The relationship between mistrust and aggression from childhood to adulthood

Rotenberg, Ken J.; Fonseca, António Castro

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between mistrust and aggression from childhood to adulthood. The participants resided in Portugal and were tested during middle childhood (Mage = 7.5, SD = 0.81 years, n = 445, 240 male), preadolescence (Mage = 11.92, SD = 0.96 years, n = 431, 200 male), mid‐adolescence (Mage = 14.70, SD = 0.91 years, n = 326, 201 male), late adolescence (Mage = 18.14, SD = 1.19 years, n = 410, 216 male), and adulthood (Mage = 26.56, SD = 1.13, years, n = 417, 197 male). Mothers reported the participants' mistrust during childhood and preadolescence on items from the Child Behavior Checklist. Aggression was assessed by standardized self‐report measures at each age period. It was found that mistrust was associated with aggression during preadolescence and predicted changes in aggression to mid‐adolescence and adulthood. The findings supported the conclusion that mistrust during preadolescence predisposes individuals to show aggression later in the life course.

Citation

Rotenberg, K. J., & Fonseca, A. C. (in press). The relationship between mistrust and aggression from childhood to adulthood. Aggressive behavior, 50(1), Article e22119. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22119

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 16, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 7, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 14, 2023
• Journal: Aggressive Behavior
• Print ISSN: 0096-140X
• Electronic ISSN: 1098-2337
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: e22119
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22119
• Keywords: mistrust, life‐course, aggression
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.22119