Background: Adolescent girls experience significant psychological and emotional changes, particularly during puberty, which can increase their vulnerability to aggression. This study aimed to explore the relationship between emotion regulation and aggressive tendencies, considering the mediating role of positive and negative emotions, among adolescent girls in secondary schools.
Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted in the 2023–2024 academic year. The target population were all adolescent girls attending secondary schools in Ahvaz, Iran. Using a multi-stage cluster random sampling approach, a group of 200 students was chosen. Data were collected using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Also, the data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation analysis in SPSS version 24 and structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS version 21.
Results: The proposed model of this study demonstrated a strong overall fit to the data. Specifically, emotion regulation had a significant positive direct influence on positive affect and a significant negative direct influence on negative affect (P=0.001). In contrast, emotion regulation showed no significant direct impact on aggression. Meanwhile, positive affect was linked to a significant direct reduction in aggression, while negative affect was associated with a significant direct increase in aggression (P=0.001). Notably, emotion regulation indirectly reduced aggression via the mediating pathways of positive affect (P=0.008) and negative affect (P=0.040).
Conclusions: The present study concluded that emotion regulation indirectly influences aggression through the mediating pathways of positive and negative affect. These findings underscore the importance of developing and implementing interventions focused on emotion regulation and affective management to effectively reduce aggressive behaviors in female adolescents.