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.