Research suggests that involvement in relational aggression is associated with serious adjustment problems, including concurrent and future social maladjustment (e.g., problematic friendships; rejection), internalizing problems (e.g., depressive symptoms), and school avoidance. Despite the burgeoning literature focusing on the harmful and damaging…

The collection of articles in this special issue on relational aggression gives a glimpse into the complex social networks, first, of children's relational aggression and, second, of the collaborators who develop and validate children's prevention programs. The programs described in this special section are among the first to address relational…

This study provides initial evidence for the reliability and structural validity of scores from the Primary Intervention Rating Scale (Lane, Robertson, & Wehby, 2002), an adapted version of the Intervention Rating Profile-15 (Witt & Elliott, 1985) designed to assess faculty's perceptions of social validity of primary prevention plans prior…

This article focuses on the recent flurry of legislation in states to address bullying among school children. The primary purpose is to describe, compare, and contrast current state laws about bullying. Specifically, a description is provided of legislators' definitions of bullying and legislative findings about the nature and seriousness of…

Article examines selected school-based prevention programs that represent a dual focus of risk attenuation and competency promotion, and exemplify a shift from risk to resilience in the prevention of antisocial behavior. Identifies characteristics of improved outcomes and draws conclusions for enhancing future efforts. Stresses the urgent need for…

Describes conceptual framework for mini-series on mental health programming. Model includes five components considered to be critical for comprehensive and effective programming. Components include: action research, ecological perspective of program development, collaborative/participatory approach, prevention to treatment via mental health…

The educational community's concern with sex, drug, and vocational/career education has prompted school psychologists to take part in these areas. This article reviews the literature on (1) sex education, (2) drug education, (3) vocation/career education, and (4) psychology courses for high school students. (Author/PN)

Issues involved in preventing child sexual abuse and findings on the nature of sexual abuse prevention programs for children are presented. Empirical research on the effectiveness of these programs is examined, and the significance of unintended consequences of the programs is addressed. Program development and implementation are considered. (SLD)