Longitudinal relationship between inferiority and aggression in Chinese college students: The moderation of left-behind experience

Abstract

Theorists believe that individual inferiority is one of the causes of aggression. “Left-behind” family is a fairly common family environment in which children remain in their hometown while their parents leave to work in other places. Individual left-behind experience may exacerbate inferiority's prediction of aggression. In order to verify the existing theories and explore the moderating role of the left-behind experience in the feelings of inferiority and aggression, 461 Chinese college students were recruited and completed the entire study. Inferiority and aggression were assessed twice by questionnaires over an interval of six months. Results indicated undergraduates with higher sense of inferiority were likely to be more aggressive after 6 months, even after controlling for gender, age, family status, only child, and prior levels of aggression. Furthermore, the left-behind experience moderated the prediction of inferiority on aggression over time. For college students who have the left-behind experience, inferiority is associated with higher aggression after 6 months, when compared to students with no left-behind experience. These findings show that inferiority is a key factor in aggression among undergraduates. The left-behind experience appears to have adverse effects in that it increases the impact of feelings of inferiority on aggression in undergraduates.