Relational aggression in Greek university students: A latent profile analysis of students’ cultural orientations

Abstract

Introduction

Personal cultural orientations are influenced by the range of cultural beliefs and values that university students encounter during this developmental period. Personal cultural orientations may be related to relational aggression, which is a form of adverse behaviour that inflicts harm or manipulates others, particularly within the context of close relationships or social groups. However, the association between relational aggression and personal cultural orientations has been a relatively understudied research area. Previous studies have mainly focused on exploring potential differences in relational aggression across distinct cultures.

Objective

This study aimed at examining the associations between five personal cultural orientations (i.e., power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, masculinity, and long-term orientation) and functions of relational aggression (i.e., proactive and reactive) by applying a person-centered approach.

Method

The sample consisted of 730 Greek University students, 547 (i.e., 74.9% of the sample) were females, aged from 18 to 62 years (M = 24.42, SD = 7.92), who completed an online survey.

Results

The results of a latent profile analysis identified three profiles of personal cultural orientations, namely Consensus-oriented moderates; Consensus-oriented egalitarians; and Rules-based competitors. The latter group has higher scores compared to the other groups on both proactive and reactive relational aggression.

Conclusion

The findings can have important implications in university settings, as distinct intervention strategies could be developed to target students based on their personal cultural orientations profile and their engagement in relational aggression.