Taming anger and trusting others: Roles of skin conductance, anger regulation, and trust in children's aggression

Abstract

Proactive and reactive aggression subtypes are distinguishable as early as the preschool years. However, their early physiological and social–emotional correlates have not been examined simultaneously. We tested whether children's skin conductance level, anger regulation, and trust in others were differentially related to their proactive and reactive aggression. Four‐year‐olds and their primary caregivers were recruited from a large Canadian city (N = 150). Controlling for reactive aggression, higher trust was associated with lower proactive aggression, but only for children with low anger regulation or skin conductance level. Controlling for proactive aggression, lower anger regulation was related to higher reactive aggression, and higher trust was related to higher reactive aggression for children with high skin conductance level. Findings highlight the unique and collective relations of physiology, emotion regulation, and trust to different forms of aggression in early childhood. What is already known on this subject Proactive and reactive aggression subtypes are distinguishable as early as the preschool years. Unique physiological and social–emotional correlates of each subtype have been studied in middle and late childhood. Trust is a critical milestone for positive social interactions in early childhood and has been linked to aggression. What the present study adds Physiological and social–emotional correlates are uniquely linked to subtypes of aggression already at age 4. Trust is differentially linked to aggression subtypes as a function of anger regulation and skin conductance level.

Trust, forgiveness, and peace: The influence of adolescent social identity in a setting of intergroup conflict

“…This study expands previous work on trust with children (e.g., Rotenberg et al, 2005), focusing specifically on out-group trust. Consistent with previous research with adults (Noor et al, 2015; Song et al, 2020; Tam et al, 2007), out-group trust may provide a foundation for intergroup forgiveness for youth growing up as part of a post-accord generation. There was mixed support for H1 and H2 related to support for peace.…”

“…Trust can benefit youth by reducing loneliness and contributing to positive adjustment (Rotenberg et al, 2005(Rotenberg et al, , 2010. Furthermore, trust has the potential to reduce aggressive acts and promote prosocial behaviors among children (Song et al, 2018(Song et al, , 2020. Trust has also been shown to have important implications for the development of positive intergroup relations (Kramer & Carnevale, 2001).…”

In the face of adversity: Refugee children’s traumatic stressors, trust, and prosocial behavior

“…Based on a case of Norway, Vårheim (2014) suggests the idea of utilizing local libraries to provide various programs for refugee families to participate. As a targeted intervention for trust, using a social game with peers in which children can learn when and how much to trust others could be a possible intervention to foster optimal trust (Song et al, 2020). Such community-based interventions can provide a structured environment that is accessible for everyone, where refugees and nonrefugees can informally interact, and build intimate intergroup trust.…”