Facet-level impulsivity and proactive and reactive relational aggression

Abstract

Background & objectivesRelational aggression and its functional subtypes (proactive and reactive) are associated with various adverse outcomes. Impulsivity has known associations with aggression, but less is known about its role in relational aggression, particularly at the facet level, and the implications such a relationship might have for prevention and intervention efforts. MethodAn Australian community sample was recruited from social media platforms (N = 637), consisting of 352 (55.3 %) females, 281 (44.1 %) males, and 4 (0.6 %) who self-described. Participant ages ranged from 18 to 82 years (M = 53.24, SD = 13.25). Participants completed a brief online self-report survey. ResultsWe fit four path models to explore the relationship between facet-level impulsivity and reactive and proactive relational aggression. For females, positive associations between positive urgency and proactive relational aggression (β = 0.20, p = .007), negative urgency and reactive relational aggression (β = 0.26, p < .001), and sensation seeking and reactive relational aggression were evident (β = 0.11, p = 0.041), as was a negative relationship between sensation seeking and proactive relational aggression (β = -0.12, p = .043). For males, a positive association between negative urgency and reactive relational aggression was identified (β = 0.24, p < .001). ConclusionProactive and reactive relational aggression may be more likely to occur during the experience of intense emotions (i.e., positive and negative urgency). Both subtypes appear to require forethought and planning, indicating there may be substantial conceptual and cognitive overlap between the two relational aggression functions.