Relational aggression among Pacific Islander youth: Links with alienation, discrimination, and social-psychological adjustment

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Social Relationships

Abstract

A substantial body of research has demonstrated the negative correlates and consequences of relational aggression, which includes ignoring, social exclusion, and silent treatment, among youth. Although this finding is promising, the majority of studies in this area has been conducted in Western cultures. Relatively little is known about relational aggression and developmental outcomes in non-Western cultures, particularly in Pacific Islands, such as Guam. Pacific Islander youth are seriously understudied and underrepresented in developmental science as these “hidden” youth are geographically and psychologically isolated from the United States and other countries.

The dearth of research for Pacific Islander youth is in sharp contrast to a burgeoning awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion in developmental psychology. The literatures suggest that culture as a larger social context should be incorporated into the research in developmental psychopathology. Guam’s culture is predominantly collectivistic and family-oriented, although it is somewhat influenced by Western cultures. In such a relationally-oriented culture, relational aggression is thought to be developmentally salient (i.e., harmful on adolescent social and psychological development). The present study examined the association between relational aggression and social-psychological adjustment, such as depressive symptoms and life satisfaction (direct effect) and the mediation of peer-linked stress (alienation and discrimination), which is a pervasive problem in Guam, in this association among Pacific Islander youth (indirect effect).

Participants were 377 ethnically diverse adolescents (e.g., Chamorro, Filipino, Micronesian, and other Asians; 60% males; age range: 13-18) from 10 public schools. Socioeconomic status of the sample was considered lower to lower-middle. Additional 210 ethnically dives emerging adults (Chamorro, Filipino, Micronesian, and other Asians; 70% females; age range: 19-25) were recruited in a public university for extension and replication. Questionnaires measuring relational aggression and physical aggression (Revised Peer Experiences Questionnaire; Prinstein, Boergers, & Vernberg, 2001), peer alienation (Inventory of Parents and Peer Attachment; Armsden & Greenberg, 1987), perceived discrimination (The Everyday Discrimination Scale; Williams, Yu, Jackson, & Anderson, 1997), depressive symptoms (CES-D), and life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) were used. Reliability of each construct was acceptable (αs = .62-90). This study was approved by Institutional Review Board at the authors’ university.

Results are summarized in Figures. The findings of the mediation model conducted via PROCESS (Hayes, 2012) with bootstrapping (n = 5000) showed that after the contributions of age, gender, ethnicities, and physical aggression were controlled for, relational aggression was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction (direct effect). In addition, peer alienation and perceived discrimination mediated the association between relational aggression and depressive symptoms (indirect effect). That is, relational aggression predicted greater levels of alienation and discrimination, which in turn related to more depressive symptoms. The mediation of alienation in the link between relational aggression and life satisfaction also was evident. These findings were fully replicated with an emerging adult sample.

Authors

• Yoshito Kawabata, University of Guam
  Presenting Author

• Zenaida Napa Natividad, Guam Department of Education
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jean Margarette Santos, University of Guam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Moryne-Nicole Palomo Monforte, Guam Department of Education
  Non-Presenting Author