Anger Regulation and Social Acceptance in Early Adolescence

Abstract

Anger regulation among adolescents is important to investigate given theoretical and empirical support for its critical association with peer relationships. This study examined two aspects of anger regulation (i.e., inhibition, dysregulation) using self-report and peer-nominations and their associations with social acceptance among 163 Black and White adolescents ([Formula: see text] = 13.87 years). We explored gender and ethnicity differences in anger regulation predicting peer acceptance. Self-reports and peer-nominations of anger regulation were significantly correlated. Within-gender ethnicity differences in anger regulation were found: White girls reported higher levels of anger inhibition than Black girls, and Black girls reported higher levels of anger dysregulation than White girls. For all adolescents, self-reports and nominations of anger inhibition were associated with higher levels of social acceptance, whereas nominations of anger dysregulation predicted lower social acceptance. The results indicate the importance of considering gender and ethnicity in adolescents’ anger management within peer contexts.