Relational victimization and proactive versus reactive relational aggression: The moderating effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and skin conductance

Abstract

This research examined the moderating effect of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) on the associations between relational victimization and reactive and proactive relational aggression. Both branches of the ANS, the parasympathetic nervous system (indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity; RSA-Reactivity) and the sympathetic nervous system (indexed by skin conductance level reactivity; SCL-Reactivity), were examined. Emerging adults (N = 168) self-reported on relational victimization and proactive and reactive relational aggression; RSA-Reactivity and SCL-Reactivity were assessed in response to a laboratory stressor. Relational victimization predicted heightened reactive relational aggression given RSA augmentation/high SCL-Reactivity (i.e., coactivation) and RSA withdrawal/low SCL-Reactivity (i.e., coinhibition). In addition, relational victimization predicted heightened reactive relational aggression given RSA augmentation/low SCL-Reactivity (i.e., reciprocal parasympathetic activation). This study extends previous research on relational victimization and provides novel evidence that (a) exposure to relational victimization is associated with reactive relational aggression, but not proactive relational aggression, and (b) parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system reactivity jointly moderate the link between relational victimization and reactive relational aggression.

Biosocial studies of antisocial behavior: A systematic review of interactions between peri/prenatal complications, psychophysiological parameters, and social risk factors

“…For example, children with higher and lower PNS reactivity showed increased levels of externalizing behavior when exposed to higher levels of marital conflict (Obradovic et al, 2011). In contrast, PNS reactivity did not interact with peer popularity , peer rejection , or relational victimization (Wagner & Abaied, 2015).…”

“…On the one hand, social risk was associated with girls' ASB independent of levels of SNS reactivity (Sijtsema et al, 2015). The absence of biosocial interaction for girls is supported by the fact that studies based on (mostly) girls Wagner & Abaied, 2015) belong to the studies that did not find significant biosocial interaction effects. On the other hand, girls high on SNS reactivity were more likely to develop ASB in the context of marital conflict (El-Sheikh, 2005a;.…”

“…Samples were labelled as 'community samples' when authors had indicated that participants were drawn from the general population Kochanska, Brock, Chen, Aksan, & Anderson, 2015;Murray-Close et al, 2014) or "birth cohorts" (Chen, Lin, & Liu, 2010;Huijbregts, Séguin, Zoccolillo, Boivin, & Tremblay, 2008). In addition, samples were identified as being 'low-risk' when they consisted of (for example) "college students" (Wagner & Abaied, 2015;Zhang & Gao, 2015). Lastly, the label 'highrisk' was given to samples from "neighborhoods with lower socio-economic status" (Shannon, Beauchaine, Brenner, Neuheus, & Gatze-Kopp, 2007), and "urban areas with high prevalence of cocaine use" (Bennett, Marini, Berzenski, Carmody, & Lewis, 2013), as well as when studies were focused specifically on "subjects who has at least one recorded offense" (Gibson & Tibbetts, 2000).…”

“…On the other hand, girls high on SNS reactivity were more likely to develop ASB in the context of marital conflict (El-Sheikh, 2005a;. Inconsistencies among girls were evident across low-and high-risk samples, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, among children and adolescents, and across several measures of SNS reactivity (see El-Sheikh, 2005a;Sijtsema et al, 2015;Wagner & Abaied, 2015, 2016 Most studies (n = 12 out of 17) on interactions between baseline PNS and social risk showed that lower (El-Sheikh, Hinnant, Erath, & El-Sheikh, 2015;Zhang, Fagan, & Gao, 2017) as well as higher (Dierckx et al, 2011;Scarpa et al, 2008;Shannon et al, 2007) PNS activity exacerbated the positive relation between social risk and ASB. Children with lower baseline PNS functioning were more likely to show ASB in the context of parental problem drinking (El-Sheikh, 2005b), material conflict , and harsh parenting (Hinnant et al, 2015).…”

“…Studies that reported significant interaction effects, showed that interactions between higher as well as lower PNS reactivity and social risk factors were associated with ASB (Obradovic, Bush, & Boyce, 2011;Obradovic, Bush, Stamperdahl, Adler, & Boyce, 2010;Sijtsema et al, 2015). Studies that found significant interaction effects mostly focused on familial risk (Diamond, Fagundes, & Cribbet, 2012;McQuade & Breaux, 2017;Zhang & Gao, 2015) as opposed to peer-related risk factors Wagner & Abaied, 2015). For example, children with higher and lower PNS reactivity showed increased levels of externalizing behavior when exposed to higher levels of marital conflict (Obradovic et al, 2011).…”