Skylar Hicks, a 4th-year doctoral student working in the Anger and Traffic Psychology Lab, successfully defended her dissertation this week. Her dissertation tested a moderated mediation model in which the relationships of adult attachment, romantic jealousy, mate value, and relationship investment to romantic relational aggression were examined.

Of note, Skylar found that both anxious and avoidant attachment were positively associated with relational aggression and that these associations were mediated by romantic jealousy. There was some evidence that mate value moderated some paths; however, it did not do so in the manner expected. On the other hand, there was no evidence that relationship investment moderated the mediated relationships.

Given that relational aggression in the context of intimate relationships may be a risk factor for intimate partner violence, we believe that research aimed at improving our understanding of this behavior is beneficial. Skylar’s findings suggest that attachment style is likely to be relevant to romantic relational aggression through its relationship with jealousy.

Congratulations to Skylar on her successful dissertation defense!

Skylar will soon begin her predoctoral internship at a Federal Bureau of Prisons site, the Federal Medical Center - Fort Worth in Fort Worth, TX. By completing her dissertation prior to her internship year, she will have more time to focus on the internship experience.

Tags: relational aggression, attachment, jealousy