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Scientists have developed and tested an intervention which they claim can decrease ‘mean girl’ bullying among teens.
Relational aggression, or ‘mean girl’ bullying, is a nonphysical form of aggression generally used among adolescent girls which includes gossipping, rumour spreading, exclusion and rejection.
University of Missouri researchers have now developed and tested an intervention that effectively decreases relational aggression among teen girls.
“Good outcomes can happen when priorities are set by schools and families to prevent and eliminate relational aggression,” said co-author Connie Brooks, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Psychology in the School of Health Professions and in the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
“This study was an attempt to address this social problem in a meaningful way by testing an intervention to reduce relational aggression among teen girls,” Brooks said.
The intervention, Growing Interpersonal Relationships through Learning and Systemic Supports (GIRLSS), developed by MU researchers, is a 10-week, group counselling, caregiver training and caregiver phone consultation intervention for relationally aggressive middle school girls and their families.
Students, ranging in age from 12 to 15, participated in one 70-minute session per week that included interactive discussions, media-based examples, role-playing, journaling and weekly goal setting.
At the end of the intervention, school counsellors and teachers reported a decrease in relationally aggressive behaviours among the girls.
Caregivers of students participated in separate workshops and biweekly phone consultations during which they learned new communication, monitoring and supervision strategies in addition to appropriate disciplinary responses.
According to Brooks, relational aggression is a complicated issue with many variables, including schools, families and individuals.
She said parents and teachers should be aware of relational aggression so they don’t unknowingly contribute to the negative behaviours.
The research was published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.
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