POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 105 What Factors Can Prevent Girls From Engaging in Aggression and Violence? Various protective factors can help girls at risk to avoid exhibiting aggressive and violent behaviour. Individual protective factors: An intelligent girl with solid self-esteem, who believes that she is a capable person and who is able to take on age-appropriate social and personal responsibilities, is not likely to become aggressive or violent. Family protective factors: Within the family, variables that support girls’ use of assertive rather than aggressive behaviour include positive exposure to social situations; the presence of at least one caring and supportive adult; positive relationships with parents, especially mothers; and effective, non-authoritarian parenting. School/community protective factors: At the school and neighbourhood level, variables that help to prevent or counter aggression and violence in girls include opportunities for education, achievement, personal growth and employment, as well as feelings of connectedness to the local community. E fforts to prevent or counter girls’ aggression and violence should be directed toward individual, family and community levels. Individual level: Prevention programs and intervention services should address the unique ways in which girls respond to initiatives to prevent violence. Initiatives should * counter girls’ low self-esteem as they approach adolescence; * focus on early intervention for girls who have witnessed or experienced violence, with an emphasis on strengthening and valuing the roles of women; * provide experiences that instill a sense of “mattering” (i.e., a sense of being valued and belonging) not based on sexual currency; * involve girls in social skills and assertiveness training programs; and * resist programs that focus solely on anger management, since they ignore the ways in which aggression and violence can be adaptations in the struggle to survive (e.g. for self-protection). Family level: Including parents in interventions is essential. Aggressive girls benefit from a long-term relationship with at least one adult who provides them with a sense of acceptance, safety and prosocial values. In some cases, this adult may be someone outside of the family. School/community level: Early involvement in proactive, prosocial programs in elementary schools has demonstrated positive effects on reducing aggression and violence in girls. Children (both boys and girls) should be engaged in discussions about sexism and taught to hold broader and less restrictive views of the roles of girls and boys. The best prevention efforts tend to be community-driven, use multiple strategies and adopt a holistic approach that incorporates involvement of parents, students, community-based agencies and community members. Programs should also include a plan for ongoing evaluation and follow-up. As originally published on http://www.gc.ca
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