This study examined the unique contributions of social anxiety and empathy to relational aggression in 300 19-to-25-year-old (M = 21.25; SD = 1.32) male (n = 97) and female (n = 203) college students using hierarchical linear regression analysis. The interactive relations between gender and social anxiety, and between gender and empathy, were also assessed. In addition to the gender and overt aggression covariates, fear of negative evaluation and perspective taking were unique predictors of relational aggression. Males, students who were more overtly aggressive, and those who reported greater fear of negative evaluation were more relationally aggressive than were peers. Students with higher levels of perspective taking reported using less relational aggression than did peers. A gender x empathetic concern interaction indicated that for males only, lower levels of empathetic concern were associated with higher levels of relational aggression. Results are discussed within a social informationprocessing perspective.

The current study examined the unique and interactive relations of 4 aspects of student-perceived school climate (cohesion, friction, and competition among students, and overall satisfaction with classes) and adolescent effortful control in the conduct problems and depressive symptoms of 868 ten-to fourteen-year-old adolescents. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that each of the school climate variables was uniquely associated with at least 1 outcome beyond effortful control. Two-way interactions between effortful control and school climate variables showed that among boys low in effortful control, those perceiving high levels of cohesion among students, low levels of friction among students, or high levels of satisfaction with classes reported fewer depressive symptoms. Among females, 2-way interactions indicated that girls low in effortful control reported fewer conduct problems when their perceptions of friction or competition among students were low. Implications for perceptions of good quality school climates are discussed.Recognizing the importance of contextual influences on individual adjustment, researchers have focused substantial effort on the roles of families and peers in early adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems (Steinberg & Morris, 2001). Less attention, however, has been directed at examining school influences even though the school is a proximal context in which adolescents spend most of their waking day.

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Typical classroom management procedures designed to reduce instances of inappropriate social behavior (i.e., tattling and punishment systems) may adversely impact the social development and social relations of students with behavior and/or social emotional disorders. Two alternative procedures where students are encouraged to monitor and report incidental prosocial behaviors are described and research supporting their effectiveness in remedying and preventing social interaction problems within classroom environments are reviewed. Recommendations for future research on altering classroom environments so that peers encourage and support classmates' incidental prosocial behavior are provided.

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