Oct 01, 2014 05:02 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Intervention can help decrease relational aggression, or "Mean Girl" bullying, according to a recent study.

Mean Girl bulling, a nonphysical form of aggression generally used among adolescent girls, which includes gossiping, rumor spreading, exclusion and rejection, can lead to tragic or fatal outcomes. Despite these alarming concerns, little has been done to prevent and eliminate these negative behaviors.

Now, researchers from the University of Missouri have developed and tested an intervention that effectively decreases relational aggression among teen girls.

"Good outcomes can happen when priorities are set by schools and families to prevent and eliminate relational aggression," Connie Brooks, co-author of the study, said in a statement. "This study was an attempt to address this social problem in a meaningful way by testing an intervention to reduce relational aggression among teen girls."

The intervention, Growing Interpersonal Relationships through Learning and Systemic Supports (GIRLSS), is a 10-week, group counseling, caregiver training and caregiver phone consultation intervention for relationally aggressive middle school girls and their families.  Students, ranging in age from 12 to 15, participated in one 70-minute session per week that included interactive discussions, media-based examples, role-playing, journaling and weekly goal setting. At the end of the intervention, school counselors and teachers reported a decrease in relationally aggressive behaviors among the girls.

"It takes a village to raise relationally healthy children," said Melissa Maras, co-author of the study. "This study represents a first step in helping school personnel meet the intervention needs of a diverse group of relationally aggressive girls."

Relational aggression is a complicated issue with many variables, including schools, families and individuals, Brooks said. She says parents and teachers should be aware of relational aggression so they don't unknowingly contribute to the negative behaviors.

In order for the intervention to expand to more schools, MU researchers hope to improve and further evaluate GRILSS based on feedback from the participants.

The findings were published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

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