Anxiety is the Mother of Perceived Bad Intentions: Trusting One's Partner May Improve Conflict Resolution

Abstract

Verbal aggression is a thorn in the side of anyone who wishes to resolve a conflict. Romantic relationships, rife with conflict, can suffer when conflict involves verbally aggressive behavior. Individuals with listening anxiety may have greater difficulty managing these behaviors in romantic conflict when there is a lack of interpersonal trust. This study examines the impact of listening anxiety on the use of verbal aggression through interpersonal trust. Two hundred ninety-eight participants responded to assessments of verbal aggression, listening anxiety, and dyadic interpersonal trust related to a specific romantic relationship. Results from post hoc analyses of a subsample, which included only those participants involved in a current romantic relationship (n = 138), indicate that trust is a significant mediating variable in the association between listening anxiety and verbal aggression. Participants who reflected back on a past relationship reported having less trust than those in a current relationship. These findings are discussed as they relate to the importance of trust in a relationship and how trust is perceived differently in and out of romantic relationships.