Self-control, emotion regulation and aggression among action video game players: A correlational study

Self-control, emotion regulation, and aggression are theoretically interrelated constructs shaping psychological and behavioral functioning in young adults who engage in action video gaming, yet their associations have not been examined within a unified framework in the Indian context. This quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study tested five hypotheses in a convenience sample of 247 young adult action video game players (aged 18–25 years; 72% male) using the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression subscales), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire Short Form (BPAQ-SF). Due to violations of normality, Spearman’s rank-order correlations, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test were employed. Four of five hypotheses were supported. Self-control demonstrated a significant negative correlation with aggression (rₛ = −0.319, p < 0.001), representing the most important finding of the study. Neither cognitive reappraisal (rₛ = −0.006, p = 0.919) nor expressive suppression (rₛ = 0.008, p = 0.906) showed significant associations with aggression. Male participants reported significantly higher aggression than female participants (U = 4922.50, p = 0.015), and aggression differed significantly across gaming-hour groups (χ² = 12.937, df = 2, p = 0.002), with moderate gamers reporting the highest aggression in a non-linear pattern. These findings identify self-control as a functionally central protective factor and suggest that culturally adapted self-regulation interventions may be particularly valuable in reducing aggression among Indian young adult action video game players.