Understanding and Addressing Girls' Aggressive Behaviour Problems

A Focus on Relationships

Debra Pepler, H. Bruce Ferguson

• Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781554588725
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Psychotherapy
• Index: Psychology

Understanding and Addressing Girls' Aggressive Behaviour Problems reflects a major shift in understanding children's aggressive-behaviour problems. Researchers used to study what went wrong with a troubled child and needed to be fixed; we now aim to understand what is going wrong in children's relationships that might create, exacerbate, and maintain aggressive-behaviour problems in childhood and adolescence. In this volume, leading researchers in the aggression field examine how problems develop for boys and girls in relationships and how we can help children to develop healthy relationships.

Individual chapters explore biological and social contexts, including physical health and relationship problems that might underlie the development of aggressive behaviour problems. The impact of relationships on girls' development is illustrated to be particularly important for Aboriginal girls. Contributors discuss prevention and intervention strategies that help aggressive children build the requisite skills and relationship capacities and also shift dynamics within critical social contexts, such as the family, peer group, classroom, and school.

The support of healthy development not only of children but of their parents and other important adults in their lives, including teachers has been shown to be effective in reducing the burden of suffering associated with aggression among children and adolescents—for youth themselves as well as their families, peers, schools, communities, and society.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Introduction: A Focus on Relationships
• Chapter 1 Different Paths to Aggression for Girls and Boys
• Chapter 2 Adult Health Outcomes of Girls with Anti-Social Behaviour Problems
• Chapter 3 Commentary: The Development of Girls’ Aggression in Different Stages
• Chapter 4 Some Key Issues in the Early Development of Aggression in Girls
• Chapter 5 Webs of Strength and Resistance: Hearing Aboriginal Adolescent Girls Telling Their Stories
• Chapter 6 Commentary: The Role of Anger in Aggression
• Chapter 7 Using Evidence to Reduce the Bullying Behaviour Experienced by Girls
• Chapter 8 Matching the Prevention of Interpersonal Aggression to Critical Developmental and Contextual Transitions in Middle School
• Chapter 9 Commentary: School-Based Interventions
• Chapter 10 Understanding Social Aggression in Elementary School Girls: Implications for Intervention
• Chapter 11 Reducing Risk of Adolescent Aggression and Violence: A Brief Attachment-Focused Treatment Program for Parents and Caregivers
• Chapter 12 Commentary: Common and Unique Intervention Targets for Girls’ Aggression
• Conclusion: The Capacity of Relationships and Capacity for Relationships
• Index