Social Aggression in Children and Adolescents

121 Pages·2015·5.21 MB·English

University of Miami
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2011-08-02
Social Aggression in Children and Adolescents: A
Meta-Analytic Review
Cathy Longa
University of Miami, [email protected]
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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

SOCIAL AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A META-
ANALYTIC REVIEW

By

Cathy Longa

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Faculty
of the University of Miami
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Coral Gables, Florida

August 2011
©2011
Cathy Longa
All Rights Reserved
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

SOCIAL AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A META-
ANALYTIC REVIEW

Cathy Longa

Approved:

Debbiesiu Lee, Ph.D. Terri A. Scandura, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Educational Dean of the Graduate School
and Psychological Studies

Soyeon Ahn, Ph.D. Ora Prilleltensky, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor of Educational Clinical Assistant Professor of
and Psychological Studies Educational and Psychological Studies

Annette La Greca, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and
Pediatrics
LONGA, CATHY (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology)
Social Aggression in Children and Adolescents: (August 2011)
A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract of a dissertation at the University of Miami.

Dissertation supervised by Professors Debbiesiu Lee and Soyeon Ahn.
No. of pages in text. (112)

Social aggression has been widely studied; however, findings have been inconsistent
leading to confusion within the current literature. Previous research has linked social
aggression to negative outcomes; including poor peer relations, internalizing symptoms,
and low levels of empathy; as well as positive attributes, including prosocial behaviors,
high social status, and social intelligence. This meta-analysis examined the relationship
between social aggression and various correlates, both positive and negative, as well as
how age and gender moderate these relationships. With 896 correlations derived from
108 studies (of a total of 107 published articles), the results using the random-effects
model for computing overall effect sizes indicated that social aggression is related with
maladaptive correlates, such as externalization (r = 0.46), internalization (r = 0.16),
negative individual traits (r = 0.32), as well as negative peer relations (r = 0.28).
However, findings also suggest that social aggression is associated with popularity (r =
0.22) and social skillfulness (r = 0.16). Implications, limitations, and future directions
are discussed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................v

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................4

Theoretical Models ......................................................................................................... 6

Early childhood. .......................................................................................................... 8

Middle Childhood. ...................................................................................................... 9

Adolescence. ............................................................................................................. 12

Previous Meta-Analyses on Social Aggression ............................................................ 14

Current Study ................................................................................................................ 17

Meta-Analysis ............................................................................................................... 18

CHAPTER 3. METHODS .................................................................................................20

Search Procedure .......................................................................................................... 20

Coding of Studies .......................................................................................................... 23

Power ............................................................................................................................ 25

Effect Size ..................................................................................................................... 26

Analysis......................................................................................................................... 27

CHAPTER 4. RESULTS ...................................................................................................29

Characteristics of Studies .............................................................................................. 29

Publication Bias ............................................................................................................ 30

Overall Model ............................................................................................................... 30

Gender differences. ................................................................................................... 32

iii
Age differences. ........................................................................................................ 32

Relationship Between Individual Characteristics and Social Aggression .................... 36

Gender differences. ................................................................................................... 39

Age differences. ........................................................................................................ 42

Relationship Between Peer Relations and Social Aggression ...................................... 46

Gender differences. ................................................................................................... 46

Age differences. ........................................................................................................ 49

CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION .............................................................................................53

Future Interventions ...................................................................................................... 65

Future Research ............................................................................................................ 69

Limitations .................................................................................................................... 71

Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 72

REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................74

APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................93

iv
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Study selection chart...........................................................................................21

Figure 2. Funnel plot of effect sizes against study sizes ....................................................31

Figure 3. Overall model .....................................................................................................33

v
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Overall Model of Relationships with Social Aggression .................................... 31

Table 2. Differences by Gender in Overall Model. .......................................................... 34

Table 3. Differences by Age in Overall Model. ................................................................ 35

Table 4. Relationship between Individual characteristics and Social Aggression. ........... 37

Table 5. Differences by Gender in the Relationship between Social Aggression and
Individual Characteristics. ................................................................................................ 40

Table 6. Differences by Age in the Relationship between Social Aggression and
Individual Characteristics ................................................................................................ 43

Table 7. Relationship between Peer Relations and Social Aggression. ............................ 47

Table 8. Differences by Gender in the Relationship between Social Aggression and Peer
Relations. .......................................................................................................................... 48

Table 9. Differences by Age in the Relationship between Social Aggression and Peer
Relations. .......................................................................................................................... 50

vi
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
It is no question that children can be extremely cruel to one another, as aggression
is a widely studied construct within the psychological literature. Aggressive behaviors
can take a variety of forms: physical aggression, verbal insults, relationship manipulation,
and nonverbal expressions of disdain. Much of the previous research on aggression has
focused on physical aggression (Underwood, Galen, & Paquette, 2001). Recently, there
has been an explosion of interest in forms of aggression that emphasize nonphysical
strategies: indirect aggression (Bjorkqvist, Lagerspetz, & Kaukiainen, 1992), relational
aggression (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995), and social aggression (Galen & Underwood,
1997).
Much has been made in the media and popular psychology books (e.g., Dellasega
& Nixon, 2003; Simmons, 2002; Wiseman, 2002) concerning the negative consequences
of social aggression, particularly as it relates to girls. It has been suggested that socially
aggressive behaviors are maladaptive, hurtful, and related to negative outcomes in both
the victim and the aggressor (e.g., Bjorkqvist, Osterman, & Lagerspetz, 1994; Crick,
Casas, & Mosher, 1997; Heilbron &Prinstein, 2008). There have even been efforts to
determine if socially aggressive behaviors belong within the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual [DSM] (Keenan, Coyne, & Lahey, 2008).
Although the introduction of these constructs has generated a very useful body of
research (Underwood, Galen, & Paquette, 2001), within this literature many
disagreements, discrepancies, and questions remain. Included among these incongruities
is whether social aggression represents a form of maladjustment arising from deficiencies
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