Adolescent relational aggression is a problem that affects many young people today. It is defined as the use of psychological, social, and physical aggression to assert power and control over peers. The Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale (DARAS) is a tool used to measure the level of relational aggression in adolescents. The DARAS was developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota in 2020. It is a self–report questionnaire that assesses the frequency and intensity of relational aggression in adolescents. The DARAS consists of 37 items that measure both verbal and nonverbal forms of relational aggression. The items are divided into four subscales: verbal aggression, physical aggression, social aggression, and cyber aggression. The DARAS has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of adolescent relational aggression. It has been used in a variety of research studies and has been found to be a reliable predictor of aggressive behavior in adolescents. The DARAS has also been used to assess the effectiveness of interventions for reducing relational aggression in adolescents. The DARAS is a useful tool for assessing the level of relational aggression in adolescents. It is a reliable and valid measure of relational aggression and can be used to assess the effectiveness of interventions for reducing relational aggression in adolescents. The DARAS can also be used to identify adolescents who are at risk for engaging in relational aggression and to provide targeted interventions to address this behavior.
In your interactions with your peers‚ family and community‚ do you agree with thefollowing:
1. It is okay to talk about someone you don’t like.
2. I have told a “mean joke” about someone in front of a group.
3. It is okay to repeat a rumor that you’ve heard.
4. When someone is talked about badly‚ their popularity might decrease.
5. When someone is talked about badly‚ it is okay for them to “get back” at that person who was talking about them.
6. When you hear that a peer/friend has been talking negatively about you‚ you should confront them.
7. When you hear that a peer/friend has been talking negatively about you‚ it is okay to respond by talking negatively about them.
8. It is okay to talk about a friend if you are just joking.
9. It is okay to avoid your friend if you’re mad at them.
10. It is okay to post on your website something negative about a peer that made you mad.
11. Girls spread rumors more than boys.
12. Girls will ignore a friend more than boys.
13. Boys talk about their friends.
14. When people are whispering and looking in your direction they are probably talking about you.
15. I have talked with a friend of someone I did not like in order to make the person I did not like mad.
16. It is okay to stare at (mean-mug) someone you do not like.
17. It is okay to talk about someone behind their back.
18. If someone stares at you for a while…they probably do not like you.
19. I have talked negatively about someone when they were not around.
20. I have heard an adult talking negatively about their friend when they were not around.
21. I have heard my parent talking negatively about their friend when they were not around.
22. I have heard my sibling talking negatively about their friend when they were not around.
23. I have heard a friend talk negatively about another friend when they were not around.
24. I have heard people in my neighborhood talk about someone behind their back.
25. My parent has encouraged me to talk about a friend.
26. My friend has treated me badly without telling me what I did.
27. Just for fun‚ my friend and I have talked about someone when they walked by.
28. When someone is dressed poorly‚ it is okay to talk about them.
This instrument can be found on pages 52- 54 of THE DIVERSE ADOLESCENT RELATIONAL AGGRESSION MEASURE: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION. Available online at:https://dspace.uta.edu/bitstream/handle/10106/4875/Horton_uta_2502D_10589.pdf?sequence=1
a. Strongly Agree/ b. Agree/ c. Disagree/ d. Strongly Disagree
Horton‚ K. (2010). The diverse adolescent relational aggression scale: Development and validation. (Doctoral dissertation‚ University of Texas at Arlington‚ 2010).