The development of a Peer Aggression Coping Self‐Efficacy Scale for Adolescents

This study presents findings regarding the reliability and validity of a newly developed measure designed to assess children's self‐efficacy for coping with peer aggression. The sample consisted of 2,161 participants (1,071 females and 1,090 males, who ranged in age from 10 to 15 years; 63% White, 17% Middle‐Eastern, 10% Asian, and 10% from other ethnic groups). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the four conceptualized coping self‐efficacy domains: self‐efficacy for proactive behaviour, self‐efficacy for avoiding aggressive behaviour, self‐efficacy for avoiding self‐blame, and self‐efficacy for victim‐role disengagement. Internal consistencies for the coping domains were between .87 and .90. Validity was examined by correlations between the coping self‐efficacy domains and psychological adjustment variables. Greater coping self‐efficacy was associated with less social anxiety, cognitive depression, and externalizing symptoms. The Peer Aggression Coping Self‐Efficacy Scale provides a useful measure for examining children's self‐efficacy for using a range of strategies to deal with peer aggression.     

Dr. Susan W. Gray

While Susan W. Gray is known primarily for her work with the Early Training Project, a pioneering early intervention program with low-income black children, she has also influenced the development of school psychology and the creation of Early Childhood Education as a discipline. In addition, in her own quiet way, she has supported the career development of a number of professional women who have had impact on child development, early childhood education, and school psychology. Four major themes are used to present Susan Gray's biography: (1) being ahead of her time in terms of thinking which allowed her to take advantage of opportunities; (2) the role of serendipity versus long-range planning of career trajectories; (3) specific influences on her as a woman; and (4) a lifetime of courage and dedication. Examples of work which was in advance of psychology included work in early intervention with low-income children, an emphasis on the use of scientific experimental methodology in field research, an eclectic approach which crossed disciplinary boundaries, a consultative approach to school psychology, and the inclusion of affective and cognitive education in inter-