Exposure to COVID-19 and aggression: the mediating role of anxiety and the moderating role of rumination

Abstract

The pandemic of COVID-19 is now posing a worldwide hazard to one’s health. Exposure to COVID-19 may cause negative emotions like anxiety, which is one of recognized risk factors for aggressive behaviors. This study looked into the effect of exposure to COVID-19 on aggression and how anxiety may act as a mediating factor, as well as lastly how rumination could moderate a variety of indirect paths during the epidemic of COVID-19. According to the current study’s findings, which included a sizable sample of Chinese college students (N = 1,518), being exposed to COVID-19 showed a positive connection with aggression and anxiety, as well as rumination. These findings clarify the role that mediators play in the relationship between anxiety and exposure to COVID-19. The results are also helpful for personalizing treatments and putting preventative measures in place to decrease the aggression brought on by exposure to COVID-19. It is explored how lowering rumination and anxiety may be useful in the context of COVID-19 to lessen the psychopathological effects of the condition.

Aggressiveness in Italian Children with ADHD: MAOA Gene Polymorphism Involvement

“…Furthermore, Johnson et al suggested that exposure to different environments alters the genetic vulnerability of adolescents by influencing the expression of genetic factors [55]. In this regard, it is of interest that a significantly positive relationship between exposure to COVID-19 and an increased risk of stress has been detected and that this can lead to emotional/behavioral outcomes, such as anxiety, which might represent a mediating factor for aggressive behavior development [11].…”

“…For example, it is interesting to note that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in ADHD cases was recorded. It is possible that COVID-19-related stressors triggered or aggravated cognitive, emotional, and physiological reactions that lead to impulsive-aggressive behavior [11].…”

Facing the Shadow Pandemic: Correlation and Trend Analyses of Violence Reports from Women to the Italian National Anti-Violence Number during 2021

“…This intriguing observation suggests a potential indication of emerging aggressive behaviors before the diagnosis of COVID-19 or concerns surrounding the discharge process and the readjustment to daily life post-quarantine. The context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlights that exposure to COVID-19 may elicit negative emotions, such as anxiety, a recognized risk factor for aggressive behaviors [47,48]. COVID-19 itself can be associated with delirium [49,50], agitation, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia, [51], together with obsessive-compulsive behaviors [52], which could exacerbate aggressive behavior; aggressiveness and violence themselves have been identified as possible manifestations of SARS-CoV-2-unmasked psychiatric conditions, such as, potentially, manic episodes [53,54] The joinpoint regression results show that joinpoints can be related to important moments.…”

Examining enduring effects of COVID-19 on college students' internalizing and externalizing problems: A four-year longitudinal analysis

“…Some prototypical externalizing problems include general disinhibition (e.g., ignoring rules, deadlines, or other's wishes), callous aggression (e.g., physical or emotional violence against others, fighting, or hurting people intentionally), and problematic alcohol use (White & Labouvie, 1989). Little research has examined changes among general disinhibition or callous aggression associated with the pandemic, although researchers have reported a rise in aggression following exposure to COVID-19 among Chinese college students (Hu et al, 2023), among American adults experiencing pandemic-related lockdowns (Killgore et al, 2021), and among Twitter users following lockdowns (Hsu & Tsai, 2022), which could be related to externalizing symptoms.…”