Understanding the mechanisms that link stress to psychopathology is critical to inform the development of interventions targeting stress-related psychiatric morbidity in adolescents. Prior research has documented robust associations between childhood stress exposure—particularly exposure to violence and victimization—and the development of aggressive behavior (Dodge et al. 1990, 2003; Attar et al. 1994; Coie et al. 1992; Deater-Deckard et al. 1998; Lansford et al. 2010). Although disruptions in social information processing have been the most frequently studied pathway linking violence exposure to subsequent aggression (Dodge et al. 1990, 1995; 2003; Guerra et al. 2003; Weiss et al. 1992; Lansford et al. 2010), the results of this study provide novel evidence for the role of emotion dysregulation as a mechanism linking a wide range of stressors to increases in aggression among adolescents.
