An Initial Evaluation of a Culturally-Adapted Social Problem Solving and Relational Aggression Prevention Program for Urban African American Relationally Aggressive Girls

摘要

Recent research demonstrating that relational aggression is associated with peer relationship difficulties, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, social processing deficits, and possibly later mental health disorders among girls has emphasized the need to address the unique expression of aggression amongst females. Despite these findings, almost all aggression interventions have been directed towards physically aggressive boys. In the current manuscript, authors describe the acceptability and initial effectiveness of a culturally-adapted social problem solving/social skills intervention for inner-city third to fifth grade urban, African American, relationally aggressive girls called the Friend to Friend Program. The authors partnered with youth, teachers, parents, and playground supervisors to design the program, and the current study presents preliminary data suggesting that the intervention is viewed as highly acceptable by participating girls and teachers. Further, the intervention appears to have promise for decreasing at-risk girls’ levels of relationally and physically aggressive behaviors, hostile attributions, and loneliness.