Relational aggression and reciprocal, dyadic friendships during early childhood: Does it take two to tango

Several studies have demonstrated that children's use of relational aggression during the preschool years is associated with a variety of social-psychological adjustment difficulties; including peer rejection, depressed affect, and decreased prosocial behavior (Crick et al., 1997; 2004). However, little is currently known about how early friendships may serve as a context for relationally aggressive behavior. Two studies were conducted in order to address this deficit. One hundred twenty-nine children (aged 3--6) participated in study 1, a short-term longitudinal study that employed a multi-method approach (naturalistic observations, teacher-, self-, and peer-reports) to evaluate relationally aggressive behavior, mutual friendships, and social-psychological adjustment. Similarity among mutual friends with respect to relationally aggressive behavior was examined at two time points over the course of a school year. Preschoolers were similar to their friends at both time points. The impact of befriending peers who displayed high levels of relational aggression during the fall on a child's own future relational aggression and social-psychological adjustment were examined. In contrast to demonstrated findings during middle-childhood (e.g., Werner & Crick, 2004), befriending relationally aggressive peers did not significantly increase a child's own future risk for relationally aggressive behavior or social-psychological maladjustment. Study 2 was conducted as a follow-up to determine the context of relational aggression relative to mutual friendships and this context's relation to adjustment. No significant differences emerged among children who used relational aggression against their mutual friends, children who used relational aggression against other peers, and children who did not use relational aggression. Results are discussed in the context of developmental differences between early and middle childhood. Young children may be testing out relational aggression in the context of "safe" early friendships. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention for relational aggression before it leads to later adjustment problems.