Effects of undergraduates’ conscientiousness on their cyber aggression: The roles of online moral anger and gender

• Dengfeng Xie

  Education Science College, West Anhui University

• Zhangming Xie

  Education Science College, West Anhui University

Although, in theory, the conscientiousness of college students should reduce their aggressive behavior, the basic process underlying this relationship remains unknown. This study investigated the relationship between the conscientiousness of college students and their cyber aggression, the mediating effect of online moral anger, and the moderating effect of gender. Participants were 92 college students, who completed a survey questionnaire about their conscientiousness, cyber aggression, and online moral anger. The results showed that conscientiousness negatively predicted the cyber aggression of college students. Further, online moral anger partially mediated the link between conscientiousness and cyber aggression, and the mediating effect of conscientiousness on cyber aggression was moderated by gender, with the effect only observed in male students. The results indicate that the conscientiousness of college students can reduce cyber aggression, and male college students can reduce cyber aggression through appropriately displaying enhanced moral anger.

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