Understanding and Addressing Girls' Aggressive Behaviour Problems: A Focus on Relationships(SickKids Community and Mental Health)

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:
Understanding and Addressing Girls' Aggressive Behviour Problems, edited by Debra J. Pepler and H. Bruce Ferguson Introduction: A Focus on Relationships Debra J. Pepler and H. Bruce Ferguson 1. Different Paths to Aggression for Girls and Boys Dale F. Hay, Lisa Mundy, and Kathryn Hudson 2. Adult Health Outcomes of Girls with Anti-Social Behaviour Problems Candice L. Odgers 3. Commentary: The Development of Girls' Aggression in Different Stages M. Stouthamer-Loeber 4. Some Key Issues in the Early Development of Aggression in Girls Rolf Loeber, Magda Stouthamer-Loeber, Alison E. Hipwell, Jeffrey D. Burke, and Deena R. Battista 5. Webs of Strength and Resistance: Hearing Aboriginal Adolescent Girls Telling Their Stories Susan D. Dion 6. Commentary: The Role of Anger in Aggression Wendy M. Craig 7. Using Evidence to Reduce the Bullying Behaviour Experienced by Girls Donna Cross, Therese Shaw, Helen Monks, Stacey Waters, and Leanne Lester 8. Matching the Prevention of Interpersonal Aggression to Critical Developmental and Contextual Transitions in Middle School Bonnie Leadbeater 9. Commentary: School-Based Interventions Leena Augimeri and Margaret Walsh 10. Understanding Relational Aggression in Elementary School Girls: Implications for Intervention Tina Daniels and Danielle Quigley 11. Reducing Risk of Adolescent Aggression and Violence: A Brief Attachment-Focused Treatment Program for Parents and Caregivers Marlene M. Moretti and Ingrid Obsuth 12. Commentary: Common and Unique Intervention Targets for Girls' Aggression Isabela Granic Conclusion: The Capacity of Relationships and Capacity for Relationships Debra Pepler and Bruce Ferguson Index

About the Author :
Debra J. Pepler is a distinguished research professor of psychology at York University and a senior adjunct scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children. Her research is on aggression and victimization among children and adolescents. With Wendy Craig, she leads a national network, PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network), to promote safe and healthy relationships for all Canadian children and youth (www.prevnet.ca). H. Bruce Ferguson was the founding director of the Community Health Systems Resource Group at the Hospital for Sick Children and is a professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.