Rise Above Relational Aggression:

How School Counselors Can Help Prevent and Address Relational Bullying
Amanda Hunt abhunt2@ncsu.edu North Carolina State University M.Ed. Candidate Counselor Education

What is relational aggression?

Relational aggression is a form of bullying that involves manipulating and
damaging the relationships or social status of another person. The two main
types are reactive, which is done in response to being hurt or threatened, and
instrumental, which is done to get ones way (Young et al., 2009). Some
examples of relational aggression include gossiping, creating exclusive
cliques, threatening to tell secrets, threatening to no longer be someones
friend, and cyberbullying. More than 50% of youth in one study reported
being victims of relational aggression (Splett et al., 2015).
Relational aggression is seen primarily as a female issue, but a cross-cultural study found that there were no
significant gender differences in relationally aggressive behaviors (Lansford et al., 2012). Relational aggression can
be seen as early as the preschool years, but becomes more common for girls when they form gender-segregated peer
groups in middle childhood (Spieker et al., 2012).

What are some negative outcomes of relational aggression?

Victims of relational aggression have been shown to experience depression, anxiety, social adjustment
difficulties, peer difficulties, social problem-solving deficits, defiance, delinquency, substance abuse, impulsivity,
and risk-taking behaviors. Students that witness relational aggression tend to feel less safe at school (Leff et al.,
2010). Relational aggression has also been shown to lead to physical aggression in urban schools (Leff et al., 2010).

What are some current concerns related to this issue?

Despite its negative outcomes, many teachers and school counselors do not recognize relational aggression as
serious because no one is being physically harmed. Many school counselors dont intervene when they notice a case
of relational aggression. School counselors trained in relational bullying see it as more serious, but are still unsure of
how they can intervene (Jacobsen and Bauman, 2007).

What can school counselors do to help this issue?

Work to increase awareness throughout schools in large group and classroom activities
Create a culture of kindness and support among students and staff (this can be done through clubs that
promote kindness, such as a Kind Club based off of the Kind Campaign curriculum)
Implement programs based on media literacythe media plays a major role in normalizing relational
aggression (Redden, 2013).
Implement programs based on social information processing such as Preventing Relational Aggression in
Schools Everyday (PRAISE) and Growing Interpersonal Relationships through Learning and Systemic
Supports (GIRLSS) (Leff et al., 2010), (Splett et al., 2015).

More research is needed in the following areas:

Focusing specifically on relational aggressionnot just general bullying.
Finding a program to target relational aggression for high schoolers and both girls and boys
How to provide effective intervention strategies in training for school counselors and other educators

Reference List
 References

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Lansford, J. E., Skinner, A. T., Sorbring, E., Giunta, L. D., Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Malone, P.S., Oburu, P.,

Pastorelli, C., Tapanya, S., Uribe Tirado, L. M., Zelli, A., Al-Hassan, S. M., Pea Alampay, L., Bacchini, D., Bombi, A. S.,

Bornstein, M. H. and Chang, L. (2012). Boys and Girls Relational and Physical Aggression in Nine Countries. Aggressive

Behavior, 38, 298308. doi:10.1002/ab.21433

Leff, S.S., Waasdorp, T.E., Paskewich, B., Gullan, R.L., Jawad, A.F., MacEvoy, J.P., Feinberg, B.E., and Power, T.J. (2010).

The Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday Program: A Preliminary Evaluation of Acceptability and Impact.

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Splett, J.D., Maras, M.A., and Brooks, C.M. (2015). GIRLSS: A Randomized, Pilot Study of a Multisystemic, School-Based

Intervention to Reduce Relational Aggression. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(8), 2250-2261. doi:10.1007/s10826-014-

0027-0.

Vail, K. (2002). Relational aggression in girls. The Education Digest, 68(2), 7-14. Retrieved from

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For more information on Kind Clubs and the positive influence of the Kind Campaign, visit: https://www.kindcampaign.com/wp-

content/uploads/2016/05/kind-campaign-info-programs-and-stats.pdf