and instrumental provocation situations using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (M=8.3 years-old, SD=0.19, N=840). A one standard deviation threshold was used to create categorical aggression status groups. In categorical analyses, children who were both relationally and physically aggressive were found to attribute more hostile intent attributions in relationally provocative situations. Results from the dimensional analyses indicated that female gender, physical aggression, and hostile attribution biases for instrumental provocations each predicted increases in relational aggression over time. Further, relational aggression was not predictive of hostile attribution biases for relational provocations, and instead physical aggression was predictive. Implications for the fields of developmental psychology and psychopathology are discussed.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2006

Although great strides have recently been made in our understanding of relational aggression and ... more 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 fourthgrade (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.