2-059 - Relational aggression and relational victimization during early childhood: Multiple methods and informants in three countries

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

This symposium focuses on the development of relational aggression and victimization during early childhood. The four papers, representing 3 countries, collectively advance our understanding of these social behaviors with the use of multiple methods and informants. In addition, three of the papers rely on the same observational and teacher-report methods.

The first paper used teacher-reports and systematic observations within a short-term longitudinal study in the USA. Indirect effects modeling indicated that relational aggression was associated with increases in relational victimization via deception, lying, and cheating behavior.

The second paper included the same observational and teacher report methods and also included parent informants in a Canadian sample. This study examines the bi-directional association between relational aggression and relational victimization and importantly examines how this correlation may be influenced by type of informant.

The third study was conducted in Australia and relied on the same observational methods, as well as novel teacher and parent assessments. This study examined different intervention strategies that parents and teachers may use for physical and relational aggression and importantly, the quality of the intervention strategy predicted observed relational aggression among the children.

The fourth study relied on parent and novel child-reports obtained from a developmentally appropriate interview. In the first study parent-reported relational aggression toward their peers and parent-reported relational victimization from their peers were associated with child-reported relational aggression. In a replication study with over 100 participants, parent-reported relational victimization from peers was also associated with the child’s relational victimization by peers.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chairs

• Jamie M. Ostrov, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Kimberly Erin Kamper-DeMarco, State University of New York, Buffalo

Individual Presentations

• Prospective associations between aggression and peer victimization subtypes during early childhood: A social process model. - Presenting Author: Jamie M. Ostrov, University at Buffalo, SUNY; Kimberly Erin Kamper-DeMarco, State University of New York, Buffalo; Sarah Blakely-McClure, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Multi-informant agreement of aggression and peer victimization among preschoolers - Presenting Author: Tracy Vaillancourt, University of Ottawa; Heather L. Brittain, University of Ottawa

• The influence of teacher and parent behavioural interventions on children's use of relational aggression in Australia - Presenting Author: Cara Swit, Macquarie University; Anne Louise McMaugh, Maquarie University; Wayne Warburton, Macquarie University

• Parent Peer Relational Aggression and Victimization and Child Peer Relational Aggression - Presenting Author: Stephanie Godleski, University at Buffalo; Jamie M. Ostrov, University at Buffalo, SUNY; Kimberly Erin Kamper-DeMarco, State University of New York, Buffalo