The Indirect Effect of Physical Activity on Aggression Among University Student-Athletes: The Mediating Role of State Anger

Sevim Handan Yılmaz¹Mert Ayrancı^2*Murat Sarıkabak¹Mehmet Kemal AYDIN³Metin Kus³Abdulmenaf Korkutata⁴Murat Çelebi¹Mehmet Civan³

• ¹Bartin Universitesi, Bartın, Türkiye
• ²Faculty of Sport Sciences, Hitit University, Corum, Türkiye
• ³Hitit Universitesi, Çorum, Türkiye
• ⁴Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Universitesi, Çanakkale, Türkiye

This study examined whether physical activity is indirectly related to aggression through state anger among university student-athletes. Grounded in contemporary models of emotion regulation and aggression in sport, the study aimed to address inconsistencies in the literature regarding the potential effects of physical activity on aggressive tendencies. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with 284 student-athletes, and a mediation model (PROCESS Model 4) was used to explore the indirect pathway from physical activity to aggression via state anger. While no significant direct effect was found between physical activity and aggression, physical activity was positively associated with state anger, which in turn was related to higher levels of aggression. The indirect effect of physical activity on aggression through state anger was statistically significant, suggesting that emotional responses may play a meaningful role in the relationship between physical activity and aggression. These results may contribute to the sport psychology literature by offering insights into the emotional mechanisms underlying aggression in physically active populations and highlighting the potential value of monitoring situational anger in training contexts. From a practical perspective, the findings point to the potential benefit of integrating psychological skills training and anger regulation strategies into sport programs to help manage aggressive tendencies among university student athletes.