Indirect Bullying and Conflict Management Skills in Childhood and Adolescence

In this study, the Young Adult Social Behavior Scale (YASB) and Conflict Resolution Scale (CRS) measures were administered to students from three private middle and high schools in the mid-Atlantic US as part of a larger study regarding the effects of a group counseling curriculum in reducing forms of indirect bullying. Research questions were developed to evaluate differences according to student age and gender in relational aggression, social aggression, and interpersonal maturity, as well as relationships between relational aggression, social aggression, interpersonal maturity, and conflict resolution skills. These questions were evaluated using MANOVA, Chi-square, and multivariate regression analyses, respectively. Results of these analyses suggested that in this sample, there were no mean differences in age and gender on the self-reported use of relational aggression, social aggression, and interpersonal maturity. However, there was an associative relationship between higher age and significantly elevated relational aggression scores. There was also an associative relationship between gender (e.g., males) and significantly elevated scores on the social aggression scale. Finally, multivariate regression analysis indicated that relational and social aggression did not predict difficulties with conflict resolution skills. These results were discussed within the context of the present understanding of the literature