Distrust Moderates the Effect of Deviant Peer Affiliation on Increased Externalizing in Adolescents

Deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression during early adolescence: within-person effects and between-person differences

Abundant studies have explored the relations among deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression without separating within-person from between-person effects. Moreover, it is unclear whether self-control mediates the associations between deviant peer affiliation and aggression during early adolescence. This longitudinal study used Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model to examine the dynamic relations among deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression within individuals, including examining whether self-control mediated the relations between deviant peer affiliation and aggression. A total of 4078 early adolescents (54% boys, Mage = 9.91, SD = 0.73) completed questionnaires on four occasions across 2 years. Results indicated: (a) Deviant peer affiliation and aggression positively predicted each other; (b) Self-control and aggression negatively predicted each other but were unstable; (c) Deviant peer affiliation and self-control negatively predicted each other; and (d) Self-control mediated the path from aggression to deviant peer affiliation, but not vice versa. The results more precisely identify the relations among deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and aggression within individuals, providing valuable information for prevention and intervention programs targeted at alleviating early adolescent aggression.

Longitudinal Associations Between Interpersonal Distrust and Social Aggression During College: Disentangling the Within-Person Process from Stable Between-Person Differences

There is a dearth of information on the relationship between interpersonal distrust and social aggression in the youth, although both may lead to negative interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, scholars have not explored whether interpersonal distrust influences later social aggression over time at the within-person level. This study used five wave longitudinal data to investigate the longitudinal association between interpersonal distrust and social aggression and the role of hostile attribution bias in this relationship; notably, it used a relatively rigorous approach-the random intercept cross-lagged panel model-to disentangle within-person processes from stable between-person differences. The final number of participants included 1053 undergraduate students (677 female students and 376 male students), and 64.3% were female students, with a mean age of 18.45 years (SD = 0.95) at first measurement. Participants completed assessments for interpersonal distrust, hostile attribution bias, and social aggression at five time points across 6-month intervals. At the within-person level, the results revealed that interpersonal distrust was a predictor of later social aggression and that hostile attribution bias acted as a longitudinal mediator in this relationship. This result indicates that to enhance interpersonal harmony and reduce individual hostility and aggression toward others, intervention programs should aim to reduce interpersonal distrust.

The relationship between mistrust and aggression from childhood to adulthood

The study examined the relationship between mistrust and aggression from childhood to adulthood. The participants resided in Portugal and were tested during middle childhood (Mage = 7.5, SD = 0.81 years, n = 445, 240 male), preadolescence (Mage = 11.92, SD = 0.96 years, n = 431, 200 male), mid-adolescence (Mage = 14.70, SD = 0.91 years, n = 326, 201 male), late adolescence (Mage = 18.14, SD = 1.19 years, n = 410, 216 male), and adulthood (Mage = 26.56, SD = 1.13, years, n = 417, 197 male). Mothers reported the participants' mistrust during childhood and preadolescence on items from the Child Behavior Checklist. Aggression was assessed by standardized self-report measures at each age period. It was found that mistrust was associated with aggression during preadolescence and predicted changes in aggression to mid-adolescence and adulthood. The findings supported the conclusion that mistrust during preadolescence predisposes individuals to show aggression later in the life course.