Relationship between appearance schemas, self-esteem, and indirect aggression among college women

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study:

This research was an exploratory study designed to examine the relationships between and among appearance schemas, global self-esteem, and indirect aggression among college women. Of additional interest was utilizing the newly developed adult Indirect Aggression Scale (Forrest et al., 2005) to verify the reliability and validity of measure to assess self-reported use of indirect aggressive behaviors in the young adult population. Participants were 273 college women who completed online self-report measures via the OSU Experimetrix system on dimensions of body image, self-esteem, and the use of indirect aggressive behaviors towards other women.

Findings and Conclusions:

Although theorists and researchers (e.g., Bjorkqvist et al., 1992c; Brown, 2003; Campbell, 2004; Tanenbaum, 2002; Werner & Crick, 1999) have begun to address the topic of indirect aggression, few studies exist which explore indirect aggression as a competitive strategy among women. The main findings from this study are that women with higher global self-esteem and more negative body image perceptions were more likely to engage in indirect aggression towards other women than those with lower global self-esteem and more positive body image perceptions. Additionally, a principle components analysis and internal consistency reliability analysis provided some additional evidence that the newly developed adult Indirect Aggression Scale-aggressor version (Forrest et al., 2005) is a valid and reliable instrument to assess college women's self-reported use of indirect aggressive behaviors toward others. Implications of this study and future directions for research are discussed.