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Why Social Networks Matter: A Structural Approach to the Study of Relational Aggression in Middle Childhood and Adolescence

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Abstract

Prior studies have addressed the influence of individual-level demographic variables on relational aggression among children and adolescents, resulting in little information about effective points of intervention. This paper argues that the inherently social nature of relational aggression warrants an examination of the effects of peer social network features on these behaviors. Specifically, the paper reframes the literature linking two individual-level variables (sex and age) to relational aggression from a contextual perspective that considers peer social networks. Moreover, the paper offers implications regarding how these reframed findings can be applied to the development of effective prevention and intervention programs and future research efforts.

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Notes

  1. This paper focuses on sex differences the ratio of relational to physical aggression because studies using a variety of methods including peer nominations, peer ratings, observations, and interviews about interpersonal conflicts have painted a mixed picture of the relationship between sex and absolute levels of relational aggression (see Archer and Coyne for a review). Several studies have yielded at least partial support for the theory that girls display higher levels of relational aggression than boys (Bosacki 2003; Cairns et al. 1989; Crick and Grotpeter 1995; Crick 1997; Feschbach 1969; French et al. 2002; Lagerspetz et al. 1988, Owens and MacMullin 1995; Xie et al. 2003; Xie et al. 2002a, b; Zimmer-Gembeck et al. 2005). Interestingly, however, other studies provide evidence that boys exhibit higher levels of relational aggression than girls (David and Kistner 2000; Henington et al. 1998; Peets and Kikas 2006; Tomada and Schneider 1997) or no evidence of sex differences in levels of relational aggression (Craig 1998; Osterman et al. 1994; Rys and Bear 1997; Strough and Diriwachter 2000; Tiet et al. 2001). A meta-analysis found that the presence of sex differences in relational aggression depended in part on the type of measurement employed, with the highest effect sizes occurring among observational studies and the lowest effect sizes occurring among peer nomination studies (Archer 2004). Given these mixed results, evidence of sex differences in absolute levels of relational aggression remains inconclusive.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Marc Atkins, David Henry, Zachary Neal, and Olga Reyes for their thoughtful comments on earlier versions of this article.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, M/C 285, 1007 W. Harrison St, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    Jennifer Watling Neal

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Neal, J.W. Why Social Networks Matter: A Structural Approach to the Study of Relational Aggression in Middle Childhood and Adolescence. Child Youth Care Forum 36, 195–211 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-007-9042-2

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