Date of Graduation

2007

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

A substantial body of scientific literature has examined the relations among hostility, social support, and physical and psychological functioning. Typically, positive relations are observed between hostility and various problematic health concerns and negative relations are observed between social support and these same problematic health concerns. Hostility is commonly associated with decreased ratings of social support. The purpose of this study was to explore this relation between hostility and low social support, and determine whether three variables derived from the positive psychology literature (trait forgiveness, attributional style, and empathy) either moderate or mediate this relation. One hundred and fifty two female and 87 male undergraduate students completed the Cook Medley Hostility Questionnaire, the Social Support Questionnaire-6, the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, the Attributional Style Questionnaire, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Results confirmed relations between several study variables. Hostility was significantly negatively related to forgiveness and social support quality, and significantly positively related to negative attributional style. Social support quality was significantly positively related to social support quantity, forgiveness, positive attributional style, and empathy. Forgiveness was significantly negatively related to negative attributional style. Although many relations consistent with the previous literature were observed, there was no support for any of these variables serving as moderators or mediators of the hostility-social support relation.

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