title: Relational Aggression in Women during Emerging Adulthood: A Social Process Model.
abstract: Two studies investigated potential mediators of the association between relational victimization and relational aggression. Self-report measures of aggressive behavior among peers, exclusivity, hostile attribution biases, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms were collected. In study 1, participants were 180 female emerging adults (M = 18.82, SD = 1.18). Both exclusivity and hostile attribution biases for relational provocations were found to partially mediate the association between relational victimization and relational aggression. In study 2, participants were 54 female emerging adults (M = 19.16, SD = 1.11). Symptoms of BPD were not found to mediate the association between relational victimization and relational aggression, yet unique associations with relational aggression were observed. The results add to recent research guided by a social process model in which links between victimization and aggression are more clearly understood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York. jostrov@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ostrov
authors.forename: Emily J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Kimberly E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Kamper
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Godleski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010379:Peer Group; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult