Relational aggression and victimization during adolescence: A meta-analytic review of unique associations with popularity, peer acceptance, rejection, and friendship characteristics

Introduction: This meta-analysis includes 46 studies including 35,468 adolescents (M age = 12.4 years) with a mean sample ages between 10 and 17 years. Just over half of the studies include samples drawn from the U.S. with the remaining samples representing 11 different countries.

Method: We examined the magnitude of overlap between relational aggression and relational victimization and, using infrequently used semipartial correlations as effect sizes, we examined unique associations of each with peer acceptance, peer rejection, popularity, and positive friendship characteristics.

Results & conclusions: Results indicate a strong intercorrelation between relational aggression and victimization (r‾ = .48). We found no mean level gender difference in experiences of relational aggression or relational victimization. Relational aggression is positively associated with popularity; victimization is negatively associated with peer acceptance and friendship characteristics. Both, aggression and victimization are positively associated with rejection. We explored method of assessment as a potential source of variability of effect sizes as well as potential publication bias. Future research and implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.