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“A valuable educational resource, and indeed, readers of this book—whether reading it in part or in its entirety—will find value in the level of explanation and thoroughness of research reviewed in each chapter….The handbook is a welcome addition as it addresses the complex developmental issue of childhood aggression more comprehensively than what has been done previously in general handbooks on social development. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals.”

—Choice Reviews


“The authors have brilliantly pulled together the most complete volume of information currently available from a wide range of expert contributors on this subject, advancing the field by leaps and bounds. As a mental health professional who treats aggressive children and adolescents in the clinic setting, I have nothing but thanks and admiration for the authors who recognized the need to publish such a valuable and timely book. I thoroughly recommend this as the essential go-to handbook for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the current research and practical application strategies for treating child and adolescent aggression. *****!”

—Doody's Review Service


“This volume provides a comprehensive perspective on the development of aggressive behavior problems, as well as prevention and intervention strategies. It captures the expanding body of research in this area, which extends to behavioral genetics, psychophysiology, temperament, classifications, and subtypes—and which goes beyond the individual child to consider parenting, family, peer, social network, and digital contexts. The book offers a much-needed empirical foundation for practice, programming, and policies, from prevention of school violence and bullying to targeted approaches for supporting highly aggressive children and their families.”

—Debra Pepler, PhD, CPsych, Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology, York University, Canada


“Chock-full of information, theory, empirical findings, and insight, this is an encyclopedic handbook for serious scholars. The easy-to-digest introduction by Malti and Rubin wonderfully summarizes the scientific knowledge in the chapters to come. Especially noteworthy is the chapter by Malti and Song on social–emotional development, which articulates a nuanced theory of transactional forces that drive development. Also exceptional is the chapter by Lansford on social-cognitive development, which covers related territory in remarkably accessible fashion. Kudos to the editors!”

—Kenneth A. Dodge, PhD, Pritzker Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University


“Until now, there has been no exhaustive analysis of extant research on the etiology, correlates, and outcomes of childhood aggression. This handbook fills this gap, including contributions from a 'who’s who' of aggression researchers. The 22 chapters cover developmental considerations and outcomes of aggression, contexts that influence aggressive behavior, and research-based interventions. The volume is a 'must read' for graduate students and researchers, as well as practitioners working with aggressive youth.”

—Susan M. Swearer, PhD, Willa Cather Professor and Chair of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln


“The most up-to-date and comprehensive handbook on child and adolescent aggression. The volume reviews genetic and psychophysiological factors, temperament and social–emotional processes, and key contextual influences, including parents, peers, and social networks. Importantly, individual, family, and school interventions are reviewed, and there are special chapters on cyberbullying and on bullying prevention. I can confidently recommend this handbook to all researchers, teachers, and practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, public health, and other disciplines who are interested in child and adolescent aggression. They will learn a lot from it, as I did.”

—David P. Farrington, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychological Criminology, Cambridge University, United Kingdom

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Table of Contents

Foreword, Tracy Vaillancourt

I. Foundations of Aggression, Trajectories, and Antecedents

1. Aggression in Childhood and Adolescence: Definition, Theory, and History, Tina Malti & Kenneth H. Rubin

2. Clinical Classifications of Aggression in Childhood and Adolescence, Paul J. Frick & Tatiana M. Matlasz

3. Developmental Trajectories of Aggression Subtypes: From Early to Late Childhood, Jamie M. Ostrov, Kristin J. Perry, & Sarah J. Blakely-McClure

4. Behavior Genetics of Aggression, Mara Brendgen, Frank Vitaro, & Michel Boivin

5. Psychophysiology of Aggression, Susan Branje & Hans M. Koot

6. Temperament and Aggression, Christina C. Moore, Julie A. Hubbard, & Megan K. Bookhout

7. Social–Emotional Development and Aggression, Tina Malti & Ju-Hyun Song

8. Social-Cognitive Development and Aggression, Jennifer E. Lansford

II. Aggression in Context

9. Parenting, Parent–Child Relationships, and the Development of Aggression during Childhood and Adolescence, K. Lee Raby & Glenn I. Roisman

10. Aggression and Functioning with Peers, William M. Bukowski & Frank Vitaro

11. Aggression and Morality in Childhood and Adolescence, Tina Malti, Tyler Colasante, & Marc Jambon

12. Social Networks and Aggression, Jelle J. Sijtsema & Tiina J. Ojanen

13. Cyberbullying, Marion K. Underwood & Sheri A. Bauman

14. Poverty, Social Inequality, and Aggression, Tama Leventhal, Véronique Dupéré, & Margaret C. Elliott

III. Interventions and Policy Implications

15. Measuring Social–Emotional Correlates of Aggression in Children and Adolescents, Tina Malti, Antonio Zuffianò, & Connie Cheung

16. Youth-Focused Intervention for Severe Aggression, John E. Lochman, Caroline L. Boxmeyer, Brendan Andrade, & Pietro Muratori

17. Family-Based Treatments for Aggressive Problem Behavior, Elizabeth A. Stormshak & S. Andrew Garbacz

18. Preventing Aggression and Youth Violence in Schools, Shelley Hymel & Dorothy L. Espelage

19. International Perspectives on Bullying Prevention, Christina Salmivalli

20. Can Positive Youth Development Programs Prevent Youth Violence?: The Role of Regulation of Action and Positive Social Engagement, Nancy G. Guerra

21. Challenges and Priorities for Researchers, Kenneth H. Rubin & Tina Malti

22. Challenges and Priorities for Practitioners and Policymakers, Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, Sabina Low, & Catherine P. Bradshaw

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About the Editors

Tina Malti, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Laboratory for Social–Emotional Development and Intervention at the University of Toronto. She serves as Associate Editor of Child Development and as Membership Secretary (2014–2020) of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. Dr. Malti is the recipient of New Investigator awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, the Society for Research on Adolescence, and the International Society for Research on Aggression. Her research interests include the origins, pathways, and consequences of aggression and kindness in childhood and adolescence. She creates and implements interventions to enhance social–emotional development and reduce aggression and exposure to violence in children facing multiple forms of adversity.

• Author's website

Kenneth H. Rubin, PhD, is Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology and Founding Director of the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations, the Association of Psychological Science, and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD). Dr. Rubin is a recipient of Distinguished Contribution awards from the Society for Research in Child Development and the ISSBD, the Mentor Award in Developmental Psychology from the American Psychological Association, and the Pickering Award for Outstanding Contribution to Developmental Psychology in Canada from Carleton University. His research focuses on peer and parent–child relationships and the origins and developmental course of social and emotional adjustment and maladjustment in childhood and adolescence.

• Author's website
• All titles by Kenneth H. Rubin

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Contributors

Brendan Andrade, PhD, Child, Youth and Family Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Intergenerational Wellness Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sheri A. Bauman, PhD, College of Education, Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Sarah J. Blakely-McClure, MA, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

Michel Boivin, PhD, School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Megan K. Bookhout, MA, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Caroline L. Boxmeyer, PhD, Center for Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Catherine P. Bradshaw, PhD, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Susan Branje, PhD, Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Mara Brendgen, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

William M. Bukowski, PhD, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Connie Cheung, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Tyler Colasante, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Véronique Dupéré, PhD, School of Psychoeducation, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Margaret C. Elliott, PhD, Abt Associates, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Dorothy L. Espelage, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Paul J. Frick, PhD, Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

S. Andrew Garbacz, PhD, Department of School Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

Nancy G. Guerra, EdD, Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California

Julie A. Hubbard, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Shelley Hymel, PhD, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Marc Jambon, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, PhD, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Hans M. Koot, PhD, Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Vrije University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Jennifer E. Lansford, PhD, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Tama Leventhal, PhD, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts

John E. Lochman, PhD, Center for Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Sabina Low, PhD, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Tina Malti, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Tatiana M. Matlasz, BA, Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Christina C. Moore, BA, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Pietro Muratori, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

Tiina J. Ojanen, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Jamie M. Ostrov, PhD, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

Kristin J. Perry, MA, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

K. Lee Raby, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Glenn I. Roisman, PhD, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kenneth H. Rubin, PhD, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Christina Salmivalli, PhD, Division of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

Jelle Sijtsema, PhD, Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

Ju-Hyun Song, PhD, Department of Child Development, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California

Elizabeth A. Stormshak, PhD, Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Marion K. Underwood, PhD, Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Tracy Vaillancourt, PhD, Children’s Mental Health and Violence Prevention; Department of Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education; and School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Frank Vitaro, PhD, School of Psychoeducation, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Antonio Zuffianò, PhD, Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, United Kingdom

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Audience

Researchers and students in developmental psychology; also of interest to child clinical and educational psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and public health researchers.

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text or core book in graduate-level courses that deal with aggression and bullying, social and emotional development, or interventions with children.