Relationship Between Anger Rumination and Aggression in Childhood

The tendency to ruminate to anger has been hypothesized to be linked to the development, exacerbation and maintenance of aggression. Some studies have established that a relationship between anger rumination and aggression exists in adults, however, no studies have been conducted in a sample of children. The goal of this study was to explore the construct of anger rumination in childhood and to establish its concurrent and predictive relationship with aggression. In addition, sex and developmental differences in the tendency to ruminate to anger and in the relationship of anger rumination to aggression were explored. Adapting an anger rumination measure used in adult samples yielded a measure for children that was demonstrated to be reliable and valid in this sample. Results revealed a concurrent relationship between anger rumination and aggression as well as some support for a predictive relationship between anger rumination and overt aggression. Results offer mixed support for the hypothesis that boys ruminate to anger more than girls. Study limitations and future directions for research are discussed.