The Relationships Between Tendency to Aggression, Self-control, Mindfulness, and Happiness in Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences

Abstract

Objectives: Previous studies focus on variables that reduce violence such as mindfulness, self-control, and happiness, but do not cover these relationships in a single study, creating a gap in the literature. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationships between aggression and these 3 variables in health science undergraduate students at a state university in Turkey. Methods: Students completed the aggression questionnaire, the Oxford happiness questionnaire short version, the brief self-control scale, and the mindful attention awareness scale. Results: In correlational analysis, only verbal aggression and happiness did not show a relationship. The result of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that the most significant predictors that explained total aggression and aggression subscales were mindfulness and self-control, respectively. However, happiness did not have a significant link to either total aggression or subscales of aggression (except for hostility). Conclusions: The results emphasize that mindfulness and self-control may play important roles in reducing aggression. This study reveals the need for further analysis of the relationships between happiness and aggression and its subscales. Other implications are discussed.