Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Sex; Aggressiveness; Sex; Academic theses;
Abstract
Although the study of relational aggression has been the subject of more research since Crick and Grotpeter (1995) first defined the term, the impact of this form of aggression on college students is still an area that requires more study. Relational aggression is defined as "harming others through purposeful manipulation and damage of their peer relationships" (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). Current research on relational aggression has established that women are more likely to engage in relational aggression then men (Crick, Bigbee, & Howes, 1996). While research has typically focused on the impact of relational aggression on friendship groups, the impact of relational aggression on an individual's sexual decision making behavior has not been addressed. The purpose of this study is to further explore the role of the friendship group and the impact relational aggression has on adolescents' decision to engage in sexual behavior in their romantic relationships. By examining the current impact that relational aggression (being a perpetrator) and relational victimization (having experienced relational aggression) has on the lives of college students and by exploring its connection to their previous experiences of relational aggression during high school, this research will attempt to provide a vital connection between the use of relational aggression during adolescence and its impact into adulthood. Thirty six men and 55 women were asked to fill out questionnaires designed to assess their current use and understanding of relational aggression. Participants also completed open-ended questions asking about their experiences of relational aggression during middle adolescence. A correlational analysis was utilized and results suggested that there is no significant difference between the amount of relational aggression used by women and by men. Results also demonstrated that aspects of relational aggression including name calling and being excluded from a peer group are used in both adolescent and adult relationships. Sexual behaviors were negatively correlated with relational victimization and not significantly correlated with relational aggression. The open-ended questions provided support for the correlational findings. Implications, limitations and future directions for research are discussed.
Year of Submission
2006
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Carolyn Hildebrandt
Second Advisor
John Somervill
Third Advisor
Kim MacLin
Date Original
2006
Object Description
1 PDF file (95 leaves)
Copyright
©2006 Hiliary Baethke
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Baethke, Hiliary, "The Relationship between Sexual Behavior and Relational Aggression in College Students" (2006). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1985.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1985
Comments
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