Depression mediates the relationship between social performance impairment and hostility

Abstract

The goal of this study was to test depressive symptoms as a mediator between social difficulties and hostility in young adults. Hostility is often a reaction to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors; therefore a greater understanding of contributing factors is needed, especially among emerging adults. College students (n=608; 408 females, 200 males) self-reported on social difficulties, depression, and hostility. Via exploratory factor analyses, two latent constructs related to social difficulty were identified: social performance and social motivation. Using structural equation modeling, the direct effects found that poor social performance was significantly positively associated with BPAQ Total (β=.44, p<.01). Social motivation was not associated with BPAQ Total (β=−.07, p=.21). Further, depression scores were found to partially mediate the relationship between social performance deficits (β=.34, p<.01; 95% CI=.05–.16), but not social motivation (β=−.06, p>.05; 95% CI=−.04 to .04), and overall aggression. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of negative affect and impaired emotion regulatory processes on hostility as a consequence of social performance deficits.