Armitage, C.J. and Rowe, R. orcid.org/0000-0001-5556-3650 (2017) Evidence That Self-Affirmation Reduces Relational Aggression: A Proof of Concept Trial. Psychology of Violence, 7 (4). pp. 489-497. ISSN 2152-0828
Abstract
Acts of relational aggression cause significant social and personal costs, and interventions are needed to reduce relational aggression in community as well as clinical settings. The present study used a persuasive message coupled with a self-affirmation manipulation to reduce relational aggression among a group of adolescents recruited from the community. Method: Participants (N = 503) all received a persuasive message designed to reduce relational aggression and were randomly allocated to participate in a self-affirming or nonaffirming task. Results: Findings demonstrated a significant reduction in relational aggression over 1-month among participants who were randomized to the self-affirmation condition (d = −0.50) in contrast with a small increase in relational aggression in the control condition (d = +0.20). Contrary to expectations, these effects were not mediated by message processing or changes in interpersonal affect. Conclusion: The present study used the novel approach of asking pupils to self-affirm following a persuasive message and showed that it was possible to reduce relational aggression. Self-affirmation shows considerable promise as a means of augmenting the delivery of interventions to reduce antisocial behavior in addition to other social and health behaviors.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 American Psychological Association. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Psychology of Violence. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Relational aggression; self-affirmation; intervention; antisocial behavior; adolescence |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 05 May 2016 09:23 |
Last Modified: | 23 Nov 2017 11:28 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000062 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Psychological Association |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1037/vio0000062 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:99234 |