Keywords
auto-aggression
emotional self-regulation
adolescence
frustration
self-efficacy
war-related stress
How to Cite
Abstract
Background. The growing prevalence of auto-aggressive and self-harming behaviors among Ukrainian adolescents during the full-scale war highlights the need to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying these manifestations. Despite extensive research on emotional self-regulation and auto-aggression, the mechanisms through which suppressed anger is transformed into self-destructive behavior remain insufficiently understood.
Objective. To provide a theoretical rationale and empirically examine the hypothesis that anger internalization serves as a psychological mechanism mediating the relationship between impaired emotional self-regulation and auto-aggressive behavior among adolescents experiencing war-related stress.
Methods. The study involved 135 adolescents aged 12–17 years (77 girls and 58 boys) who had experienced living under wartime conditions. Standardized psychodiagnostic instruments were used to assess aggression, auto-aggression, frustration, anxiety, guilt, negativism, and self-efficacy, including the Bass–Durkee Hostility Inventory and the General Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Schwarzer and Jerusalem. Statistical analyses included correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and exploratory factor analysis.
Results. Frustration emerged as one of the strongest predictors of auto-aggressive behavior (β = 0.286), whereas a statistically significant negative correlation was found between overt aggression and auto-aggression (r = –0.170). Factor analysis revealed a bipolar structure of aggression orientation, in which external forms of aggression and self-efficacy opposed auto-aggression, guilt, and frustration. Self-efficacy demonstrated a pronounced protective role, whereas elevated anxiety was associated with lower levels of overt aggression. The findings support the concept of anger internalization as a plausible psychological mechanism contributing to the development of adolescent auto-aggressive behavior.
Conclusions. The study expands current understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying adolescent auto-aggression and proposes a conceptual model in which deficits in emotional self-regulation increase the likelihood of anger internalization, subsequently redirecting aggression toward the self. The practical significance of the findings lies in substantiating the need for psychological prevention programs aimed at developing emotional self-regulation skills, promoting adaptive and safe expression of anger, and strengthening adolescents' self-efficacy in the context of war-related stress. Future research should focus on longitudinal investigations and the direct empirical operationalization of anger internalization as an independent psychological construct.
Keywords: anger internalization; auto-aggression; emotional self-regulation; adolescence; frustration; self-efficacy; war-related stress.
Received: 4 January 2026
Accepted: 25 March 2026
Published: 30 April 2026
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