In this paper the author summarizes several life history case studies of adolescent boys who were identified at school as "wimps" and who eventually engaged in various forms of sexual violence. Such boys rarely are--if at all--discussed in the childhood, education and feminist literatures on sexual violence. The life stories reveal the…

Feeling part of one's peer group is of crucial importance for most middle adolescents. Drawing on empirical research in different schools, this paper explores the components of exclusion in relation to gender, the consequences for those excluded by their peers, and the kinds of strategies engaged in by girls and boys in order to attain peer group…

This study examined the heterogeneity of bullying among adolescents. It was hypothesized that bullying behavior serves different social functions and, depending on these functions, bullies will differ in their skills, status and social behavior. In a total sample of 806 8th graders, 120 adolescents (52 boys, 68 girls) were identified as bullies…

This study examined the communication of non-aggressive, rejected (NAR) children and popular children during peer interaction. The participants were 80 fifth and sixth graders recruited from a larger sociometric sample (40 boys and 40 girls; 20 NAR children and 60 non-aggressive, popular children). Participants were assigned to 40 same-gender…

With 338 fifth-grade students as subjects, this study found the variations in the relation between school bullying and social preference as a function of gender and types of aggressive behavior utilized. Aggressive boys were likely to be rejected by peers, whereas aggressive girls were both rejected and accepted by peers. Children nominated…

Social relations of second grade students (247 boys, 290 girls) were examined in rural elementary classrooms. Cluster analysis of teacher ratings was used to identify interpersonal competence configurations including perceived unpopular-aggressive (i.e., "Troubled") and perceived popular-aggressive (i.e., "Tough") subtypes for…

The goal of the present study was to consider the associations between family functioning (parenting and family loneliness) and peer functioning in a sample of boys with ADHD (N = 110) and their mothers (N = 108) and fathers (N = 53). Results indicated that higher paternal warmth was associated with more peer acceptance, less peer rejection, and…

Including children with autism in regular classrooms has become prevalent; yet some evidence suggests such placements could increase the risk of isolation and rejection. In this study, we used social network methods to explore the involvement of children with autism in typical classrooms. Participants were 398 children (196 boys) in regular 2nd…

To investigate the role of psychopathic traits in a clinical and comparison sample, we obtained dimensional California Child Q-Set (CCQ) personality profiles for 66 preadolescent boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 56 comparison boys during naturalistic summer programs and correlated each boy's CCQ profile with an…

Thirty-two boys rejected by their peers in grades one through three, identified on the basis of negative sociometric nominations and negative social behavior, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions (a) instructions to promote positive social behavior, (b) prohibitions to reduce negative social behavior, (c) a combination of…

An investigation was undertaken of the hypothesis that the parent-child interactions of children having an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) would resemble those of rejected children and differ systematically from the interactions of popular and neglected children. Subjects were 12 popular, 12 neglected, and 12 rejected boys of…

A total of 95 boys between 6 and 12 years of age were assigned to 1 of 4 groups based on the presence or absence of aggression and rejection and were assessed for conduct problems, sociability, and adaptability to peer expectations. Discusses the distinct problem profiles that emerged. (MDM)

Considered the relation between peer status and aggressive behavior, the temporal relation between peer group behavior and emerging sociometric status, differences in behavioral correlates of peer status as a function of time that peers have known each other, and age differences in the consistency of status across settings and in behavior patterns…

Examined the relation between peer relationships in 6th grade and the number of sexual partners in 10th grade for 77 boys. Found that peer rejection in sixth grade was associated with number of sexual partners four years later; peer acceptance was also associated with number of sexual partners, but for different reasons. (HTH)