Examining the Impact of Anxiety Symptoms on Relations between Reactive and Proactive Aggression and the Quality and Stability of Children's Best Friendships

Abstract

The current study examined anxiety symptoms as a moderator of the relation between reactive and proactive aggression and the quality and stability of children's relationships with their best friend. An at-risk sample of 132 (55% male; 73% African American) 5 to 14-year-old children from low-income families was recruited from a community center that offered childcare to underserved populations. Data were collected at baseline and two months later, with the second wave of data collection yielding a sample of 79 children. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relations between baseline levels of reactive and proactive aggression and friendship quality and stability two months later. Additionally, anxiety symptoms measured at baseline were examined as a moderator of the relations between these functions of aggression and the quality and stability of children's best friendships. Contrary to hypotheses, no first order effects were found for either reactive or proactive aggression predicting friendship quality or stability. A first order effect was found in which child anxiety predicted a greater likelihood of friendship instability. However, levels of anxiety symptoms were not found to influence perceived level of friendship quality. Additionally, anxiety was not found to moderate the relations between reactive or proactive aggression and either friendship success variable. Post-hoc analyses failed to find differences for gender or age.