Learning Aggression Through Exposure: The Relationship Between Violence Exposure,Emotion Regulation,and Cyber-Aggression in College Students—A Gender Differences Analysis

Abstract

This study investigated the mechanisms linking violence exposure to cyber-aggression among 4,882 Chinese college students (aged 18–24, M = 19.59; 51.7% male, 48.3% female), integrating the general aggression model and emotion regulation theory. We tested whether negative rumination statistically mediated the violence exposure–cyber-aggression relationship and whether cognitive reappraisal and gender moderated these associations. Violence exposure was associated with cyber-aggression (β = .101, 95% CI [0.090, 0.112]), with negative rumination partially accounting for this association (indirect effect = 0.015, 14.86% of total effect [0.009, 0.021]). Cognitive reappraisal demonstrated inverse associations with the direct (β = −.011, p = .028) and indirect pathways (β = −.059, p < .001), where high reappraisal individuals exhibited weaker links between violence exposure and rumination/aggression. Gender differences emerged in association strength: males showed stronger correlations between violence exposure and cyber-aggression (β = .140 vs. 0.061 in females, p < .001) and rumination–aggression links (male indirect effect = 0.057 vs. 0.029 in females, p = .016), despite females reporting higher baseline levels of violence exposure, rumination, and cognitive reappraisal. Results highlight cognitive reappraisal’s dual role in relation to aggression cycles and gender-specific associations, with males showing stronger correlations between violence exposure and overt cyber-aggression. These findings underscore interventions targeting cognitive reappraisal training and gender-responsive strategies to address online harm associations. The study advances the theoretical integration of aggression and emotion regulation frameworks while offering practical insights for campus mental health programs.