Predicting aggression in late adolescent romantic relationships: A short-term longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Relationship Science
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Understanding predictors of romantic relationship aggression is crucial for developing interventions.
• Intrapersonal factors, including personality and emotion regulation, are implicated but require further prospective investigation in young adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively predict verbal and physical aggression in romantic relationships among college students.
• To examine the role of intrapersonal factors, such as personality traits and emotion regulation, in predicting dating aggression.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 1180 US college students (807 females, 373 males) over two months.
• Assessment of intrapersonal risk and protective factors, including personality characteristics and emotion regulation.
• Statistical analyses to predict perpetration of verbal and physical aggression, controlling for prior dating aggression.

Main Results:

• Verbal aggression was predicted by aggressive attitudes, emotion regulation, and narcissism (females).
• Physical aggression was predicted by aggressive attitudes (at low emotion regulation) and an interaction of callous-unemotional traits, emotion regulation, and gender.
• Males with low callous-unemotional traits showed less physical aggression with higher emotion regulation.

Conclusions:

• Personality traits and emotion regulation prospectively predict partner aggression in late adolescence.
• Findings suggest mechanisms for the continuity of interpersonal aggression from early adolescence into adulthood.
• Identified specific personality and emotion regulation profiles associated with different forms of dating aggression.