The generalizability of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire

Exploring core symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in alcohol use disorder patients: a network analysis approach

Background

Understanding the interplay between psychopathology of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients may improve the effectiveness of relapse interventions for AUD. Network theory of mental disorders assumes that mental disorders persist not of a common functional disorder, but from a sustained feedback loop between symptoms, thereby explaining the persistence of AWS and the high relapse rate of AUD. The current study aims to establish a network of AWS, identify its core symptoms and find the bridges between the symptoms which are intervention target to relieve the AWS and break the self-maintaining cycle of AUD.

Methods

Graphical lasso network were constructed using psychological symptoms of 553 AUD patients. Global network structure, centrality indices, cluster coefficient, and bridge symptom were used to identify the core symptoms of the AWS network and the transmission pathways between different symptom clusters.

Results

The results revealed that: (1) AWS constitutes a stable symptom network with a stability coefficient (CS) of 0.21-0.75. (2) Anger (Strength = 1.52) and hostility (Strength = 0.84) emerged as the core symptom in the AWS network with the highest centrality and low clustering coefficient. (3) Hostility mediates aggression and anxiety; anger mediates aggression and impulsivity in AWS network respectively.

Conclusions

Anger and hostility may be considered the best intervention targets for researching and treating AWS. Hostility and anxiety, anger and impulsiveness are independent but related dimensions, suggesting that different neurobiological bases may be involved in withdrawal symptoms, which play a similar role in withdrawal syndrome.

What does metaphoric language say about aggression? The relationships between metaphoric language, impulsivity, and aggression

Aggressive behavior among adolescents has been identified as a serious worldwide problem, especially when combined with trait impulsivity. This study investigates the impact of an overlooked aspect of language, namely, metaphor comprehension, on impulsivity and aggression in adolescents. A total of 204 adolescents completed self-reported questionnaires assessing impulsivity and aggression and underwent tests assessing familiar and less familiar metaphor comprehension. The findings reveal inverse relationships between metaphor comprehension and both impulsivity and aggression. Regarding aggression, notable distinctions were observed in the correlations between familiar and less familiar metaphors with specific aggression types. Additionally, impulsivity was found to mediate the relationship between the comprehension of familiar metaphors and aggression. These results are elucidated in the context of cognitive and executive functions, emphasizing the significance of considering metaphor comprehension as a cognitive process capable of modulating aggressive behavior.

Evaluating cognitive and affective abilities among medical students: behavioural and medicolegal perspectives

Medical students attending university for the first time experience a new environment, full of significant social, cultural, and intellectual challenges. Moreover, drug abuse and bullying among university students are major global concerns. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of medicolegal issues on undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is a cross-sectional survey-based study, with each set of questions investigating cognitive functions, aggression, personality, and exposure to medicolegal issues. Males and those with a chronic disease have been significantly exposed to medicolegal issues; exposed students were significantly older than nonexposed ones. The scores of aggression were significantly higher among exposed and male students. The cognitive scores were higher for the students from rural areas than in urban areas, and females were more neurotic than males. The current study recommends conducting campaigns to educate university students on the importance of formally disclosing unethical behaviors and listening to the victims to facilitate overcoming their negative feelings. As many victims feel comfortable disclosing victimization to their friends, we recommend conducting peer educational programs to help friends support their colleagues regarding unethical misconduct.

Psychologically aggressive parenting and later aggression: Salivary alpha-amylase reactivity and sex as moderators

Psychologically aggressive parenting (PAP) exposure negatively affects children's development of aggression. Nevertheless, not all children exposed to PAP display aggressive behaviors. Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity may influence the impact of early adversity on aggression. This study examines whether SNS reactivity and sex moderate the link between psychologically aggressive parenting (PAP) during childhood and later aggression. Emerging adults (N = 182, mean age = 19.03 years, 53 % female) retrospectively reported on their childhood PAP and current aggression. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) collected from a social stress task indexed SNS reactivity to stress. Childhood PAP was associated with emerging adulthood anger, hostility, physical, and verbal aggression. Moreover, males were more likely to exhibit anger, verbal, and physical aggression and had higher levels of sAA reactivity than females. A significant three-way interaction between childhood PAP, sAA reactivity, and sex accounted for participants' current verbal aggression. The link between childhood PAP and later verbal aggression was stronger for males at higher levels of sAA reactivity. Females with higher levels of sAA reactivity displayed lower levels of verbal aggression regardless of PAP exposure. Males and females with lower levels of sAA reactivity were at elevated risk for verbal aggression regardless of PAP exposure. Moreover, we found a significant two-way interaction between PAP and sex on anger, such that higher levels of PAP exposure were associated with more anger among males, but not females. These findings highlight the importance of examining interactions between biological and environmental factors and sex in accounting for later aggression.

Pinpointing change in virtual reality assisted treatment for violent offenders: a pilot study of Virtual Reality Aggression Prevention Training (VRAPT)

Preventing relapse into violence and its destructive consequences among persistent re-offenders is a primary concern in forensic settings. The Risk-Need-Responsivity framework models the best current practice for offender treatment, focused on building skills and changing pro-criminal cognitions. However, treatment effects are often modest, and the forensic context can obstruct the delivery of interventions. Developing treatments for offenders should focus on the best method of delivery to make "what works work." Virtual reality (VR)-assisted treatments such as Virtual Reality Aggression Prevention Training (VRAPT) are a new and innovative approach to offender treatment. This pilot study followed 14 male violent offenders who participated in VRAPT in a Swedish prison context and measured changes from pre-treatment to post-treatment and 3-month follow-up in targeted aggression, emotion regulation, and anger. It also investigated potential impact factors (pro-criminal cognitions, externalizing behaviors, psychosocial background, and childhood adverse experiences). In Bayesian linear mixed effects models, participants showed a high probability of change from pre-treatment to post-treatment and to follow-up on all outcome measures. All outcome measures demonstrated a low probability of change from post-treatment to follow-up. Analysis of reliable change showed that participants' results ranged from recovery to deterioration. We discuss the implications of the study for VRAPT's impact on the target group, those who might benefit from the approach, and suggested foci for future studies in the field of VR-assisted offender treatment. The study was preregistered at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number registry (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14916410).

The structure of aggressive personality

OBJECTIVE

We sought to factor analyze a broad array of aggression measures to identify a comprehensive, coherent factor structure for this construct.

BACKGROUND

Measures and models of trait aggression have multiplied to the point of incoherence.

METHOD

In Study 1, a diverse sample of 922 undergraduates completed a battery of items acquired from 42 self-report aggression questionnaires. In Study 2, we administered a curated item pool to another diverse sample of 1447 undergraduates, alongside criterion measures.

RESULTS

We curated an initial item pool of 734 items down to 289 items that exhibited sufficient variability, were not redundant with other items, and possessed strong loadings onto a central 'trait aggression' factor. These remaining items were best characterized by a six-factor structure, which captured relational, angry, violent, retaliatory, intimate partner, and alcohol forms of aggression. We estimated their hierarchical structure, correlations with their original aggression scales, Five Factor Model trait dimensions, impulsivity facets, and found them to be robust to gender composition and the inclusion of alcohol-naive and intimate-partner-naive participants.

CONCLUSIONS

This factor structure mostly supported widely-accepted models of aggressive personality that focus on its overt and relational forms and reactive functions, though proactive aggression only loosely emerged as a distinct entity. We retained the final items as the Comprehensive Aggression Scale (CAS).

The effects of expected and unexpected stress on inappropriate aggression in simulated police interventions

Here we performed a before-after ABA-design study in police cadets (N = 82) to compare the effects of unexpected (event-triggered) and expected (anticipatory) stressors on aggression. On the first day of the study, participants filled in the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and were fitted with heart rate (HR) monitors, which remained attached till the end of the study. On day 2, they were instructed to perform a police intervention in a realistic training environment. The intervention was preceded either by a warning or by a reassuring audio recording that forecasted violent or routine interventions, respectively. Both groups encountered hostile suspects at the intervention site, the behavior of which, however, did not justify the use of force e.g., aggression. The warning resulted in a gradually developing anticipatory stress as shown by HRs. Cadets exposed to the reassuring audio recording showed minimal anticipatory stress but responded to the hostile suspects by an abrupt increase in HRs, which was missing in the warned group. The magnitude of HR responses was similar in the two groups, only their temporal evolution differed. Although aggression showed some associations with BPAQ and BIS scores, the main predictors of behavior were HR changes according to a Multiple Regression analysis. The gradually developing anticipatory stress was associated with low, whereas the abrupt increase in HRs was associated with high aggression. Our findings suggest that the anticipation of a stressful event improves behavioral control whereas an unexpected stress strongly promotes aggression.

Bulimia symptoms and anger and aggression among adolescents

BACKGROUND

Previous research has indicated that anger and aggression may be elevated in adolescents with a bulimia nervosa (BN) diagnosis. However, as yet, little is known about whether bulimia symptoms are linked to anger and aggression in adolescents in the general population. To address this deficit this study aimed to explore the associations between a clinical level of bulimia symptoms (CLBS) and anger, anger rumination and aggression in community-based adolescents, and determine whether gender is important in this context.

METHODS

This study was conducted on a representative sample of youth from northwestern Russia (n = 2613, age 13-17 years old, 59.5% female) using self-report scales. A proxy variable for a CLBS was created using the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale. Aggression, anger and anger rumination were assessed by the Trait Anger Scale of the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Anger Rumination Scale, and scales created to assess physically and verbally aggressive behavior. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to examine the associations between the study variables.

RESULTS

A CLBS was more prevalent in girls than in boys (13.4% vs. 3.5%). The association with anger and aggression was stronger in both genders with a CLBS, compared to those adolescents without a CLBS. In the CLBS group, boys as compared to girls scored higher on verbal and physical aggression, anger rumination and social aggression. In both the CLBS and Non-CLBS groups higher anger and aggression scores were associated with increasing age.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that aggression and anger rumination are elevated in adolescents with BN symptoms, and that the associations between anger, aggression and BN symptoms may be stronger in boys. As previous research has indicated that the presence of aggressive behaviors may affect the prognosis of BN and complicate management of the disorder, clinician screening for these behaviors in adolescents with BN symptoms may facilitate the provision of more effective treatment, especially among boys.

The Revised Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP-8): Evidence for Validity across Four Countries

Subclinical sadism, characterized by infliction of cruelty, aggression, or humiliation on another for subjugation or pleasure, provides important information in the prediction of aversive behaviors that have implications for individuals' and society's well-being worldwide. Given sadism's universal relevance, it is imperative that researchers ensure valid and reliable trait measurement not only among English-speaking individuals, but also cross-nationally among countries in which sadism remains relatively understudied. The objective of the current research was to validate the revised version of the Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP-8) (Plouffe et al., 2017) across samples of Russian (n = 1087, M_age = 37.36, SD = 10.36), Greek (n = 1195, M_age = 35.64, SD_age = 13.08), Serbian (n = 443, M_age = 28.10, SD_age = 6.60), and British (n = 511, M_age = 28.50, SD_age = 11.62) adults. Overall, results supported the reliability, dimensionality, and scalar/partial scalar measurement invariance of the ASP-8 across cross-national samples. Convergent and discriminant validity were mostly supported through correlations with general personality traits, the Dark Triad, emotional intelligence, mental toughness, depression, anxiety, stress, satisfaction with life, aggression, and attitudes toward social groups. Based on our findings, we recommend the use of the ASP-8 in future investigations of aversive traits.

Childhood Maltreatment and Use of Aggression among Veterans with Co-occurring PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder: The Mediating Role of Hostile Cognitions

History of childhood maltreatment is common among military veterans, particularly those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Childhood maltreatment is associated with negative psychosocial outcomes, including use of aggression during adulthood. Prior research has identified maladaptive cognitions as a key mediating variable in the association between early life trauma and aggression. Given the high rates of comorbid PTSD and AUD among veterans and the increased risk of aggression when these conditions co-occur, it is critical to examine malleable intervention targets, such as maladaptive cognitions, for this population. The current secondary analyses examined the mediating role of hostile cognitions on the associations between childhood maltreatment and adulthood aggression in a sample of dually diagnosed veterans. Participants were veterans with co-occurring PTSD and AUD (N = 73) who were enrolled in a larger randomized controlled laboratory trial. Participants completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, hostile cognitions, and aggressive behavior. Three models were tested to examine the mediating effect of hostility on the associations between childhood maltreatment, abuse, and neglect on aggression. Results indicated that hostility fully mediated the effect of maltreatment on aggression and partially mediated the effect of childhood abuse on aggression. The effect of childhood neglect on aggression was nonsignificant. Hostile cognitions may be a critical intervention target for veterans with co-occurring PTSD and AUD and history of childhood maltreatment, particularly for those who have experienced higher levels of childhood abuse.

Emotion regulation mediates the effects of sleep on stress and aggression

It is well established that poor sleep directly increases stress and aggression, but potential mediators of this relationship remain poorly understood. The present study provided the first direct test of whether capacity for emotion regulation mediated the relationship between sleep with stress. It also aimed to extend current understanding of whether emotion regulation might mediate the association between sleep and aggression, by assessing four distinct subcomponents of aggression (anger, hostility, verbal aggression, and physical aggression). In service of these goals, 740 participants completed validated measures of sleep, stress, aggression, and emotion regulation. Results showed that emotion regulation partially mediated the relationship between sleep quality with stress, anger, hostility, and verbal aggression, and fully mediated the relationship between sleep with physical aggression. These data provide novel evidence that emotion regulation abilities may serve as a protective factor against the negative consequences of sleep disturbances.

Childhood Trauma and Malevolent Creativity in Chinese College Students: Moderated Mediation by Psychological Resilience and Aggression

Although a previous study has shown that childhood trauma influences malevolent creativity, aggression and psychological resilience have been linked with childhood trauma and creativity. However, little is known about the complex correlations among these factors in Chinese college students. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of aggression and the moderating role of psychological resilience between childhood trauma and malevolent creativity. A total of 389 undergraduates were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The moderated mediation model was conducted to explore whether aggression mediated the correlation between childhood trauma and malevolent creativity and whether psychological resilience moderated the indirect role of childhood trauma. The results showed that childhood trauma positively correlated with aggression and malevolent creativity and was negatively associated with psychological resilience. Aggression partly mediated the association of childhood trauma with malevolent creativity. Resilience moderated the indirect effect of the mediation model, such that the indirect effect of childhood trauma on malevolent creativity through aggression increased as the level of resilience increased. The study indicated that childhood trauma exposure is associated with malevolent creativity behavior, and aggression mediated this association. The level of psychological resilience differentiates the indirect paths of childhood trauma on malevolent creativity. These results have important implications for preventing and containing expressions of malevolent creativity.

Effectiveness of anger-focused emotional management training in reducing aggression among nurses

AIM

The aim of this study was to conduct a 5-h training programme on anger-focused emotional management for nurses and verify its effectiveness.

DESIGN

The study used a one-group pretest-posttest design.

METHODS

Participants (N = 283) attended a programme comprising lectures and exercises. The Japanese version of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire was administered pre-, post- and 3-month posttraining. Regression analyses were used to assess the effects of the programme by gender.

RESULTS

For the total aggression score, the difference between the pre- and posttraining scores was -2.827 points and remained at -1.602 points 3-month posttraining. Physical aggression scores decreased posttraining, but the scores increased after 3 months. There were statistically significant gender differences in hostility scores; pre-training scores were slightly higher for men than for women and lower for men after 3 months. Total and physical aggression scores were higher for men than for women. The training programme decreased aggression, and the effect persisted after 3 months.

Facial Emotion Perceptual Tendency in Violent and Non-violent Offenders

All three authors share equal authorship in this paper.Emotion perception has a vital influence on social interaction. Previous studies discussed mainly the relationship between facial emotion perception and aggressive behavior from the perspective of hostile attributional bias and the impaired violence inhibition mechanism. The present study aims to provide new evidence of different emotion perception patterns between the violent and non-violent criminal samples through a new indicator of the facial emotion recognition test, Facial Emotion Perception Tendency (FEPT), calculated by counting the times a participant recognizes a set of emotional stimuli as a particular specific emotion, and to further examine the association between aggressive behaviors and FEPT. 101 violent and 171 non-violent offenders, as well as 81 non-offending control participants, were recruited to complete the emotion recognition task with morphed stimuli (Study 1). We further recruited 62 non-offending healthy male participants to finish the Buss -Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) after the emotion recognition task in Study 2. Both non-violent and violent offenders were significantly lower in overall accuracy of emotion recognition and disgust FEPT, but higher in happy FEPT, than non-offending healthy controls. Non-violent offenders had significantly lower fear FEPT than violent offenders, and had higher anger FEPT than non-offending controls. The results also revealed that the level of physical aggression was positively correlated with fear FEPT, while negatively correlated with anger FEPT. The current study demonstrated that FEPT was associated with aggressive behavior and implies the importance of improving the emotion decoding ability of offenders. Also, the concept "FEPT" proposed in this study is of significance for further exploration of how individuals' tendency to perceiving a particular emotion can be correlated with social behaviors.

Relation between testosterone, cortisol and aggressive behavior in humans

Aggression is an evolutionary behavior as it has a role in survival, increasing one’s access to food, shelter, status and reproduction. Testosterone and Cortisol are hormones often linked to aggressive behavior. We gathered and organized data from the last five years on the relation among Testosterone, Cortisol and aggression, while assessing the methods used by those scientific papers. A systematic review was made according to PRISMA guidelines. The search for indexed articles was performed in January 2019 using the keywords aggress* AND Testosterone AND Cortisol in three databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS and PsycInfo. The specific role of Testosterone and Cortisol in aggressive behavior is not unanimous. However, most articles found either an increase in Testosterone or a decrease in Cortisol associated with this behavior. There is the need for standardizing methods of triggering and assessing aggressive behavior, taking into account the assessment of social desirability and its impacts.

Separate pathways to violent behavior in schizophrenia and in the general population

Violence in schizophrenia is best investigated within the broader context of violent behavior in the general population. Two important domains of general pathology which allow us to take such an approach include impairment in emotion processing, as manifested by faulty facial emotion recognition, and aggressive reactivity which consists of heightened sensitivity to provocation. To test this approach, we included 135 subjects: 38 violent (VS's) and 33 nonviolent patients with schizophrenia, 32 healthy controls and 32 non-psychotic violent subjects (NPV's). We measured violence with the Life History of Aggression Scale, recognition of facial emotions with the Emotion Recognition Task, and aggressive reactivity through the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Adolescent antisocial behavior was evaluated as a potential precursor to these deficits. We found that impairment in fear recognition (IFR) and aggressive reactivity have a significant effect on violence in the violent groups. These two impairments interact in different ways in these groups. In NPV's they contribute in an additive fashion to violence, whereas in VS's they represent separate pathways; aggressive reactivity leads to violence only when there is no IFR. Adolescent antisocial behavior has a differential effect on these 2 impairments in the 2 groups. Thus, these findings provide insights on the differential role of IFR and aggressive reactivity for violence in schizophrenia compared to the general population. In NPV's, both dysfunctions represent antisocial features and contribute jointly to violence. In schizophrenia, they have different etiologies and constitute alternative pathways to violence. This has important implications for the conceptualization and treatment of violence.

Gender Differences in the Relationship between Anger and Aggressive Behavior

Evidence is mixed regarding differences in prevalence of aggressive behavior, with many (though not all) studies suggesting that men are more aggressive than women. Furthermore, while aggression often occurs in response to provocation-induced anger, this relationship may be stronger for men; women may be more likely to engage in non-aggressive (e.g., affiliative) behaviors in response to provocation, particularly at low-level provocation. This study examined gender differences in aggression as well as differences in the relationship between anger and aggression for men and women. Adults (N = 424) participated in a behavioral aggression task, and a subset of participants (n = 304) completed a questionnaire assessing trait levels of anger as part of a larger study at a large midwestern university. Results indicated that while men and women aggressed at similar levels, aggression was significantly associated with trait anger for men only, at low levels of provocation, with only a trending relationship for high provocation. This suggests that while men and women may be equally aggressive in certain situations, this behavior may be differentially associated with anger.

Modeling the Impact of Race, Socioeconomic Status, Discrimination and Cognitive Appraisal on Mental Health Concerns Among Heavy Drinking HIV+ Cisgender MSM

Prior research has attributed mental health disparities between marginalized and non-marginalized populations to socioeconomic differences (i.e., education, income, employment), stigma (e.g., HIV-related discrimination), and cognitive appraisal (i.e., optimism, hostility, satisfaction with life), but the relations among these variables have not been examined concomitantly. The current study utilized structural equation modeling to examine how race and socioeconomic status impact mental health outcomes through increased exposure to stigma and more negative cognitive appraisals. Data came from a randomized controlled trial of motivational interviewing to address heavy drinking in cisgender men with HIV who have sex with men (n = 180). We found that self-reported discrimination experiences related to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and HIV status significantly mediated the relation between socioeconomic status and mental health concerns, whereas cognitive appraisal did not. These findings suggest that, among heavy drinking men with HIV who have sex with men, having low socioeconomic resources may increase exposure to discrimination which, in turn, may worsen mental health. Interventions that address social determinants, like socioeconomic disadvantage, and that enhance coping resources related to stigma, may have positive effects on mental health.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01328743. Date of Registration 09/09/2019.

The phenomenon of overkill in northern Greece: A descriptive forensic psychiatric study between 2015 and 2020 on criminal offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate overkill in a representative sample of Greek psychiatric patients found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRIs) from a forensic psychiatric - criminological standpoint and explore possible correlations of the phenomenon with socio-cultural or psychiatric factors. Overall, 24 forensic psychiatric records of overkill offenders were identified throughout the 5-year records of the national forensic psychiatric service in northern Greek mainland. The pattern that has emerged from the statistical results of the present study on the victims of overkill within the Greek borders was generally in line with global literature on homicide perpetrators. The mean age of overkill offenders (at the time of enactment of the crime) was estimated at 36.3 years ranging from 19 to 55 years (variance = 146.72; standard deviation = 12.11). The number of male single-offence killers was ten-times larger compared to their female counterparts, while the number of male multiple-offence killers were three-times larger compared to their female counterparts. Male offenders were averagely 15 years younger (mean 33.7; variance = 81.69; standard deviation = 9) in comparison to female offenders, and single-offence killers were averagely ten years younger compared to multiple-offence killers (mean 40.2; variance = 185.19; standard deviation = 13.6). The phenomenon correlated more strongly with homicides in the context of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (80-100%) as well as domestic violence. Overall, males outnumbered females both as offenders (approximately five-times) and victims (approximately three-times), but regarding domestic violence, the sad majority of overkill victims stood for females murdered by their male relatives. Close female relatives (especially mothers and grandmothers) were most often victimized. Female-perpetrated overkill was directed against male individuals with whom offenders shared a relationship (intimate partners and minors). An important finding was the fact that three-quarters of the overall perpetrator sample were under prescribed medication at the time of offence, but with a very low compliance rate (5.6%). This last particular finding of the present study demonstrated that mental health services within community in Greece may unfortunately have been ineffective in addressing issues requiring risk assessment and timely intervention.

Externalizing personality characteristics define clinically relevant subgroups of alcohol use disorder

AIMS

Higher levels of externalizing characteristics, i.e. impulsivity, novelty seeking and aggression, could contribute to the development, progression and severity of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The present study aims to explore whether these externalizing characteristics together have a potential group-forming role in AUD using latent profile analysis (LPA).

METHODS

Externalizing characteristics of 102 AUD patients were analyzed using LPA to explore the group-forming role of externalizing symptoms; groups were compared in terms of demographic and alcohol-related variables, indices of psychopathological, depressive and anxiety symptom severity.

RESULTS

LPA revealed and supported a two-group model based on externalizing symptoms. The group with higher levels of externalizing symptoms showed significantly elevated levels of alcohol-related and anxio-depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Externalizing characteristics converge and have a group-forming role in chronic AUD, and are associated with a more severe form of AUD. By making the diagnostic category less heterogeneous, these different subtypes within AUD may provide aid in tailoring treatments to patients' specific needs.

Structural and functional biomarkers of the insula subregions predict sex differences in aggression subscales

Aggression is a common and complex social behavior that is associated with violence and mental diseases. Although sex differences were observed in aggression, the neural mechanism for the effect of sex on aggression behaviors remains unclear, especially in specific subscales of aggression. In this study, we investigated the effects of sex on aggression subscales, gray matter volume (GMV), and functional connectivity (FC) of each insula subregion as well as the correlation of aggression subscales with GMV and FC. This study found that sex significantly influenced (a) physical aggression, anger, and hostility; (b) the GMV of all insula subregions; and (c) the FC of the dorsal agranular insula (dIa), dorsal dysgranular insula (dId), and ventral dysgranular and granular insula (vId_vIg). Additionally, mediation analysis revealed that the GMV of bilateral dIa mediates the association between sex and physical aggression, and left dId–left medial orbital superior frontal gyrus FC mediates the relationship between sex and anger. These findings revealed the neural mechanism underlying the sex differences in aggression subscales and the important role of the insula in aggression differences between males and females. This finding could potentially explain sexual dimorphism in neuropsychiatric disorders and improve dysregulated aggressive behavior.

Modulating Behavioural and Self-Reported Aggression with Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation: A Literature Review

Aggressive behaviour is at the basis of many harms in society, such as violent crime. The efforts to explain, study, and possibly reduce aggression span various disciplines, including neuroscience. The specific brain networks which are involved in the modulation of aggressive behaviour include cortical asymmetry and brain areas such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Recent non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) research suggests that both transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) can play a role in the modulation of aggressive behaviour by directly changing brain activity. In this review, we systematically explore and discuss 11 experimental studies that aimed to modulate aggressive behaviour or self-reported aggression using NIBS. Out of these 11 studies, nine significantly up- or downregulated aggression by using tDCS or cTBS targeting the DLPFC, VLPFC or VMPFC. The potential applications of these findings span both the clinical and the forensic psychological domains. However, the results are limited by the methodological heterogeneity in the aggression measures used across the studies, and by their generally small sample sizes. Future research should consider improving the localization and specificity of NIBS by employing neuro-navigational instruments and standardized scoring methods.

Trends of Anger and Physical Aggression in Russian Women During COVID-19 Lockdown

The effect of social lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak on female aggressiveness is not well known. The strict measures of lockdown have resulted in millions of people, worldwide, confined to their homes during the pandemic. However, the consequence of lockdown strategies on females' psychological status including aggressiveness has not yet been investigated. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 31 Russian females' homemakers who are participants in an online fitness platform to investigate the immediate anxiety, depression, and aggression experienced under strict lockdown measures. The participants were surveyed using the hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS) and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. We used descriptive and statistical methods to investigate the prevalence of these emotions among two age groups (20-35 and 36-65 years). We found that moderate anxiety prevalence was 77.4% in the entire group while mild depression was 54.8%. Interestingly, the whole sample showed a high level of angriness (p = 0.0002) and physical aggression (p = 0.019). These two emotions seem to be more prevalent than other negative emotions such as hostility, verbal aggression. This relationship was not dependent on age. Overall, there is a significant worsening in female aggression that could lead to higher chances of female victimization and being subjected to partner violence. Future policies designing lockdown strategies should consider this effect on active female homemakers. Due to the small size of our cohort, our results are only indicative of data trends. Larger studies are still needed to confirm the current findings.

The role of anxiety sensitivity in anger symptomatology: Results from a randomized controlled trial

Anger is often overlooked in the assessment and treatment of pathological anxiety, despite there being evidence that anger is elevated across all anxiety disorders. Anxiety sensitivity (AS), a major risk factor of anxiety disorders, has been shown to modulate anger in response to threat induced hyperarousal. The current study therefore examined if reductions in anxiety sensitivity (AS) mediate reductions in anger symptoms. Outcomes from a randomized control trial evaluating the efficacy of a brief AS mitigation intervention were analyzed. Patients with anxiety and comorbid conditions were randomly assigned to AS reduction (n  = 58) or a repeated contact control condition (n  = 60) and followed up with for three months. Analyses evaluated whether treatment related change in AS mediated later reductions in anger, hostility, verbal aggression, and physical aggression. Results revealed that reductions in AS temporally mediated the effects of treatment on later reductions in anger, hostility, verbal aggression, and physical aggression. Specificity analyses provided further support for the direction and specific variables examined in these models. Results suggest that AS may be a promising treatment target for anger symptoms among those with elevated anxiety symptoms.

Understanding aggression and microaggressions by and against people of colour

Efforts to understand racial microaggressions have focused on the impact on targets, but few studies have examined the motivations and characteristics of offenders, and none has examined microaggressions committed by members of racialized groups. The purpose of this study is to determine if racial microaggressions should be conceptualized as a form of aggression when committed by racialized individuals by examining the relationship between propensity to commit microaggressions and aggressive tendencies to help inform interventions. This nationwide survey recruited 356 Asian, Black and Hispanic American adults. Participants completed measures of likelihood of committing anti-Black microaggressions, aggression, negative affect, and ethnic identity. There was a significant negative correlation between ratings by diversity experts of microaggressive interactions being racist and participants’ likelihood of engaging in those same interactions. For each ethnoracial group, likelihood of committing anti-Black microaggressions was significantly positively correlated with all measures of aggression examined. The correlation between microaggressions and aggression was strongest for non-White Hispanic participants and weakest among Asian participants. A linear regression showed that aggression uniquely predicted microaggression likelihood, after controlling for respective co-variates within groups. Among non-White Hispanic participants, there was a significant positive correlation between negative affect and propensity to commit microaggressions, but this association disappeared in the regression analysis after accounting for aggression. A positive ethnic identity was not correlated with microaggression likelihood among Black participants. Findings indicate that microaggressions represent aggression on the part of offenders and constitute a form of behaviour that is generally socially unacceptable. Implications and cognitive behavioural treatment approaches are discussed.

Key learning aims

(1)

Continuity of Genetic Risk for Aggressive Behavior Across the Life-Course

We test whether genetic influences that explain individual differences in aggression in early life also explain individual differences across the life-course. In two cohorts from The Netherlands (N = 13,471) and Australia (N = 5628), polygenic scores (PGSs) were computed based on a genome-wide meta-analysis of childhood/adolescence aggression. In a novel analytic approach, we ran a mixed effects model for each age (Netherlands: 12-70 years, Australia: 16-73 years), with observations at the focus age weighted as 1, and decaying weights for ages further away. We call this approach a 'rolling weights' model. In The Netherlands, the estimated effect of the PGS was relatively similar from age 12 to age 41, and decreased from age 41-70. In Australia, there was a peak in the effect of the PGS around age 40 years. These results are a first indication from a molecular genetics perspective that genetic influences on aggressive behavior that are expressed in childhood continue to play a role later in life.

Aggression Dimensions Among Athletes Practising Martial Arts and Combat Sports

Purpose: The main aim of the research was to analyse aggression dimensions among athletes practising martial arts and combat sports.

Material and Methods: There were 219 respondents. The Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) in the Polish adaptation by Siekierka was applied.

Results: Martial arts apprentices turned out to present a statistically significantly lower level of hostility (p < 0.001) and of the general aggression index (p = 0.04) than combat sports athletes. It turned out that lower level of aggression was noted in female participants (physical aggression (p < 0.001), verbal aggression (p = 0.004), hostility (p < 0.001), and the general aggression index (p < 0.001). Analysis revealed that the training experience and the training rank did not differentiated the level of the respondents' particular aggression dimensions.

Conclusions: It would be advisable to perform parallel analyses in other areas of Poland and take into account the respondents' education and place of residence.

Comparable level of aggression between patients with behavioural addiction and healthy subjects

Heightened aggression is identified in several psychiatric disorders, including addiction. In this preliminary study with a relatively small number of samples, aggression in subjects diagnosed with behavioural addiction (BA) was implicitly assessed using the point subtraction aggression paradigm (PSAP) test along with measurements of oxy- and deoxyhaemoglobin dynamics in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during the test using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Aggression in BA patients was no higher than that of healthy control (CT) subjects in the PSAP test. Although no apparent increase or decrease in haemoglobin concentrations was observed in the PFC of either BA patients or CT subjects, abnormal correlations within the PFC network were present in BA patients. Consistent with comparable aggression between the groups, blood concentrations of the sex hormone testosterone, which has been shown to be associated with aggressiveness, was even lower in BA patients than in CT subjects. In contrast, when a set of questionnaire surveys for the assessment of aggression were administered, BA patients rated themselves as more aggressive than non-BA subjects. Collectively, these results suggest that aggression may not be heightened in BA, but BA patients may overestimate their aggressiveness, raising concerns about the use of questionnaire surveys for assessments of affective traits such as aggression in behavioural addiction.

Self-report versus clinician-ratings in the assessment of aggression in violent offenders

BACKGROUND

The construct of aggression is central to work with violent offenders, but it is a broad construct that can be assessed by many different methods and instruments. Its measurement may, however, have profound implications for treatment planning. We need more knowledge about how different methods for assessing aggression relate to each other.

AIMS

Our aims were to investigate, first, the convergence and concordance of two methods of assessing aggression: self-report and clinical assessment and, second, to determine the degree to which aggression can be discriminated from neighbouring constructs, such as hostility, anger and criminal behaviour.

METHODS

A nationally representative Swedish cohort of 269 18-25-year-old incarcerated violent offenders was recruited. Data were collected through structured self-reports of aggression, anger and hostility traits (Aggression Questionnaire-Revised Swedish Version) and clinical assessments of lifetime prevalence of aggressive and antisocial behaviours (Life History of Aggression). Criminal records were retrieved from the Swedish National Crime Register.

RESULTS

Self-ratings and clinician-ratings of aggression were highly convergent and concordant, especially regarding physical aggression. Violent offence records were weakly, if at all, correlated, while self-reported hostility was weakly, or not at all, correlated with self-reported or with clinician-rated aggression. There was an inverse relationship between aggression and criminal records of sexual offences.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Even though a combination of self-reports and clinician-ratings may provide a better overview of an individual's aggressive behaviours, our results indicate that they yield such similar information that either alone would be sensitive enough. Our results do not, however, support using one of these methods as a proxy for the other since choice of measure and accepted concordance between them depend on the context within which the assessment is conducted. We reconfirmed that official records of violent offending are unlikely to be adequate measures of outcome after interventions to reduce aggressive behaviours.

Microaggressions Are a Form of Aggression

Most efforts to understand microaggressions have examined affected group members, but little work has been done to understand the motivations and characteristics of offenders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether microaggressions are best conceptualized as a form of aggression, as per common definitions advanced in social psychology, by examining correlations between propensity to commit microaggressions and aggressive tendencies. This cross-sectional study was conducted using MTurk Prime to survey a sample of White and Black adults across the United States (N = 610). Measures administered included the Cultural Cognitions and Actions Scale (CCAS) to assess the likelihood of committing microaggressions, Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), Inventory of Hostility and Suspicious Thinking (IHS), Overt-Covert Aggression Inventory (OCAI), and the Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule (PANAS). The CCAS was found to be highly and significantly positively correlated with all three measures of aggression. There was a significant negative correlation between Black participants' ratings of microaggressive interactions being racist and White participants' likelihood of engaging in those same interactions. There was a significant positive correlation between negative affectivity and the propensity of White participants to commit microaggressions. In a regression predicting microaggressive propensity from aggressive tendencies, the BPAQ was highly significant, whereas negative affectivity was not. Findings indicate that microaggressions represent aggression and hostility on the part of offenders and a form of aggressive behavior that is generally socially unacceptable. Future research should explore the relationship between the many forms of microaggressions and aggression among different groups.

Hungarian validation of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Is the short form more adequate?

OBJECTIVE

We aim to provide a publicly available Hungarian version of the BPAQ; compare the BPAQ factors to other personality traits; and compare both the original BPAQ factor structure provided by Buss and Perry (J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., 63, 1992, 452), the revised BPAQ-SF factor structure by Bryant and Smith (J. Res. Pers., 35, 2001, 138), and the BAQ by Webster et al. (Aggress. Behav., 40, 2014, 120).

METHODS

The validation of the Hungarian version of the BPAQ was carried out on a Hungarian university sample (N = 841). There were three main focuses of data analysis: descriptive statistics, correlations, and confirmatory factor analyses.

RESULTS

CFA-related statistics showed an adequate fit for the BPAQ 4 factors; however, contrary to prior validations of BPAQ, we were not able to clearly define the verbal aggression factor. We found that the shorter form of the BPAQ has a better model fit on our sample than the original form, while the model fit of the BAQ was in-between these. BPAQ scales showed low to moderate relationship with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

CONCLUSION

Both the BPAQ and the BPAQ-SF, also the BAQ provide acceptable model fitting on a Hungarian sample of university students. While most of BPAQ items provided adequate loadings on their hypothesized factors, two items (21 and 27) did not. We argue this is the result of conceptual inaccuracy of the original items.

Aggression Amongst Outpatients With Schizophrenia and Related Psychoses in a Tertiary Mental Health Institution

Aims: Aggression is defined as "any behavior intended to cause physical, emotional, or psychological harm to another." The aims of the current study were to (i) examine underlying factor structure of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) and (ii) explore socio-demographic and clinical correlates (symptom severity, substance use and alcohol use) among patients with schizophrenia and related psychoses in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Methods: Data collected from 397 participants who were seeking outpatient treatment for schizophrenia and related psychoses at a tertiary psychiatric hospital were included in the analyses. BPAQ, a 29-item, four-factor instrument that measures physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility was used to assess aggression. Data on socio-demographic variables, age of onset of illness, drug use, alcohol use and symptom severity were also collected. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to establish the underlying factor structure of the BPAQ. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to examine socio-demographic and clinical correlates of the BPAQ factors. Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.2 years (SD = 10.9, range: 21-65). Factor structure obtained from the CFA indicated that a higher order four-factor solution had an acceptable fit to the observed data (WLSMV χ² = 1,025.35, df = 320, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, SRMR = 0.05). Females had lower physical aggression and hostility scores as compared to males. Those with lower education had higher physical aggression scores as compared to those with higher education. Participants who received a diagnosis after the age of 30 years had higher physical aggression and anger scores as compared to those who received a diagnosis at or before 20 years of age. Symptom severity was positively associated with higher BPAQ scores. Conclusion: The study findings demonstrated high internal consistency and applicable measurement factor structure of BPAQ in this study sample, making it an appropriate questionnaire for assessing aggressive behavior in this population. We also identified socio-demographic and clinical factors that were associated with aggression in patients with schizophrenia and related psychoses.

Associations between Traumatic Brain Injury, Drug Abuse, Alcohol Use, Adverse Childhood Events, and Aggression Levels in Individuals with Foster Care History

Nearly 50,000 Canadian children live in foster care. Compared with their peers, foster children experience greater independence and decreased guidance, predisposing them to harmful exposures such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), illicit drugs, and alcohol. Foster children also report a higher level of childhood abuse compared with the general population. This study aimed to: 1) investigate substance/alcohol use disorder, adverse childhood events (ACE), TBI, aggression levels, and the difference between normalized percentages of brain regions of interest (ROIs) in a sample of Canadian youths with and without foster care history; 2) determine the prevalence of substance/alcohol use disorder, ACE, and aggression levels within individuals with foster care history when stratified by likelihood of TBI; and 3) determine the significant correlates of elevated aggression levels within this population. Participants completed standardized questionnaires that measured the prevalence of TBI, substance and alcohol use disorder, ACE, and aggression. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure differences in brain ROI. Regression and network analysis were used to study interactions between variables. Seventy-four participants (51 individuals with foster care history and 23 age-matched controls from the general population) completed standardized questionnaires. Fifty-five of these individuals (39 foster participants and 16 controls) underwent brain MRI. Foster participants had higher prevalence of substance use disorder (p < 0.001), alcohol use disorder (p = 0.003), ACE (p < 0.001), and elevated aggression levels (p < 0.001) than healthy controls. No significant difference was found among brain ROI. The prevalence of TBI in foster participants was 65%. Foster participants with moderate or high likelihood of TBI exposure had higher levels of drug use and aggression than those with no or low likelihood of exposure. Brain volumes were not associated with substance/alcohol use disorder or ACE. No significant associations were found between aggression levels and the studied variables.

Trait Aggression is Primarily a Facet of Antagonism: Evidence from Dominance, Latent Correlational, and Item-Level Analyses

Trait aggression has been studied for decades and yet remains adrift from broader frameworks of personality such as the Five Factor Model. Across two datasets from undergraduate participants (Study 1: N = 359; Study 2; N = 620), we observed strong manifest and latent correlations between trait aggression and lower agreeableness (i.e., greater antagonism). Trait aggression was also linked to greater neuroticism and lower conscientiousness, but their effect sizes fell beneath our preregistered threshold. Subsequent item-level analyses were unable to articulate trait aggression and agreeableness items into separate factors using the IPIP-NEO, but not the Big Five Inventory. Our findings suggest that trait aggression is accurately characterized as primarily a facet of antagonism, while also reflecting other personality dimensions.

Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs53576) and digit ratio associates with aggression: comparison in seven ethnic groups

Background

The specific role of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene polymorphisms in emotional support seeking, related to social norms and culturally normative behavior, has been discussed in several studies. Evidence on the association between aggression and OXTR polymorphisms has also been reported. The goal of the current study was to analyze the effect of the OXTR rs53576 polymorphism, prenatal testosterone effect (second-to-fourth digit ratio, or 2D:4D), and culture on aggression assessed with the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ).

Methods

The data were collected in Russia and Tanzania and included seven ethnic groups of European, Asian, and African origin. The total sample included 1705 adults (837 males, 868 females). All the subjects were evaluated with the BPAQ. As a measure of prenatal androgenization, the second and fourth digits were measured directly from hand, and the digit ratios were calculated. All the participants provided buccal samples, from which genomic DNA was extracted, and the OXTR gene rs53576 polymorphism was genotyped. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.0; the alpha level for all analyses was set at 0.05.

Results

The ethnic group factor was the most significant predictor of ratings on BPAQ (medium effect size for physical aggression, anger and hostility scales, and low for verbal aggression). To study the effect of sex, the OXTR polymorphism, and prenatal androgenization, we conducted the z-score transformation for BPAQ scales and 2D:4D for each ethnic group and pooled these data into new z-score variables. According to the GLM analysis after leveling the effects of culture (z-transformation), all four scales of BPAQ demonstrated association with sex (main effects), with men scoring higher on physical and verbal aggression and women scoring higher on anger and hostility. Anger and hostility scales were also associated with OXTR polymorphism and 2D:4D of the right hand. The lowest levels of anger and hostility were observed in individuals with the AA genotype, especially in men.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that both oxytocin (OXTR gene polymorphism) and fetal testosterone (2D:4D) may significantly affect emotional (anger) and cognitive (hostility) aggression in humans, given the leveling the role of culture.

The 21-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Revised (BIS-R-21): An alternative three-factor model

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Due to its important role in both healthy groups and those with physical, mental and behavioral disorders, impulsivity is a widely researched construct. Among various self-report questionnaires of impulsivity, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is arguably the most frequently used measure. Despite its international use, inconsistencies in the suggested factor structure of its latest version, the BIS-11, have been observed repeatedly in different samples. The goal of the present study was therefore to test the factor structure of the BIS-11 in several samples.

METHODS

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two representative samples of Hungarian adults (N = 2,457; N = 2,040) and a college sample (N = 765).

RESULTS

Analyses did not confirm the original model of the measure in any of the samples. Based on explorative factor analyses, an alternative three-factor model (cognitive impulsivity; behavioral impulsivity; and impatience/restlessness) of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is suggested. The pattern of the associations between the three factors and aggression, exercise, smoking, alcohol use, and psychological distress supports the construct validity of this new model.

DISCUSSION

The new measurement model of impulsivity was confirmed in two independent samples. However, it requires further cross-cultural validation to clarify the content of self-reported impulsivity in both clinical and nonclinical samples.

Group ("Project Life Force") versus individual suicide safety planning: A randomized clinical trial

One in five suicide deaths is a Veteran and in spite of enhanced suicide prevention services in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), twenty Veterans die by suicide each day. One component of the VHA's coordinated effort to treat high-risk suicidal Veterans, and diminish suicide risk, is the use of the safety plan. The current study aims to examine a novel intervention integrating skills training and social support with safety planning for Veterans at high-risk for suicide, "Project Life Force" (PLF). A randomized clinical trial (RCT) will be conducted examining if Veterans who are at high-risk for suicide will benefit from the novel group intervention, PLF, compared to Veterans who receive treatment as usual (TAU). We plan to randomize 265 Veterans over the course of the study. The primary outcome variable is the incidence of suicidal behavior, during follow-up, established using a rigorous, multi-method assessment. Secondary outcomes include depression, hopelessness, suicide coping and treatment utilization. Exploratory analyses include safety plan quality and belongingness for those in both arms as well as group cohesion for those in the PLF intervention. Strengths and limitations of this protocol are discussed.

Different aspects of impulsivity in chronic alcohol use disorder with and without comorbid problem gambling

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and problem gambling are highly comorbid disorders. This study aims to explore the role of four aspects of impulsivity (trait concept of impulsivity, choice impulsivity, impulsive aggression and response inhibition/decision-making) in long-term chronic AUD patients with and without problem or pathological gambling symptoms.

METHODS

Cognitively intact chronic AUD patients were enrolled with (n = 32) and without (n = 71) problem gambling symptoms in an inpatient clinic for chronic alcohol users. Multiple facets of impulsivity, cognitive ability, psychopathological symptoms, alcohol and gambling severity were measured.

RESULTS

Chronic AUD patients with gambling disorder symptoms showed longer lifetime alcohol consumption, more severe alcohol use and higher psychopathological symptom severity than AUD patients without gambling symptoms. Gambling severity correlated with overall trait impulsivity, but not with choice impulsivity, impulsive aggression or cognitive impulsivity with controlling for lifetime alcohol consumption, lifetime alcohol use and psychopathological symptom severity. High trait impulsivity and non-planning was associated with comorbid gambling symptoms in AUD patients, which was independent of the level of intelligence, age and psychopathological symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Comorbid gambling disorder symptoms in chronic AUD was connected to more severe alcohol-related variables. Higher trait impulsivity was also linked with gambling disorder symptoms in patients with chronic AUD. This accents the need of special focus on comorbid GD symptoms in AUD, since prognosis and treatment for them may vary.

Poor sleep quality at baseline is associated with increased aggression over one year in forensic psychiatric patients

OBJECTIVE

In forensic psychiatric patients, sleep problems as well as impulsivity and aggression are highly prevalent, yet studies on their association over time are lacking. This study investigates the association between sleep quality and changes in impulsivity and aggression in forensic psychiatric patients over one year.

METHODS

Data were drawn from an ongoing prospective observational study in adult forensic psychiatric patients admitted to a forensic treatment facility between October 2006 and January 2018. Validated self-reports and observational instruments were used to assess sleep quality, impulsivity and aggression upon admission to the hospital and after one year. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the association between sleep quality, impulsivity and aggression. All models were adjusted for baseline values of outcome measures, demographic features and general psychopathology.

RESULTS

Data from 83 men (age 37.7 ± 11.7 years) with completed consecutive measurements were analyzed. Poor sleep quality was associated with increased self-reported aggression (β = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.38-1.78). This association was positively confounded by general psychopathology, indicating that sleep quality is specifically related to self-reported aggression instead of being part of general psychopathology (adjusted β = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.39-1.97). Poor sleep quality was not associated with changes in self-reported impulsivity, clinician-rated impulsivity or clinician-rated hostility in this population.

CONCLUSION

Poor sleep quality was associated with an increase in self-reported aggression over one year in male forensic psychiatric patients. Early evaluation and treatment of sleep problems in (forensic) psychiatric patients may play an important role in reducing the risk of aggressive behavior.

Comparison of the CADRI and CTS2 for Measuring Psychological and Physical Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization

Advancing dating violence (DV) research requires consistent conceptualization and measurement. However, empirical sudies on the measurement of psychological and physical DV perpetration and victimization are uncommon. There were three aims of the current study: (a) to examine the construct validity of psychological and physical DV perpetration and victimization on the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI) and Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) using factor analysis; (b) to compare empirically derived DV scales with ones using face valid definitions of psychological and physical DV within each measure; and (c) to compare results obtained from the CADRI with those obtained from the CTS2. A diverse sample of undergraduates (N = 512; 63.9% female, 50.0% White, 16.2% Black, and 22.9% Latino) completed an online survey. There were two-factor solutions for each survey and DV perpetration and victimization: moderate psychological DV and severe psychological/physical DV on the CADRI; and moderate psychological and physical DV and severe psychological and physical DV on the CTS2. Multiple regression analyses showed that results were similar for empirically and rationally derived scoring methods with one exception: On the CTS2, risk factors associated with moderate DV were not the same as those associated with psychological DV. Moreover, the unique contribution of risk factors to each form of DV depended on which survey was used. In multivariate studies of risk factors associated with psychological and physical DV, the CADRI and CTS2 do not appear to be interchangeable, and may lead to different conclusions about the relative importance of risk factors.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Lifetime Aggression

This study of college undergraduates (N = 873) examined three hypotheses regarding associations between childhood sexual abuse and lifetime aggression: 1) childhood sexual abuse was expected to account for unshared variance in the lifetime aggression indicators after controlling for the potential effects of parental physical abuse, sibling physical abuse, exposure to intimate partner violence, peer bullying, and respondent age; 2) childhood sexual abuse associations were expected to be relatively stronger among the women than the men; 3) childhood sexual abuse links to lifetime aggression were expected to vary as a function of age of victimization (adolescent < childhood < dual-age victims). Aggression histories varied widely with over 20% reporting prior injuries inflicted on others (3.2% > five injuries). Sexual abuse links to aggression tended to be stronger (p < .001) for the women than the men, and rates of aggression were higher when sexual abuse recurred across both childhood and adolescence. Partial support was found for all three hypotheses.

Neural mechanisms of the rejection-aggression link

Social rejection is a painful event that often increases aggression. However, the neural mechanisms of this rejection–aggression link remain unclear. A potential clue may be that rejected people often recruit the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex’s (VLPFC) self-regulatory processes to manage the pain of rejection. Using functional MRI, we replicated previous links between rejection and activity in the brain’s mentalizing network, social pain network and VLPFC. VLPFC recruitment during rejection was associated with greater activity in the brain’s reward network (i.e. the ventral striatum) when individuals were given an opportunity to retaliate. This retaliation-related striatal response was associated with greater levels of retaliatory aggression. Dispositionally aggressive individuals exhibited less functional connectivity between the ventral striatum and the right VLPFC during aggression. This connectivity exerted a suppressing effect on dispositionally aggressive individuals’ greater aggressive responses to rejection. These results help explain how the pain of rejection and reward of revenge motivate rejected people to behave aggressively.

Is There a Relationship between Lead Exposure and Aggressive Behavior in Shooters?

Lead exposure has been associated with psycho-neurological disorders. Elevated blood lead levels have been found in shooters. This study assesses the association between the blood lead levels of shooters and their levels of aggression. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Gauteng, South Africa. Participants were recruited from four randomly selected shooting ranges with three randomly selected archery ranges used as a comparison group. A total of 118 (87 shooters and 31 archers) participants were included in the analysis. Aggressiveness was measured using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Shooters had significantly higher blood lead levels (BLL) compared to archers with 79.8% of shooters versus 22.6% of archers found to have a BLL ≥ 5 μg/dL (p < 0.001). Aggression scores were significantly higher in shooters (p < 0.05) except for verbal aggression. In the bivariate and regression analyses, shooters with BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL were significantly associated with the hostility sub-scale (p = 0.03, adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.103–7.261). Shooters have a significantly higher BLL and aggressiveness compared to archers. However, elevated blood lead levels were significantly associated with hostility only. Interventions need to be put in place to prevent continued exposure and routine screening of populations at risk should be implemented.

Differentiating corporal punishment from physical abuse in the prediction of lifetime aggression

Corporal punishment and parental physical abuse often co-occur during upbringing, making it difficult to differentiate their selective impacts on psychological functioning. Associations between corporal punishment and a number of lifetime aggression indicators were examined in this study after efforts to control the potential influence of various forms of co-occurring maltreatment (parental physical abuse, childhood sexual abuse, sibling abuse, peer bullying, and observed parental violence). College students (N = 1,136) provided retrospective self-reports regarding their history of aggression and levels of exposure to childhood corporal punishment and maltreatment experiences. Analyses focused on three hypotheses: 1) The odds of experiencing childhood physical abuse would be higher among respondents reporting frequent corporal punishment during upbringing; 2) Corporal punishment scores would predict the criterion aggression indices after control of variance associated with childhood maltreatment; 3) Aggression scores would be higher among respondents classified in the moderate and elevated corporal punishment risk groups. Strong support was found for the first hypothesis since the odds of childhood physical abuse recollections were higher (OR = 65.3) among respondents who experienced frequent (>60 total disciplinary acts) corporal punishment during upbringing. Partial support was found for the second and third hypotheses. Dimensional and categorical corporal punishment scores were associated significantly with half of the criterion measures. These findings support efforts to dissuade reliance on corporal punishment to manage child behavior.

High sex ratios in rural China: declining well-being with age in never-married men

In parts of rural China male-biased sex ratios at birth, combined with out-migration of women, have led to highly male-biased adult sex ratios, resulting in large numbers of men being unable to marry, in a culture where marriage and reproduction are an expectation. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that older unmarried men are more predisposed to depression, low self-esteem and aggression than both those who are married, and those who are younger and unmarried. Self-completion questionnaires were administered among men aged 20-40 in 48 villages in rural Guizhou province, southwestern China. Tools used included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and the Bryant-Smith Aggression Questionnaire. Regression models assessed psychological wellbeing while adjusting for socio-demographic variables. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 957 never-married men, 535 married men aged 30-40, 394 partnered men and 382 unpartnered men aged 20-29. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables, never-married men were more predisposed to depression (p < 0.05), aggression (p < 0.01), low self-esteem (p < 0.05) and suicidal tendencies (p < 0.001). All the psychological measures deteriorated with age in never-married men. In contrast, married men remained stable on these dimensions with age. Never-married men are a psychologically highly vulnerable group in a society where marriage is an expectation. Since the highest birth sex-ratio cohorts have not yet reached reproductive age, the social tragedy of these men will last for at least another generation.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'.