Forms and Functions of Aggression in Young Adults: The Polish Modified Version of the Peer Conflict Scale

Abstract

The goal of the present study was an initial validation of the Peer Conflict Scale (PCS) for Polish young adults (ages 18–30 years). The PCS measures two forms (overt and relational) and two functions (proactive and reactive) of aggression enabling multidimensional assessment of aggressive behavior in early adulthood. Study 1 (N =482) showed that the initially proposed 4-factor model provided the best fit for data, but the PCS required modifications which resulted in shortening of the measure. The modified version of the PCS was partially invariant by gender. Construct validity was examined through the analysis of gender differences and the investigation of the associations between forms and functions of aggression and emotion regulation strategies of cognitive reappraisal and emotion suppression. Study 2 (N = 220) confirmed the internal structure, reliability, convergent (by the examination of the associations with other measures of relational and overt aggression, and with the Dark Triad) and known-groups validity of the modified PCS. These initial results suggest that the modified PCS is a promising tool to assess aggression in young adults. However, there is a need of additional psychometric studies to further establish the internal structure and validity of this instrument.