Abstract
Background & Aims: Individuals raised in households where aggression is prevalent are at a heightened risk of becoming aggressive themselves, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. Consequently, the present study sought to examine features of development, affect, and personality associated with aggression in emerging adults and to consider how such features may promote the intergenerational transmission of aggression. I expected that childhood psychological maltreatment (PM) would predict secondary psychopathy (SP) and borderline personality (BP) traits (H1) and that SP and BP would predict all types of aggression (n=4) but would relate most strongly to reactive relational aggression (H2). I also expected SP/BP to significantly mediate the relationship between PM and reactive relational aggression (H3). Finally, I expected PM would significantly predict context-inappropriate anger in threatening contexts (CIAngt; H4) and that CIAngt would predict SP, BP, and reactive aggression beyond context-appropriate anger (CAAng; H5 & H6). Method: The sample was 137 emerging adults enrolled in U.S. undergraduate programs. Participants were administered a battery of surveys to assess SP traits, BP traits, CIAngt, CAAng, PM, and four types of aggression. Data were analyzed using robust and linear multiple regressions as well as bootstrapped mediation analyses. Results: Hypothesis one was partially supported. Only some forms of PM predicted BP/SP. Hypothesis two was also partially supported. While both SP and BP predicted all types of aggression, and BP related more strongly to reactive relational aggression, SP did not. Hypothesis three was fully supported. All four types of PM predicted both reactive relational and reactive physical aggression when mediated by SP or BP. Hypothesis four was partially supported. Only mother figure emotional abuse significantly predicted CIAngt. Hypotheses five and six were fully supported. CIAngt significantly predicted BP, SP, and both types of reactive aggression above and beyond CAAng. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate significant interrelations between maltreatment, emotion dysregulation, pathological personality traits, and aggression in an emerging adult sample. They also propose a mechanism by which aggression may be transmitted intergenerationally. Theoretical and clinical implications of findings are discussed.