Impact of Sense of Belonging and Level of Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal on Relational Aggression

Abstract

The college adjustment literature emphasizes the importance of social support for college students (Credé & Niehorster, 2012). Relational aggression is a form of aggression that attacks an individual’s social support system (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995) and, thus, could be harmful to students’ college adjustment. This study hypothesized that an individual’s sense of belonging, level of relational-interdependent self-construal (RISC), and the interaction of belonging and RISC would impact relational aggression. Thus, relevant demographic variables (i.e., age) and predictor variables (i.e., belonging, RISC, and the interaction between belonging and RISC) were entered into a hierarchical regression model to assess their impact on relational aggression. Age and belonging emerged as significant, independent predictors of relational aggression with belonging having the strongest relationship. This suggests that younger individuals who do not feel connected on campus could be more likely to engage in relational aggression. Additionally, results suggested that students who lived on campus were more likely to engage in relational aggression. Working with university personnel to incorporate prevention programming aimed at increasing sense of belonging in residence halls may be an effective way to decrease relational aggression on campus.