THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF DIFFICULTIES IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

Childhood trauma is associated with a range of later psychological and behavioral difficulties, including aggressive behavior. The present study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and aggressive behavior among young adults and investigated whether difficulties in emotional regulation help explain this relationship. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used with 150 undergraduate students aged 18–25 years from Iqra National University, Peshawar, including 75 males and 75 females. Childhood trauma, difficulties in emotional regulation, and aggressive behavior were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Short Form (DERS-16), and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), respectively. The instruments demonstrated acceptable to good internal consistency in the present sample, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .83, .84, and .81, respectively. Descriptive results indicated moderate levels of childhood trauma (M = 74.32, SD = 18.46), emotion-regulation difficulties (M = 48.17, SD = 11.23), and aggressive behavior (M = 82.64, SD = 19.37). Childhood trauma was positively correlated with aggressive behavior, r(148) = .52, p < .001, and difficulties in emotional regulation were also positively correlated with aggression, r(148) = .61, p < .001. Childhood trauma was significantly associated with emotional-regulation difficulties, r(148) = .57, p < .001. Mediation analysis indicated that emotional-regulation difficulties partially mediated the association between childhood trauma and aggression. The indirect effect was significant, with approximately 40% of the total effect accounted for by the mediation pathway. Gender differences were not statistically significant for childhood trauma, emotional-regulation difficulties, or aggressive behavior. The findings support the relevance of Social Learning Theory and Attachment Theory for understanding how adverse childhood experiences may remain linked to behavioral responses in young adulthood. The results have practical implications for trauma-informed university counseling, emotional-regulation skills training, and early identification of students who may be at risk.

Keywords:  Childhood trauma, aggressive behavior, emotional regulation, young adults, Social Learning Theory, Attachment Theory, CTQ-SF, DERS-16, BPAQ, Pakistan