Relational aggression involves the intentional infliction of harm via damaging one’s relationships or sense of belonging. Previous research suggests that relational aggression among children and early adolescents is correlated with social ostracism, poor psychological adjustment, anxiety, and depression in victims, and there is increasing evidence that many of these correlates apply to relational aggression among older adolescents and emerging adults. Efforts to identify predictors of relational aggression are underway; however, many variables which have been influential in understanding other forms of aggression have not yet been examined. The Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality is one example, as it has been identified as a solid predictor of overt physical aggression but has not been adequately examined in the context of peer and romantic relational aggression. This study aimed to assess how the FFM constructs, along with social anxiety and rejection sensitivity, function as predictors of relational aggression among college students. Hierarchical multiple regression were used to test hypotheses about the predictive utility of the FFM and whether the addition of social anxiety and/or rejection sensitivity offers incremental validity beyond the FFM in the prediction of general/peer and romantic relational aggression. Emotional stability emerged as predictors for both peer/general and romantic relational aggression, while Agreeableness only predicted peer/general relational aggression. Social anxiety was found to predict.
Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/910/
","abstract_html":"<p>Relational aggression involves the intentional infliction of harm via damaging one’s relationships or sense of belonging. Previous research suggests that relational aggression among children and early adolescents is correlated with social ostracism, poor psychological adjustment, anxiety, and depression in victims, and there is increasing evidence that many of these correlates apply to relational aggression among older adolescents and emerging adults. Efforts to identify predictors of relational aggression are underway; however, many variables which have been influential in understanding other forms of aggression have not yet been examined. The Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality is one example, as it has been identified as a solid predictor of overt physical aggression but has not been adequately examined in the context of peer and romantic relational aggression. This study aimed to assess how the FFM constructs, along with social anxiety and rejection sensitivity, function as predictors of relational aggression among college students. Hierarchical multiple regression were used to test hypotheses about the predictive utility of the FFM and whether the addition of social anxiety and/or rejection sensitivity offers incremental validity beyond the FFM in the prediction of general/peer and romantic relational aggression. Emotional stability emerged as predictors for both peer/general and romantic relational aggression, while Agreeableness only predicted peer/general relational aggression. Social anxiety was found to predict.</p> <p>Doctoral dissertation:<a href="http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/910/"> http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/910/</a></p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Deason, Daniel Locke"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Eric R. Dahlen","Michael Madson","Emily Bullock-Yowell"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:27Z","subjects":["relational aggression","aggression","college students","social anxiety","rejection sensitivity","Psychological Phenomena and Processes"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/80","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Eric R. Dahlen","Michael Madson","Emily Bullock-Yowell"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Deason, Daniel Locke"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["relational aggression","aggression","college students","social anxiety","rejection sensitivity","Psychological Phenomena and Processes"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/80"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Relational aggression involves the intentional infliction of harm via damaging one’s relationships or sense of belonging. Previous research suggests that relational aggression among children and early adolescents is correlated with social ostracism, poor psychological adjustment, anxiety, and depression in victims, and there is increasing evidence that many of these correlates apply to relational aggression among older adolescents and emerging adults. Efforts to identify predictors of relational aggression are underway; however, many variables which have been influential in understanding other forms of aggression have not yet been examined. The Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality is one example, as it has been identified as a solid predictor of overt physical aggression but has not been adequately examined in the context of peer and romantic relational aggression. This study aimed to assess how the FFM constructs, along with social anxiety and rejection sensitivity, function as predictors of relational aggression among college students. Hierarchical multiple regression were used to test hypotheses about the predictive utility of the FFM and whether the addition of social anxiety and/or rejection sensitivity offers incremental validity beyond the FFM in the prediction of general/peer and romantic relational aggression. Emotional stability emerged as predictors for both peer/general and romantic relational aggression, while Agreeableness only predicted peer/general relational aggression. Social anxiety was found to predict.
Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/910/
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Personality and Relational Aggression in College Students: The Role of Social Anxiety and Rejection Sensitivity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Eric R. Dahlen","Michael Madson","Emily Bullock-Yowell"],"dc:creator":["Deason, Daniel Locke"],"dc:date.available":["2016-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Relational aggression involves the intentional infliction of harm via damaging one’s relationships or sense of belonging. Previous research suggests that relational aggression among children and early adolescents is correlated with social ostracism, poor psychological adjustment, anxiety, and depression in victims, and there is increasing evidence that many of these correlates apply to relational aggression among older adolescents and emerging adults. Efforts to identify predictors of relational aggression are underway; however, many variables which have been influential in understanding other forms of aggression have not yet been examined. The Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality is one example, as it has been identified as a solid predictor of overt physical aggression but has not been adequately examined in the context of peer and romantic relational aggression. This study aimed to assess how the FFM constructs, along with social anxiety and rejection sensitivity, function as predictors of relational aggression among college students. Hierarchical multiple regression were used to test hypotheses about the predictive utility of the FFM and whether the addition of social anxiety and/or rejection sensitivity offers incremental validity beyond the FFM in the prediction of general/peer and romantic relational aggression. Emotional stability emerged as predictors for both peer/general and romantic relational aggression, while Agreeableness only predicted peer/general relational aggression. Social anxiety was found to predict.
Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/910/
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/80"],"dc:subject":["relational aggression","aggression","college students","social anxiety","rejection sensitivity","Psychological Phenomena and Processes"],"dc:title":["Personality and Relational Aggression in College Students: The Role of Social Anxiety and Rejection Sensitivity"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:27Z"}