The effect of brain-behavioral systems on destructive behaviors of football spectators: The mediating role of emotion type

Background and Objective: Vandalistic behaviors of football spectators, as an important challenge in the field of sports psychology and collective behavior, require the investigation of effective psychological and neurological factors. This study aimed to investigate the effect of brain-behavioral systems on vandalistic behaviors and the mediating role of affect type (positive/negative).

Method: This study was a Path analysis and conducted using standard questionnaires including the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Vandalism Questionnaire, and the Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of football spectators, and the data were analyzed using SASJMP-18 software and path analysis (structural equation modeling).

Findings: Negative affect had a positive and significant relationship with destructive behaviors. Positive affect did not show a significant effect on destructive behaviors. Active avoidance, mediated by negative affect, had an inverse and significant relationship with destructive behaviors. Fighting, mediated by negative affect, showed a positive and significant relationship with destructive behaviors. Positive affect as a mediator did not have a significant effect in any of the paths.

Conclusion: Negative affect plays a key role in transforming brain-behavioral systems strategies (especially active avoidance and fighting) into destructive behaviors, while positive affect has no effect in this regard. These findings emphasize the importance of managing negative affect and strengthening adaptive coping strategies to reduce vandalistic behaviors. It is suggested that future studies also examine other moderating variables such as affect intensity and cultural contexts.