Mutual antipathies during early adolescence: More than just rejection

Abstract

Recent research suggests that having a mutual antipathy, in comparison to not having an antipathy, is associated with a host of negative outcomes. However, the methods used may not have adequately controlled for rejection and therefore may have provided an incomplete description of the psychosocial correlates of having a mutual antipathy. With a sample of approximately 2000 sixth-grade students, the goal of the present study was to disentangle the effects of rejection from those of having mutual antipathies and assess whether or not involvement in a mutual antipathy reflects maladaptive behaviour for young adolescents. When controlling for rejection, and including only students who received at least one rejection nomination, having a mutual antipathy was not necessarily associated with increased maladjustment. Additionally, when compared to boys and girls with no antipathies, those involved in at least one same-sex antipathy had different psychosocial adjustment profiles than those involved in at least one opposite-sex antipathy. The results indicate the need to carefully choose comparison groups when examining the correlates of mutual antipathies.

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