When emotions remain unnamed: alexithymia and rejection sensitivity fuel aggression via anger rumination

Aggressive behavior has been consistently associated with difficulties in emotion regulation, yet the mechanisms through which interpersonal vulnerability and impaired emotional awareness contribute to aggression remain insufficiently specified. Rejection sensitivity (RS) and alexithymia are established cognitive-affective risk factors, but their joint pathways to aggression warrant clarification. The present study aimed to test a theoretically grounded structural model in which anger rumination functions as a proximal cognitive-affective mechanism linking RS and alexithymia to aggressive behavior. In a community sample of women (n = 666; M = 34.62, SD = 8.35), we tested a structural equation model (SEM) in which anger rumination was specified as a mediator linking RS and alexithymia to aggression. Participants completed validated self-report measures of RS, alexithymia (PAQ), anger rumination (ARS), and aggression (AQ). Measurement models were supported via CFA. SEM with robust maximum likelihood estimation was conducted, controlling for age and education. Indirect effects were evaluated using bias-corrected bootstrapping. The model demonstrated a good fit. RS (β = .34, p < .001) and alexithymia (β = .21, p < .001) were significantly associated with anger rumination, which, in turn, was linked to aggression (β = .37, p < .001). Both RS (β = .14, 95% CI [.08, .20]) and alexithymia (β = .07, 95% CI [.01, .12]) showed significant indirect effects on aggression via anger rumination. Anger rumination emerges as a key cognitive-affective pathway linking interpersonal hypersensitivity and emotional unawareness to aggression. Targeting rumination and emotional clarity may enhance interventions for aggression in rejection-sensitive individuals.