Relational aggression and victimization during adolescence: A meta‐analytic review of unique associations with popularity, peer acceptance, rejection, and friendship characteristics

Abstract

Introduction: This meta-analysis includes 46 studies including 35,468 adolescents (M age = 12.4 years) with a mean sample ages between 10 and 17 years. Just over half of the studies include samples drawn from the U.S. with the remaining samples representing 11 different countries. Method: We examined the magnitude of overlap between relational aggression and relational victimization and, using infrequently used semipartial correlations as effect sizes, we examined unique associations of each with peer acceptance, peer rejection, popularity, and positive friendship characteristics.Results & conclusions: Results indicate a strong intercorrelation between relational aggression and victimization (r ‾ = .48). We found no mean level gender difference in experiences of relational aggression or relational victimization. Relational aggression is positively associated with popularity; victimization is negatively associated with peer acceptance and friendship characteristics. Both, aggression and victimization are positively associated with rejection. We explored method of assessment as a potential source of variability of effect sizes as well as potential publication bias. Future research and implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Student‐teacher conflict moderates the link between students’ social status in the classroom and involvement in bullying behaviors and exposure to peer victimization

“…The rejected status is used to classify youths who receive a high number of least liked nominations and only a few liked most nominations (Farmer, Lines, & Hamm, 2011). Victims of bullying tend to have a lower status than their perpetrators, and they tend to be rejected and have lower levels of social competence (Casper, Card, & Barlow, 2020;Salmivalli et al, 1996). They also tend to be less popular, and to be overrepresented in the rejected status group (Boulton & Smith, 1994;Guy, Lee, & Wolke, 2019; for a recent meta-analysis on the association between victimization and social status, see; Casper et al, 2020).…”

Meta‐analytic approaches to understanding adolescent development: Contributions of the special issue

“…However, there was substantial variability around the effect size and moderation analyses suggested that the effect size decreased with developmental period (i.e., weaker in late adolescence than in childhood or early adolescence). Casper, Card, & Barlow, 2020 (this issue) examined the association between relational aggression and victimization, and the impact of several peer correlates. Using semi‐partial correlations (described above), Casper and colleagues found that relational aggression was associated with decreased peer acceptance, partially due to its association with victimization (i.e., adolescents who are not well liked tend to be aggressive and victimized); victimization was related to decreased peer acceptance, above and beyond relational aggression (i.e., victimized adolescents tend not to be well liked, regardless of aggression).…”

“…As can be seen by the diverse approaches used in articles in this special issue, researchers have many options available for conducting meta‐analyses (e.g., multivariate meta‐analysis, network meta‐analysis, as discussed by Thompson & Semma, 2020) and open‐source, user‐friendly software is increasingly available. In addition, there are a variety of techniques to examine the associations between constructs across studies, such as meta‐regression (Vannucci, Simpson, Gagnon, & Ohannessian, 2020; White, Pasco, Korous, & Causadias, 2020) and semi‐partial correlations (Casper, Card, & Barlow, 2020). This special issue showcases some of the various tools available to adolescent researchers conducting meta‐analyses.…”

“…Similarly, meta‐analysis helps to inform prevention and intervention efforts. For instance, Casper, Card, & Barlow, 2020 findings suggest that programming to reduce relational aggression and victimization should include boys and girls (not solely girls, which is typically the case). Based on their meta‐analysis findings, White, Pasco, Korous, & Causadias, 2020 advise caution with intervention/prevention efforts to address residential segregation, as more research is needed in this area.…”

“…The articles in this special issue also highlight the need for multiple‐informant research methods. For example, Casper, Card, & Barlow (2020) found differences based on teacher, peer, parent, and self‐reports. We agree with Casper, Card, & Barlow (2020) suggestion that future research examine how informants obtain knowledge, in order to understand differences across informants.…”