Investigating the mediating role of anger rumination in the relationship between self-esteem and aggression: controlling the role of narcissism

The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of anger rumination in the relationship between self-esteem and aggression with controlling the role of narcissism. 285 students selected from the University of Kharazmi, University of Isfahan, and the University of Shahreza were by convenience sampling method. the participants answered the self-esteem questionnaire (Rosenberg, 1965), narcissism questionnaire (Ames et al, 2006), anger rumination questionnaire (Sukhodolski et al, 2001), and the aggression scale (Buss & Perry, 1992). after controlling the narcissistic variable and eliminating unanswered cases, 194 (64% girls and 36% boys) remained. In the present correlation study, in order to test the structural relationships in the hypothetical model of relative mediation of anger rumination in the relationship between self-esteem and aggression, the statistical method of structural equation modeling was used. The results showed that the hypothesized model had a good fit with the data. In addition, the results showed that in the hypothesized model, all regression weights were statistically significant. In this model, 47% of the variance of aggression scores was explained by latent variables of rumination, anger, and self-esteem. results of the present study show that if the role of narcissism is controlled, self-esteem can reduce aggression, and in this regard, anger rumination can play a mediating role. The findings of the present study can be used to manage anger rumination and reduce aggression.