[Background] The sustainability of Open Source Software (OSS) projects is highly dependent on the retention of contributors. However, interpersonal challenges, such as rudeness or harassment, can discourage participation, prompting contributors to change their behavior or leave completely. Beyond attrition, these challenges, whether experienced or witnessed, can affect contributors in various ways. textbf{[Aims]} This study examines how interpersonal challenges in OSS communities persist over time and what the behavioral consequences of these challenges are on contributors’ decisions and actions. [Method] We analyze data from two GitHub Open Source large-scale surveys conducted in 2017 (n=5,495) and 2024 (n=8,452), evaluating the changes in interpersonal challenges reported between 2017 and 2024 (RQ1), and the differential consequences of being exposed to interpersonal challenges between 2017 and 2024 (RQ2). [Results] Our findings reveal a significant increase in the prevalence of interpersonal challenges reported in 2024 compared to 2017. Contributors more frequently reported experiencing severe challenges such as threats of violence, impersonation, sustained harassment, stalking, and doxxing. Moreover, the behavioral impact of these challenges has shifted: experiencing rudeness, stalking, and name-calling became strongly associated with stopping contributions, adopting pseudonyms, working privately, and avoiding offline events. Witnessing harmful behaviors such as name-calling and impersonation also emerged as stronger predictors of contributors’ decisions to work privately or advocate for Codes of Conduct. These trends indicate that toxicity is not only more pervasive but is having deeper, more damaging effects on OSS participation and community health over time.[Conclusions] These results highlight a concerning rise in interpersonal challenges within OSS communities, with rudeness emerging as the most impactful over time. The growing influence of toxic behaviors on contributors’ decisions to withdraw, conceal their identities, isolate their collaboration, and avoid offline engagement underscores the urgent need for stronger, proactive community support mechanisms. Sustaining healthy OSS ecosystems requires not only technical excellence but deliberate investment in social infrastructure to foster more respectful, inclusive, and resilient collaboration spaces.