The Role of Frustration and Guilt in Partner Cyber-Aggression Among Young People When a Culture of Honour is Endorsed

Abstract

Individuals who endorse honor are more prone to react aggressively, both with their partners and in cyber-psychological contexts. However, anticipated feelings previous to the response may influence their reaction. Thus, the role that emotions may have in the way partners in a couple react is an indicator of how they will react in the future. To address this study questions, the present research focuses on the role of two emotions scarcely studied (guilt and frustration) to test whether they mediate the relationship between honor endorsement and aggressive responses in an online context (perpetration and victimization). A sample of 1.173 young people (430 men, 743 women; 15-22 years old) were recruited in secondary schools and universities. To participate, they had to volunteer and had been in a relationship for at least one month in the last year. Once consented, participants provided information about demographic variables and their couple relationships and completed measures about cyber-abuse, feeling guilt, frustration tolerance and honor endorsement. We tested the culture of honor invariance according to sex, and age (adolescents/young adults). Results indicated that invariance can be assumed in the case of age, that means that for adolescents and young adults the responses were comparable. But this was not the case as a function of participant sex. Thus, subsequent analyses were run by considering men and women separately. Path analyses showed that honor endorsement was directly and indirectly (through frustration and guilt) associated with the perpetration of direct cyberaggression and cybercontrol of the partner. However, whilst frustration tolerance strengthened this association, guilt reduced it. These results are important as they contribute to acknowledging how emotions are a key to understanding the underlying processes in interpersonal (violent) relations, to our understanding of the role of emotions in cyber-aggression patterns, and thus, orient future interventions.

Keywords

cyber-aggression frustration guilt honor perpetration victimization

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