Understanding the connection between self‐esteem and aggression: The mediating role of emotion dysregulation

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to extend previous knowledge concerning the link between self-esteem and aggression by examining the mediating role of emotion dysregulation among offenders and community participants. A sample of 153 incarcerated violent offenders and a community sample of 197 individuals completed self-report measures of self-esteem level, emotion dysregulation, and trait aggression. Offenders reported lower levels of self-esteem than community participants, as well as greater levels of emotional nonacceptance and hostility. Bootstrapping analyses were performed to test whether emotion dysregulation mediated the association between self-esteem level and aggression. In the offender sample, mediation models were significant for three of the four aspects of trait aggression that were considered. Emotion dysregulation fully mediated the links that low self-esteem had with physical aggression, anger, and hostility. The same pattern (with the addition of full mediation for verbal aggression) was confirmed in the community sample. Our findings suggest that emotion dysregulation may play an important role in the connection between low self-esteem and aggression. Alternative models of the associations among these variables were tested and discussed. As a whole, the present results are consistent with those of other studies and suggest that it may be beneficial to include emotion regulation modules as part of prevention and treatment programs for violent offenders.

The quadripartite violence typology: Further validation of the Angry Aggression Scale in a Dutch community sample.

“…In line with our expectations and earlier research (Garofalo et al, 2016; Howard, 2011), all AAS scales were positively associated with emotional dysregulation. When controlled for the shared variance among AAS scales, emotion regulation difficulties were selectively linked to aversive forms of aggression regardless of the degree of premeditation (i.e., impulsive vs. controlled).…”

Covariations among attachment, attributions, self-esteem, and psychological aggression in early marriage.

“…In addition, husbands’ self-esteem covaried with wives’ psychological IPA. These findings align with previous research (Garofalo et al, 2016; O’Leary et al, 2007) and support our argument that a dyadic approach to predicting psychological IPA is essential.…”

Psychological Predictors of Aggressive Behavior Among Men and Women

“…As suggested by Walker and Bright (2009), the relationship between self-esteem and violent behavior was less robust for inmates than for community people. In line with previous findings (Garofalo et al, 2016), emotion dysregulation emerged as a key mediator of the relationship between self-esteem and aggressive behavior. Specifically, problems controlling one’s impulses seemed to be responsible for the association between self-esteem and aggressive behavior.…”