Relatational aggression and physiological reactions to stress in preschool aged children

Abstract

Relational aggression has been found to occur in children as young as three and can lead to adverse effects for both the aggressor and the victim. It has also been found that children who engage in relational aggression have lower levels of physiological arousal than children who do not engage in these behaviors. This paper examines the characteristics of relational aggression in preschool aged children and how children that engage in relational aggression respond to stressful situations. Future research should focus on creating more intervention and prevention programs for preschool children and should look further into identifying risk factors for relational aggression, such as low physiological arousal, early on, so as to prevent children from engaging in behaviors that lead to adverse outcomes.