Emotional awareness and adolescent relational aggression: The moderating effect of Machiavellianism

Abstract

Despite previous research highlighting the impact of relational aggression on interpersonal relationships, few studies have examined the occurrence of this phenomenon during adolescence. To address this gap we conducted a crosssectional study of 702 Chinese adolescents to examine the association between emotional awareness and relational aggression, and the moderating effect of Machiavellianism. Our results revealed that there was a significant correlation between emotional awareness and relational aggression, and that Machiavellianism moderated this relationship. Specifically, we found that emotional awareness was a stronger negative predictor of relational aggression at low versus high levels of Machiavellianism. These findings provide new insight into potential strategies for reducing adolescent relational aggression.