Emotional pathways to aggression: An experience sampling study of early adolescents

Abstract

The high prevalence of aggressive behavior among adolescents represents one of the most pressing challenges facing society today, contributing to significant social, emotional, and academic consequences. The present study used longitudinal data collected via the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to investigate physical and relational aggression among a sample of Canadian adolescents (M_age = 10.85 years; 54% male). Through frequent assessments during the school day and the integration of self-report and peer-nomination data, this design enabled examination of fluctuations in emotional reactivity, emotional dysregulation, and aggressive behavior. Additionally, the study tested the potential indirect effect of emotional reactivity in the association between emotional dysregulation and physical and relational aggression. The results of multilevel modeling revealed that boys were rated higher on emotional dysregulation and physical aggression, whereas girls were more likely to be nominated for relational aggression. Emotional dysregulation was positively related to physical and relational aggression, but gender moderated this effect: emotional dysregulation predicted aggressive behavior more strongly among boys. Emotional reactivity to negative experiences also showed gender-specific associations, such that greater emotional reactivity was associated with greater physical aggression only among boys. Finally, among boys, the association between emotional dysregulation and physical aggression was partially attributed to the potential indirect effect of emotional reactivity, underscoring the role of real-time emotional processes in shaping aggressive behavior. The findings highlight the importance of examining in situ emotional reactions and their relation to aggressive behavior. Implications for intervention and future research, particularly regarding cultural generalizability, are discussed.