Overt and relational forms of reactive aggression in adolescents: Relations with temperamental reactivity and self-regulation

•Adolescent temperament dimensions differentiated forms of reactive aggression.•Effortful control and fear were independently and negatively linked only to reactive–overt aggression.•Frustration was more strongly related to reactive–relational aggression.•With low fear, effortful control had a stronger link with reactive–overt aggression.•Effortful control increased relation of frustration to reactive–relational aggression.

This study examined whether overt and relational forms of reactive aggression were differentially related to adolescents’ temperament. Measures of adolescents’ temperament and aggression were completed by 670 adolescents (369 females), ages 10–17, and their mothers. Effortful control and fearfulness were inversely associated only with reactive–overt aggression, whereas frustration proneness was more strongly linked with reactive–relational aggression. Furthermore, amongst younger adolescents, effortful control had a larger association with reactive–overt aggression when fearfulness was low, whereas frustration proneness had a stronger relation to reactive–relational aggression when effortful control was high. The differential relations between the two forms of reactive aggression (i.e., overt and relational) and effortful control or fearfulness are discussed with respect to variations in the riskiness and the social competence required to implement these aggressive actions.