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Does Maladaptive Coping Mediate the Relationship Between Borderline Personality Traits and Reactive and Proactive Aggression?
Author(s) -
Gardner Kathryn Jane,
Archer John,
Jackson Sophie
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/ab.21437
Subject(s) - aggression , psychology , coping (psychology) , trait , personality , clinical psychology , big five personality traits , developmental psychology , poison control , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , coping behavior , social psychology , medicine , medical emergency , computer science , programming language
The aim of this study was to identify associations between borderline personality ( BP ) traits and reactive and proactive aggression, and to compare the meditational effects of maladaptive coping in samples of older adolescents ( n = 133) and young adults ( n = 93), which has not hitherto been explored. This was a cross‐sectional study that used self‐report measures to assess BP traits on a continuum, trait‐based reactive and proactive aggression, and coping strategies. In adults, maladaptive emotional coping significantly mediated the relationship between BP and reactive aggression, and maladaptive avoidant coping mediated the relationship between BP and proactive aggression; no significant mediational effects were found for adolescents. These findings highlight potential explanations for associations between BP traits and reactive and proactive aggression in young adults, and indicate that reactive aggression in adult BP s could be decreased by reducing emotional coping, and proactive aggression by reducing avoidant coping. Aggr. Behav. 38:403‐413, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.