Relationship between meaning in life,aggression and negative emotions in male prisoners
10.3969/j.issn.1000-6729.2025.10.12
- VernacularTitle:男性服刑人员生命意义感与攻击性及负性情绪的关系
- Author:
Jiacheng YU
1
;
Huijuan LIU
1
;
Meng ZHANG
1
Author Information
1. 中国人民公安大学犯罪学学院,北京 100038
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
meaning in life;
aggression;
negative emotions;
prisoners;
latent profile analysis
- From:
Chinese Mental Health Journal
2025;39(10):910-916
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the relationship between latent categories of meaning in life and aggression among male prisoners,and analyze the mediating role of negative emotions.Methods:Five hundred and thirty-seven male prisoners were selected and assessed with the Meaning in Life Questionnaire(MLQ),Chinese version of Buss& Perry Aggression Questionnaire(AQ-CV),and Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale(DASS-21).Latent profile anal-ysis was used to explore the potential categories of meaning in life,as well as to test the mediating role of negative emotions using relative mediation analysis.Results:Four categories of meaning in life were identified,namely nega-tive meaning in life(20.3%),low experiential-high seeking(28.3%),high experiential-low seeking(16.0%),and positive meaning in life(35.4%)types were present among the prisoners.The scores of aggression decreased sequentially from the negative meaning in life type to the low experiential-high seeking type,and then to the high experiential-low seeking type(Ps<0.05).Compared to the negative meaning in life type,the mediating role of the high experiential-low seeking type(β=-0.59,95%CI=-0.75--0.43)and the positive meaning in life type in aggression through negative emotions was statistically significant(β=-0.56,95%CI=-0.71--0.42).Conclusion:The study suggests that male prisoners with a higher meaning in life tend to exhibit lower aggression,and that individuals with a higher experiential meaning in life have lower aggression through diminished negative e-motions,compared to those with a negative meaning in life type.