The impact of self-esteem and interpersonal relationships on the processing of verbal violence: Evidence from ERPs

The perception of verbal violence is a critical component in the chain of its negative impacts. This study utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the impact of self-esteem and interpersonal relationships on the processing of verbal violence. Seventy-three participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a verbal violence ERP task. Stimuli depicting verbal violence were presented as violent words within a fixed sentence structure. The interpersonal relationships, represented by the positions of the subjects in the sentences, suggested different sources of verbal violence, including friends and strangers. Participants were asked to evaluate their feelings regarding the verbal violence after each sentence presentation. Behavioral results indicated that self-esteem and interpersonal relationships influenced the ratings of verbal violence. ERP results showed that as self-esteem scores increased, the EPN amplitude for verbal violence from friends was significantly enhanced, while the EPN for verbal violence from strangers remained unaffected. Self-esteem and interpersonal relationships also significantly influenced the LPC amplitude for verbal violence. These findings provide preliminary evidence that self-esteem and interpersonal relationships jointly influence the processing of verbal violence. Future research should continue to examine the specific effects of interpersonal relationships and explore other factors that may modulate the perception of verbal violence.