Adverse childhood experiences and cyber aggression among college students: the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating role of physical exercise

Abstract

To examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and cyber aggression (CA) among college students and to investigate the statistical mediating role of psychological resilience (PR) and the moderating role of physical exercise (PE). A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 3,466 full-time Chinese college students. CA, childhood maltreatment, PR, and PE were assessed using the Adolescent Online Aggressive Behavior Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form, the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, respectively. The cumulative ACE count was used for polynomial regression and group comparisons, whereas the continuous ACE score was entered as X in PROCESS Models 4 and 14 to test the statistical indirect effect through PR and the moderating role of PE, respectively. The cumulative ACE count showed significant positive linear ( β  = 0.438, p  < 0.001) and quadratic ( β  = 0.520, p  < 0.001) associations with CA, supporting an overall upward-curving association. Descriptive group means increased across the six cumulative-exposure groups. Using the continuous ACE score, PR statistically mediated the association between the ACE score and CA (indirect effect = 0.037). PE moderated the association between PR and CA (interaction coefficient = −0.011), with a stronger inverse PR–CA association at higher levels of PE. A higher cumulative ACE count was associated with higher levels of CA, and the significant positive quadratic term supported an overall upward-curving association. Higher continuous ACE scores were indirectly associated with higher CA through lower PR, while PE strengthened the inverse association between PR and CA. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than causal relationships.