Graduation Semester and Year

2010

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Debra Woody

Abstract

Relational aggression (RA) includes rumor spreading, social isolation, talking behind someone's back, staring, and threats to withdraw friendship. RA is associated with verbal and physical aggression, and these aggression subtypes are often assessed together. This research developed and validated the Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale to assess RA in diverse populations. The population consisted of 191 students from 9th-12th grade (predominantly African American) from schools located in the south-suburban Independent School District of a major southern city. The measure consisted of 28-items developed from relational aggression research. Factor analysis, reliability tests, t-tests, and correlations were conducted on the data. The results indicated that The Relational Aggression Scale is valid and reliable for the Alternative School Group and the High School Group. Findings suggest that the Alternative School Group had higher scores on the Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale than the High School Group, but these differences were not significant. Additionally, the scale was more reliable for the High School Group than the Alternative School Group. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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