Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the undergraduate students and colleges for participating in this study. The authors are also very grateful to the teachers and student assistants who assisted with data collection.
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This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (grant number 19BSH130).
Data Sharing and DeclarationThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available. They are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Y.Y. conceived of the study, participated in its design, performed the statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript; M.Z. participated in the design of the study and performed the statistical analysis participated in data curation; Y.D. acquired the research funding, administrated and supervised the project, participated in the interpretation of the data, reviewed and edited the manuscript; L.X. participated in the design, interpretation of the data and commented on the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Appendix
Appendix
The items in all the scales are as follows:
Interpersonal Distrust
1. Find it hard to forgive others.
2. Suspect hidden motives in others.
3. Am wary of others.
4. Distrust people.
5. Believe that people seldom tell you the whole truth.
6. Believe that people are essentially evil.
7*. Trust what people say.
8*. Trust others.
9*. Believe that others have good intentions.
10*. Believe that people are basically moral.
* Represent reverse scoring items.
Social Aggression
1. Blamed others.
2. Tried to hurt someone’s feelings.
3. Made fun of someone behind his/her back.
4. Excluded someone from group activities when angry with him/her.
5. Intentionally damaged someone’s reputation.
6. Tried to turn others against someone when angry with him/her.
7. Gave someone the silent treatment when angry with him/her.
8. Called someone names behind his/her back.
9. Revealed someone’s secrets when angry with him/her.
10. Was rude towards others.
11. Made negative comments about other’s appearance.
Hostile Attribution Bias
WSAP-Hostility Sentences Words
1. A door slams in front of you. Insulting
2. Someone grabs your arm. Abusive
3. A friend laughs at you. Disrespectful
4. Someone is talking while you are reading. Rude
5. Someone tracks dirt onto your carpet. Disrespectful
6. Your friend does not respond to what you say. Thoughtless
7. Someone frowns at you. Hostile
8. Someone blocks your way. Inconsiderate
9. A friend declines your invitation to dinner. Rude
10. A shopping cart bumps into you. Aggressive
11. The car in front of yours is very slow. Inconsiderate
12. Someone bumps into you. Aggressive
13. Someone throws a ball that hits you. Disrespectful
14. Your friend leaves behind trash in your car. Rude
15. Someone is in your way. Inconsiderate
16. A friend does not say hello. Ignoring
Trait Hostility
Overall, I experienced ……
1. angry
2. hostile
3. irritable
4. scornful
5. disgusted
6. loathing
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Yang, Y., Zhao, M., Dong, Y. et al. Longitudinal Associations Between Interpersonal Distrust and Social Aggression During College: Disentangling the Within-Person Process from Stable Between-Person Differences. J. Youth Adolescence 53, 849–862 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01874-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01874-8