A gender moderation study on the relationship between psychopathic components and relational aggression

• Main Authors: Davies, Joseph Keith M., Jimenez, Alyssa Marie P., Lamsin, Darren John P., Paguital, Sharah Nadien S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Psychology, Pathological; Aggressiveness
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/9806
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study examined the associations of distinct phenotypic components of psychopathy-- boldness, meanness, and disinhibition with relational aggression, concurrently accounting for gender differences. Following a quantitative research design, 451 participants (188 males, 263 females), composed of Filipino, aged 18-25 years old, non-incarcerated, undergraduate students from various colleges and universities around Metro Manila, were assessed for psychopathy using the triarchic pyschopathy measure and for relational aggression using the young adult relational aggression scale. Overall, it was found that: (1) gender has a significant effect as an exacerbator of the relationship between some psychopathic components and some types of relational aggression (2) the significant interaction terms of the said association were most apparent on the proactive dimension of relational aggression (3) of the psychopathic components, meanness appeared to have the most significant interaction effects, especially on the damage dimension of relational aggression and, (4) generally, males scored higher than females in the established association. Findings of the study are consistent with previous research claiming that psychopathic components predict relational aggression, and that gender plays a significant role in this association. Implications of the study may be used for counseling services, the development of more efficient school-based interventions, and the generation of further investigations on the biological causes of the interaction between psychopathic components, relational aggression, and gender.