The 10 Strategies Identified by Adolescent Girls for Managing Peer Conflict

Many parents, teachers and teaching assistants will know that children and young adults will often fall out and argue. As children develop and reach puberty, these issues become increasingly complex and divisive. Additionally, adult intervention can sometimes serve to exacerbate the situation (Huntley and Owens 2013).

Recent research by Huntley and Owens (2013) has successfully identified 10 possible strategies, developed by adolescent girls, that may prove useful in managing peer conflict. Seventy-five girls, aged between 14 and 15, were encouraged to engage in a series of focus groups.

Huntley and Owens (2013) found three areas of concern identified by the participants were:

1. The problems with groups with dominant leaders.
2. The power of non-verbal communication to exclude and intimidate.
3. Girls not feeling confident enough to have a voice and speak up for themselves.

 After further analysis and research Huntley and Owen (2013) proposed the following list, written in the words of the participants, as potential strategies for managing conflict:

1. Develop a wide circle of friends; don't just stick with one or two people. Then if something goes wrong with your group, you have other people to hang out with.
2.  Decide what is important and what is not, what you will take a stand for and what you will let go. If you feel strongly enough about an issue it is worth speaking up.
3. Walk away from conflict if it is getting out of hand – do not stay and be humiliated. Walk away and think about how you will deal with the situation.
4. If you feel comfortable talk to whoever is upsetting you one-on-one. See if you can sit down and work it out, without involving others. Let them know that you don't like what is happening.
5. Remove yourself from gossip, bitchiness and back stabbing. If you stay away from this type of behavior you cannot be accused of doing or saying something which could be seen as offensive. This also applies to texting comments, emails, My Space, Facebook and MSN.
6. Be clear about where your boundaries (limits) are if you are feeling uncomfortable. Do not let the peer group make decisions for you – otherwise you will finish up participating in things that you do not want to do.
7. Find friends who are mostly like you and do not do drugs or drink. That way if you go out, having a friend with you who does not drink or do drugs makes it easier to withstand the pressure from the peer group.
8. If it is important to voice your opinion, ask for advice from a trusted friend outside the friendship group. Enlist help from your parents if dealing with the peer group is too difficult. Speak to the school counsellors if you don't know what to do.
9. Ignore the evil eye, daggers, the stare and the cold shoulder. Do not repeat the negative behaviours that have been done to you or that you have seen operating within your group. Ignoring immature behavior is the best thing to do.
10. If you are pressured by the group to do something you don't want to do or go somewhere that you don't want to go, and you don't feel comfortable voicing your opinion, you can say that your parents will not allow you out (but make sure your parents know what the situation is about).

References:

Huntley J. & Owens L. (2013). Collaborative conversations: adolescent girls' own strategies for managing conflict within their friendship groups, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 18 (4) 236-247. DOI: 10.1080/02673843.2012.690933

Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Primer for Teachers

Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder. Specifically it is caused by the lack of expression of genes at 15q11–q13 (Haig and Wharton 2003). It was first noted in 1956 by Prader, Willi, Labhart, Ziegler and Fanconi.

The characteristics of Prader-Willi syndrome include hypotonia, obesity, hypogonadism, short stature, small hands and feet, mental deficiency and a characteristic face (Butler 2005).

The PWSA (UK) states that:

Babies with PWS are very floppy at birth, and the ability to suck is weak or absent. Tube-feeding may be required for the first few days or weeks of life; breast-feeding is rarely initially successful. Babies show little interest in feeding during the first few months of their lives, have a very weak cry, and sleep for most of the time during the early weeks. Male babies may have noticeably underdeveloped genital organs. Female babies may also have underdeveloped genitalia, but this is much harder to detect. Developmental milestones such as sitting, standing, walking and talking are generally delayed, but most children with PWS are able to attain all these abilities by the time they are about 5 years old. Infants with PWS are very lovable and placid, and seem to draw admiration wherever they go.

Some time between the ages of one and four years, children with PWS begin to show a heightened interest in food and in severe cases develop what appears to be an insatiable appetite, so that they will try to obtain food by any means possible. The degree to which this occurs varies considerably between individuals, but there is always a preoccupation with food in play and talk. This can be helped by good management, dietary control and educating the child about his or her diet. However, if energy intake has not been carefully monitored, weight gain is rapid; hence, a lower calorie diet (energy controlled regime) is essential throughout the person's life. An appropriate exercise programme helps to keep weight levels down and also improves muscle strength. If weight is not controlled, fat accumulates in a characteristic way on the buttocks, stomach, lower trunk and thighs. Children with PWS are generally placid and friendly, but may begin to exhibit stubborn or obsessive behaviour, and outbursts of temper if they cannot get their own way or are denied access to food.

The video posted below, developed by the PWSA (USA), gives some useful tips for teachers:

References:

Butler, M. (1990). Prader-Willi syndrome: Current understanding of cause and diagnosis American Journal of Medical Genetics, 35 (3), 319-332 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1320350306



Haig D, & Wharton R (2003). Prader-Willi syndrome and the evolution of human childhood. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council, 15 (3), 320-9 PMID: 12704708