The relationship between social media emotional contagion and reactive aggression for late adolescence: the mediating effect of Behavioral Activation System(BAS)/Behavioral Inhibition System(BIS)

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the effects of social media emotional contagion on reactive aggression in late adolescence, with a focus on the mediating roles of the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS). METHODS: Data were collected from 225 participants using self-report questionnaires. Analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling (SEM), and path analysis with Stata 16.0 and SmartPLS 4 software. Mediation effects were tested by calculating bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals using bootstrapping with 1,000 resamples. RESULTS: Path analysis revealed that the Behavioral Activation System (β = -0.137, p < 0.001) and the Behavioral Inhibition System (β = -0.097, p = 0.10) partially mediated the relationship between social media emotional contagion and reactive aggression in late adolescence. CONCLUSION: The Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) play important roles in regulating reactive aggression. These findings suggest that early assessment of social media emotional contagion can provide valuable insights into the mental health of late adolescents and inform strategies for emotion management and promoting a healthy lifestyle in modern society.