The impact of negative life events on aggressive behavior in college students: the mediating role of anger rumination and hostile attribution bias

Purpose This study seeks to investigate the extent to which negative life events function as predictors of aggressive behavior among college students, while further elucidating the potential mediating mechanisms involving anger rumination and hostile attribution bias. The findings provide scientific evidence for understanding and addressing the college students’ aggressive behavior. Methods Using a convenience sample of 651 college students, data were collected via the Adolescent Life Events Checklist (ASLEC), the Chinese version of the Anger Rumination Scale (ARS), the Wariness and Hostile Attributional Bias Scale (WSAP-Hostility), and the Aggression Behavior Questionnaire (BAQ). Mediation effects were tested using the PROCESS 4.2 macro for SPSS, with 5,000 bias-corrected Bootstrap samples. Results Negative life events showed significant positive correlations with anger rumination, hostile attribution bias, and aggressive behavior ( r > 0.60, p < 0.01). The direct predictive effect of negative life events on aggressive behavior was significant ( β = 0.602, p < 0.01). The independent mediating effects of anger rumination and hostile attribution bias, as well as their chain mediating effect, were all significant, with effect sizes of 0.248, 0.121, and 0.078, respectively. None of the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the above effects contained zero. Conclusion Negative life events not only demonstrate a direct association with aggressive behavior among college students but also exhibit an indirect link through the mediating effects of anger rumination and hostile attribution bias. The observed statistical mediation effects may reflect culturally patterned psychological processes, offering insight into the mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior among college students and informing the cultural adaptation of mental health support for students.