Aggressive Behavior最新文献

The primary concern about violent media is their potential long-term harmful effects on children, which are investigated in longitudinal studies. In this article, we describe best practice procedures for longitudinal studies of violent media effects using the Lacko et al. (2024) study as a case study. Lacko et al. concluded that exposure to violent video games had no significant effect on aggression. However, a critical examination of their study reveals six major concerns: (1) inferring cause from correlational data, (2) inaccurate claims about the General Aggression Model, (3) an unexpected positive association between empathy and aggression, (4) questionable measurement validity, (5) excessive missing data, and (6) overparameterization in their longitudinal model. Using their publicly available raw data (https://osf.io/q5wv6/), we reanalyzed their study using two Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs). The reanalysis revealed a strong positive association between violent video game exposure and aggression at the between-person level, but a negative association at the within-person level. No significant relationship was found between violent game exposure and empathy at the between-person level. However, a negative within-person effect of violent game exposure on subsequent cognitive empathy was observed, whereas no such effect was found for affective empathy. We discuss our results in comparison with the original results reported by Lacko et al. More generally, we offer recommendations for analyzing longitudinal data and for interpreting the potential relationships—or causal implications—of violent video game exposure on aggression.

Despite growing attention to the link between psychological maltreatment and cyberbullying victimization, the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored, especially in non-Western cultural contexts like China. Recognizing cyberbullying as a critical issue with alarming prevalence rates among Chinese adolescents and its detrimental effects on well-being, this study aims to illuminate pathways within the cycle of victimization. Drawing on social rank theory, which posits that early maltreatment fosters submissive strategies that heighten vulnerability to victimization, and the resilience framework, which emphasizes the protective role of assets such as social-emotional competence (SEC), this study examined whether submissive behavior mediates the association between psychological maltreatment (psychological abuse and neglect) and cyberbullying victimization, and whether SEC buffers these pathways. A three-wave cross-sectional survey with 1 week apart was conducted with 1,323 Chinese adolescents from five public schools in Beijing and Hunan Province. Utilizing structural equation modeling, results suggested that submissive behavior fully mediated the relation between psychological abuse and cyberbullying victimization, and partially mediated the relation between psychological neglect and cyberbullying victimization. Importantly, while SEC did not moderate the link between psychological maltreatment and submissive behavior, it significantly buffered the association between submissive behavior and cyberbullying victimization. These findings help outline a model of how psychological maltreatment may contribute to vulnerability to cyberbullying from a social rank perspective and highlight the protective role of social-emotional competence in mitigating these risks among adolescents.

Although peer rejection has been associated with increased reactive and proactive aggression, previous studies have predominantly used cross-sectional designs, which limits causal inferences. Moreover, current research on the specific mechanisms of different aggression subtypes remains in adequate. This longitudinal study aimed to (1) Examine whether peer rejection differentially predicts reactive and proactive aggression, (2) Test whether rejection sensitivity mediates these pathways and (3) Compare the Cumulative Risk Theory and Cognitive Dissonance Theory by exploring how hostile attribution bias moderates the effect of rejection sensitivity on reactive/proactive aggression. A total of 967 students from 13 primary and secondary schools in China, completed questionnaires at two time points within 1 year. Measurement indicators included peer rejection, rejection sensitivity, hostile attribution bias and reactive/proactive aggression. Results showed that: (1) T1 Peer rejection predicted T2 reactive and proactive aggression; (2) T2 Rejection sensitivity mediated the relationship between T1 peer rejection and T2 reactive aggression, but did not mediate T2 proactive aggression; (3) T2 Hostile attribution bias negatively moderated the link between T2 rejection sensitivity and T2 reactive aggression. These findings support Cognitive Dissonance Theory, suggesting that adolescents who experience emotional-cognitive conflict may be more prone to reactive aggression after encountering peer rejection.

Although previous research has examined the impact of stress on aggressive behavior, the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. In particular, the mediating roles of sleep quality and social bonds have received limited attention within the context of Chinese society. Drawing on data from 2140 Chinese high school seniors, this study investigates the relationships between stress, sleep quality, social bonds, and aggressive behavior. The results revealed significant associations: stress positively correlated with aggressive behavior and negatively with sleep quality and social bonds, while sleep quality and social bonds were negatively related. Moreover, multiple mediation analyses demonstrated that stress predicted aggression both directly and indirectly through the mediating effects of sleep quality and social bonds. These relationships remained significant after controlling for demographic variables. To further validate these findings, qualitative interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached, reinforcing the proposed mediation pathways and offering deeper insights into the mechanisms involved. The findings are consistent with general strain theory and social bond theory, suggesting that elevated stress and weakened social bonds, either directly or indirectly, contribute to delinquent behavior such as aggression. This study extends existing theoretical frameworks by emphasizing the pivotal mediating roles of sleep quality and social bonds and offers practical implications for reducing adolescent aggression. Furthermore, these research results underscore the importance of targeted interventions aimed at improving sleep quality and strengthening social bonds to mitigate the negative effects of stress on adolescent mental health and behavior.

This study applied Random Forest analysis to analyze 360 potential predictors of terrorism justification using data from the World Values Survey across 65 countries. Contrary to narratives that focus exclusively on religious extremism, the findings indicate that terrorism justification is more strongly associated with a worldview characterized by moral flexibility, antisocial values, and anti-democratic sentiment. An analysis of the top predictors revealed three overarching domains: (1) Normalization of Violence, where support for terrorism is closely linked to broader acceptance of aggression in political, interpersonal, and domestic contexts; (2) Moral Flexibility and Rule Violation, where individuals who justify terrorism also endorse dishonest behaviors such as bribery, theft, and fraud; and (3) Religious and Political Authoritarianism, characterized by support for governance based on religious authority and skepticism toward democratic institutions. These findings underscore the need for counter-radicalization strategies that address moral disengagement, promote democratic values, and strengthen trust in democratic governance.