The social anatomy of adverse childhood experiences and aggression in a representative sample of young adults in the U.S

Adverse childhood experiences and aggression in adulthood: The moderating role of positive childhood experiences

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a significant impact on a person's psychological development and predispose them to various harmful consequences in adulthood, such as different forms of aggression. Contrarily, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) operate as protective factors, buffering against the adverse effects of ACEs and promoting adaptive behaviors and psychological well-being. However, the role of PCEs in the relationship between ACEs and aggression remains relatively unexplored.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the moderation role of PCEs in the relationship between ACEs and aggression and its different components across sexes in a community sample.

METHODS

A sample of 1541 Portuguese adults answered an online protocol with a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale, the Childhood History Questionnaire, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire.

RESULTS

ACEs were positively correlated with aggression, including physical and verbal aggression, anger, and hostility, with women reporting a higher prevalence of ACEs and higher levels of anger. Men revealed higher scores in physical and verbal aggression. Furthermore, moderation analyses clarified the moderating effect of PCEs on the relationship between ACEs and aggression in women and between ACEs and anger in both sexes. PCEs attenuate the adverse impact of ACEs, reducing aggression and anger levels.

CONCLUSIONS

This study stresses the complex interplay between childhood experiences and adult aggression, highlighting the differential effects of ACEs and PCEs across men and women. By clarifying these dynamics, interventions can be tailored to bolster protective factors like PCEs. This will ultimately foster healthier developmental trajectories and reduce the prevalence of aggression in adulthood.

Adverse childhood experience and young adult's problematic Internet use: The role of hostility and loneliness

BACKGROUND

Few studies have explored the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and problematic Internet use (PIU) during young adulthood. Moreover, even fewer studies have explored the roles of loneliness (social and emotional) and hostility in this relationship.

METHODS

This study used data from the Taiwan Youth Project (2011-2017). The analytical sample included 1885 participants (mean age = 31.3 years). PIU was measured using the short form of Chen's Internet Addiction Scale (2017). ACEs were assessed at the baseline of the adolescent phase (mean age = 14.3 years); this indicator has undergone recent revision. Hostility (three items from the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised) and loneliness (six items from the De Jong Gierveld scale) were measured in 2011 and 2014, respectively.

RESULTS

ACEs were associated with hostility and loneliness (emotional and social). Additionally, hostility (β = 0.62, p < .01) and emotional loneliness (β = 0.44, p < .01) were significantly associated with PIU. Most mediating paths (e.g., ACE → hostility → PIU) were significant, based on the bootstrapping results.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that ACEs have a long-term shadow effect on PIU in young adults. ACEs show an indirect association with PIU through both hostility and loneliness, as well as involving the relationship between them.

Association Between Child Maltreatment and Aggression in Chinese Early Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Irritability

Child maltreatment (CM) is a major global public health issue, and a strong association exists between CM and aggression. However, the underlying mechanism of this association has not been understood to date. The objective of this study was to explore the mediating role of irritability in the association between CM and aggression in Chinese early adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire to evaluate the levels of CM, aggression, and irritability in 5,724 middle school students from the Anhui Province, China. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis of the mediating effect of irritability on the relationship between CM and aggression. We further investigated gender differences in this association using multiple group analyses. CM was positively related to both irritability and aggression, and irritability was positively associated with aggression (p < .01). The mediating effects of irritability between CM and aggression were significant (β = .107, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.077-0.133, p < .05). Males had a higher indirect effect size of the pathway from CM to aggression via irritability compared with females. Overall, irritability was a crucial mediator in the relationship between CM and aggression in Chinese adolescents, and males were more prone to engage in aggression compared with females through the pathway of irritability. Therefore, early irritability characteristics should be carefully monitored in adolescents, and they should be provided adequate support to acquire critical emotion regulation skills.

Mood Disorders and Aggressive Traits Mediate Effects of Reported Childhood Adversity on Suicide Attempt Risk

BACKGROUND

Childhood adversity (CA) is linked to suicidal behavior as well as to mood disorders and aggressive traits. This raises the possibility that depression and aggressive traits mediate the relationship of childhood adversity to suicide risk. Moreover, it is not known if they operate independently or interactively.

AIMS

To determine whether, and how, mood disorders and aggressive traits mediate the effects of reported physical and sexual abuse on future suicidal behavior.

METHODS

Five hundred and forty-eight subjects, offspring of parents with mood disorders, were interviewed at baseline and at yearly follow-ups with questionnaires assessing aggression, mood disorders, and suicidal behavior. The mediation analysis involved a three-step process, testing the relationships between (1) CA and attempt; (2) CA and putative mediators; and (3) putative mediators and suicide attempt, adjusting for CA.

RESULTS

Aggressive trait severity and mood disorder onset each mediated the relationship between CA and future suicide attempts. Greater aggression severity also raised the hazard of the development of a mood disorder. If aggressive trait severity was clearly elevated, then onset of mood disorder did not increase further the hazard of the suicide attempt. Including family as a random effect had a much bigger effect on attempt outcome for physical abuse compared with sexual abuse.

CONCLUSIONS

Amelioration of aggressive traits and treatment of mood disorders in CA-exposed offspring of a parent with a mood disorder may prevent future suicide attempts and may reduce the risk of mood disorder. Familial factors influence the impact of childhood physical abuse but not sexual abuse. HIGHLIGHTSChildhood Adversity (CA) predicted future mood disorder and aggression severity.Depression and aggression mediate the relationship between CA and suicide attempts.When one mediator is present, the presence of the other does not increase the hazard.Between family variation contributed much more to suicidal behavior outcomes relative to the effect of physical abuse, but sexual abuse contributed to suicidal outcomes more than family variation.

Childhood maltreatment and homicidal ideation among Chinese early adolescents: The serial mediating role of borderline personality features and aggression

A large body of evidence linked childhood maltreatment (CM) to juvenile violence and delinquent behavior. However, little is known about the association between CM and homicidal ideation in early adolescents. This study aimed to examine that relationship and to explore the serial mediating role of borderline personality features (BPF) and aggression in that relationship in a large sample of early adolescents. A total of 5724 early adolescents (mean age: 13.5 years) were recruited from three middle schools in Anhui Province, China. The participants were invited to complete self-report questionnaires regarding their history of CM, BPF, aggression, and homicidal ideation. Mediation analyses were evaluated using structural equation modeling. A total of 669 participants (11.7%) reported homicidal ideation in the past 6 months. CM victimization was positively associated with homicidal ideation after adjusting for covariates. Furthermore, the serial mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of CM on homicidal ideation through BPF and subsequent aggression. Exposure to maltreatment in childhood is likely to manifest BPF and subsequently higher levels of aggression, which in turn are related to increased homicidal ideation. These findings suggest the need for early intervention for BPF and aggression in early adolescents exposed to CM to prevent the development of homicidal ideation.

Cumulative Childhood Trauma, Communication Patterns, and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrated by Men Seeking Help

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex and multifactorial public health problem associated with important physical and psychological repercussions. Recent studies suggest that cumulative childhood trauma (CCT) may be related to higher IPV perpetration through dysfunctional communication patterns, but to our knowledge, no study has tested this proposition in a clinical population. This study aimed to explore the direct and indirect links between CCT and perpetrated IPV through dysfunctional communication patterns among 577 men seeking help from community centers specializing in IPV. Prior to receiving services, participants completed a battery of questionnaires including validated brief measures of CCT (sexual, physical, and psychological abuse; physical and psychological neglect; witnessing of physical and psychological parental violence; bullying), communication patterns (demand/demand, partner demands/man withdraws, man demands/partner withdraws), and IPV (psychological, physical, coercive control). Results from a path analysis reveal that having sustained a higher number of different forms of childhood trauma is directly related to men's higher risk of perpetrating psychological IPV. CCT is also indirectly related to higher perpetrated psychological and physical IPV and coercive control through a higher report of the demand/demand communication pattern and a higher report of the man demands/partner withdraws communication pattern. The tested model explains 23% of the variance in psychological IPV, 6% of the variance in physical IPV, and 12% of the variance in coercive control. Results highlight the importance of assessing, in therapy, both distal and proximal variables associated with IPV, including the accumulation of many forms of childhood interpersonal trauma, and to tailor trauma-informed interventions that promote constructive communication strategies.

Childhood psychological abuse and relational aggression among adolescents: A moderated chain mediation model

Introduction

Adolescents are in a period when a marked upward trend of adolescents relational aggression. Even though previous studies have found that childhood psychological abuse experience is an important factor influencing adolescent relational aggression, it is unclear when and under what circumstances childhood psychological abuse impacts adolescent relational aggression. This study constructed a moderated chain mediation model to investigate the influence of childhood psychological abuse on relational aggression among Chinese adolescents and its internal mechanism.

Methods

Data from 1868 (923 male and 945 female, M = 14.31, SD = 1.60) Chinese adolescents in two full-time middle schools in Guangzhou were collected via a cross-sectional survey in 2020. Adolescents reported on childhood psychological abuse, relational aggression, rejection sensitivity relational victimization and cognitive reappraisal.

Results

The results demonstrated that: (1) childhood psychological abuse was significantly positively related to relational aggression; (2) childhood psychological abuse was significantly linked with adolescents' relational aggression through the separate mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and relational victimization, as well as through the chain mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and relational victimization; (3) the chain mediated effect of childhood psychological abuse on relational aggression through rejection sensitivity and relational victimization was moderated by cognitive reappraisal.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that childhood psychological abuse, as a kind of poor parenting style, has influence on adolescents' internal personality (rejection sensitivity) and external behavior development (relational victimization and relational aggression). This study is helpful to demonstrate the protective effect of cognitive reappraisal and reveal the internal mechanism of childhood psychological abuse on relational aggression.

Dietary interventions, the gut microbiome, and aggressive behavior: Review of research evidence and potential next steps

Research in biosocial criminology and other related disciplines has established links between nutrition and aggressive behavior. In addition to observational studies, randomized trials of nutritional supplements like vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and folic acid provide evidence of the dietary impact on aggression. However, the exact mechanism of the diet-aggression link is not well understood. The current article proposes that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the process, with the microbiota-gut-brain axis serving as such a mediating mechanism between diet and behavior. Based on animal and human studies, this review synthesizes a wide array of research across several academic fields: from the effects of dietary interventions on aggression, to the results of microbiota transplantation on socioemotional and behavioral outcomes, to the connections between early adversity, stress, microbiome, and aggression. Possibilities for integrating the microbiotic perspective with the more traditional, sociologically oriented theories in criminology are discussed, using social disorganization and self-control theories as examples. To extend the existing lines of research further, the article considers harnessing the experimental potential of noninvasive and low-cost dietary interventions to help establish the causal impact of the gut microbiome on aggressive behavior, while adhering to the high ethical standards and modern research requirements. Implications of this research for criminal justice policy and practice are essential: not only can it help determine whether the improved gut microbiome functioning moderates aggressive and violent behavior but also provide ways to prevent and reduce such behavior, alone or in combination with other crime prevention programs.

Protective Factors Against Aggression and Antisocial Attitudes Among Probation Youth with Childhood Adversity Histories

Childhood adversity is linked to adolescent aggression and antisocial attitudes, which are common predictors of delinquency and violence. Early interruption of these negative trajectories is important for preventing serious criminality. Efforts to bolster protective factors such as social-emotional skills and positive relationships may attenuate this link, but research is needed to clarify salient factors for court-involved youth. Using risk assessment data for a diverse sample of youth on probation (N = 5378), this study investigated the role of adverse childhood experiences in increasing aggression and antisocial attitudes and the degree to which protective factors (self-regulation, future orientation, positive parenting, prosocial connections) mitigated those relationships. Multivariate models controlling for antisocial peers demonstrated that childhood maltreatment was the most salient form of adversity for increasing both aggression and antisocial attitudes. All protective factors were associated with reduced aggression and antisocial attitudes and, in moderation models, muted the impact of childhood adversity on both outcomes. These findings highlight the need for practice efforts geared toward bolstering protective factors for youth on probation, especially among those with child maltreatment histories.

Daily Reports of Aggressive Behaviors in Interpersonal Conflicts

Interpersonal conflicts are inevitable, but the probability that conflicts involve aggressive behavior varies. Prior research that has tended to focus on victimization in intimate partnerships reported through retrospective designs. Addressing these limitations, the current study examines daily reports of behaving aggressively in any conflict across relationships in a sample of 512 young adults drawn from the nationally representative iCOR cohort. Respondent attitudes and affective measures were collected at the end of the daily data collection period. Regression methods were applied to examine the probability and frequency of aggression, investigating early and recent exposure to adversities, attitudes, self-control, affect and emotional states, and alcohol use behavior. Recent adversities and the propensity to endorse a defensive honor code attitude, consistent with theory and retrospective studies of aggression, predicted both prevalence and frequency of aggressive behavior. The associations of childhood maltreatment and self-control with the prevalence of behaving aggressively were as expected, but these constructs were significantly associated with the frequency of aggression with unexpected, inverse directionality. Moreover, respondents' affect and other emotional states were only associated with the frequency, not the prevalence, of aggressive behavior. Overall, this daily data collection constructively distinguished risk and protective factors for behaving aggressively more often. Further research is needed to disentangle the extent to which affective states drive or is a consequence of frequent aggressive behavior.

White Collars, Dark Histories: The Factors That Lead Women to Commit Corporate Crimes

The literature on white-collar crimes committed by women is sparse, dealing mostly with their motivations, the incidence of the phenomenon, and differences between the women who commit them and those who commit other types of offenses. This qualitative study maps factors leading women to commit such crimes, with particular focus on their family and personal histories, and on the various roles they played as children and adults, which prepared and "trained" them for future illegal behavior. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 18 women convicted and imprisoned for white-collar crimes. A relationship was found between problematic family background and difficulty in help seeking and a nearly obsessive need for love in adulthood, and between the latter and white-collar crime. Theoretical and practical conclusions are discussed and future directions proposed.

Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences With Poor Neuropsychiatric Health and Dementia Among Former Professional US Football Players

IMPORTANCE

Childhood adversities, including neglect, abuse, and other indicators of family dysfunction, are associated in adulthood with risk factors for poor cognitive and mental health. However, the extent to which these experiences are associated with adulthood cognition-related quality of life and risk for dementia is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association of 10 adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with neuropsychiatric outcomes among former National Football League (NFL) players.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional analysis used data from the Football Player's Health Study at Harvard University, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study from January 30, 2015, to November 19, 2021, of former NFL players.

EXPOSURES

Ten ACEs were assessed using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Dementia symptoms were assessed using the AD8: The Washington University Dementia Screening Test; cognition-related quality of life was assessed with the short form of the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders; depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9; anxiety was assessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; and pain intensity and pain interference in daily life were assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory. Risk ratios (RRs) assessing the association between ACEs and neuropsychiatric outcomes were estimated using generalized estimating equations, adjusted for age, race, and childhood socioeconomic status, and further adjusted for playing position, concussions incurred during football play, and number of seasons played in the NFL.

RESULTS

A total of 1755 men (mean [SD] age, 57.2 [13.5] years) who were former professional football players were included in the analysis. Five hundred twenty players (29.6%) identified as Black, 1160 (66.1%) identified as White, and 75 (4.3%) identified as other race or ethnicity. Players with 4 or more ACEs were at 48% greater risk of a positive screen for dementia (RR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.22-1.79]), and at significantly greater risk of every other neuropsychiatric outcome except anxiety (RR range, 1.62 [95% CI, 1.09-2.39] to 1.74 [95% CI, 1.27-2.40]) compared with players with no ACEs. Further adjustment for concussions incurred during playing years attenuated these associations, although some were still significant (adjusted RR range, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.10-1.58] to 1.56 [95% CI, 1.15-2.11]). ACEs were also associated with concussion symptoms; players with 4 or more ACEs had a 60% increased risk of being in the top quartile of concussion symptoms (RR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.12-2.28) compared with players with no ACEs.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings suggest that ACEs may be associated with dementia symptoms among former NFL players. Moreover, ACEs should be investigated among professional football players and other populations as a prospective indicator of persons at high risk of concussion. These findings further suggest that treatment of psychological trauma in addition to treatment of physical injury may improve neuropsychiatric health in former NFL players.

Association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors: mediating and moderating influences in childhood trauma and life events among Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study investigated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors in Chinese adolescents, and explored the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

The data of 3094 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years were collected from an epidemiological survey in China. All the subjects or their parents completed the Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Adolescent Self-rating Life Event Checklist (ASLEC).

RESULTS

Relative to the non-schizoid group, adolescents with schizoid tendencies (male or female) showed significantly higher scores for aggressive behaviors, emotional abuse, and ASLEC. Regarding females only, those with schizoid tendencies had significantly higher (lower) scores for physical abuse and emotional neglect (physical neglect). The aggressive behaviors score was predicted by scores for schizoid tendencies (β_male = 0.620, β_female = 0.638, both P < 0.001) and ASLEC (β_male = 0.125, β_female = 0.061, both P < 0.01), and by childhood trauma score (males: emotional neglect [β = 0.045, P = 0.021]; females: emotional abuse and sexual abuse [β = 0.118 and - 0.062, both P < 0.01]). The ASLEC and childhood trauma scores mediated the association between scores for schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors, specifically, emotional neglect (emotional abuse and sexual abuse) in males (females). In females, the interaction between scores for childhood trauma and ASLEC affected the aggressive behaviors score (P = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

Schizoid tendencies are associated with aggressive behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Recent life events and childhood trauma mediated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors. The interaction between childhood trauma and recent life events affected aggressive behaviors in females. Aggressive behaviors in adolescents may be ameliorated by reducing childhood trauma and life events.

Socio-Cultural Constraints in Protecting Child Rights in a Society in Transition: A Review and Synthesis from Oman

In line with international best practice, the Arabian Gulf countries have ratified the Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC), which has some clauses on child abuse and neglect. The present discourse, made from within an Arabian Gulf society, specifically Oman, reviews the socio-cultural differences of the region and explores the potential regional challenges for effectively implementing the CRC mandated child protection legislation. The international best practices evolved for individualistic, "guilt-based" societies, which may need to be modified to suit the "shame-based" collective societies in the Arabian Gulf where the individual autonomy is overridden by that of the family and society. This may mean that the entire spectrum of child abuse may need to be studied in-depth, starting from what constitutes child abuse and neglect, the methods adopted for identifying cases, setting preventive measures in place, applying penal and corrective action on the perpetrators, and helping the victims recover. It is posited that while modifying the laws may be straightforward, implementation of certain clauses may initially come into conflict with deeply engrained socio-cultural conventions on these societies which have different parenting styles and child-rearing practices. The country in focus is Oman. Pointing out the sparsity of research on the topic in the region, the study suggests additional research to understand how to reconcile these sociocultural constraints with the international best practices of protecting child rights.

Sluggish cognitive tempo and exposure to interpersonal trauma in children

Background: Childhood adversity has been suggested, but not yet empirically examined, as a factor in sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) in childhood.Objective: This study was an examination of SCT in relation to childhood adversity, and its association with exposure to non-interpersonal and interpersonal trauma.Method: Caregivers (N = 161) and a sub-sample of children, 8-17 years old, were recruited from mental health and pediatric practices/programs and interviewed.Results: SCT was positively associated with interpersonal trauma but not non-interpersonal trauma. Two hierarchical regression analyses revealed that interpersonal trauma exposure was associated with SCT score over and above symptoms of other psychopathologies.Conclusion: Results suggest that SCT is associated with interpersonal trauma exposure in children. Further research is needed to examine the association between SCT and interpersonal trauma exposure, and trauma-related biopsychosocial impairments.

Verbal Abuse Related to Self-Esteem Damage and Unjust Blame Harms Mental Health and Social Interaction in College Population

Verbal abuse is an emotional abuse intended to inflict intense humiliation-denigration-fear as perceived by exposed person. Network-based approaches have been applied to explore the integrative-segregated patterns of associations among the psychological features and external stimuli for diverse populations; few studies reported for verbal abuse effects in college population. Self-reporting measurements acquired form 5,616 college students were used for network analyses. Escalating cascades of verbal abuse from differential sources (parents, peers, or supervisors; network 1) and directed associations among verbal abuse severity-psychopathology-social interaction (network 2) were estimated using the directed acyclic graphs. Principal connectors of verbal abuse–psychopathology–social interaction were shown using the graph theory metrics calculated from the intra-individual covariance networks (network 3). Directed propagating patterns of verbal abuse phenomena differed by source (network 1). Severe peer-related verbal abuse affected psychomotor changes and influenced irritability (network 2). Verbal abuse of self-esteem damage and unjust blame served as connectors in the verbal abuse-psychopathology-social interaction; influence of smartphone overuse-related distress was stronger in cases with more severe verbal abuse (network 3). Verbal abuse that damages self-esteem and conveys unjust blame harms mental health and social interaction for college population.

Youth and young adult dating relationship dynamics and subsequent abusive outcomes

INTRODUCTION

In order to prevent youth and young adult partner abuse, it is necessary to have a better understanding of dating relationship dynamics as the context for potential abusive interactions.

METHODS

Youth and young adults (ages 10-18 at baseline) were surveyed along with a matched parent/caregiver. Data, including parent and youth responses (n = 437 youth/parent dyads), are drawn from the nationally representative Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV).

RESULTS

Applying latent class analytic techniques with seven different positive and problematic descriptors of dating relationships, this study found four classes of relationship dynamics representing healthy, unhealthy, intense, and disengaged relationships. The intense relationship dynamic class exhibits the strongest associations with reports of any youth and young adult partner abuse, as well as distinctly with the subtypes of psychological, physical, and sexual victimization and perpetration.

CONCLUSIONS

Results demonstrate the importance of clinicians, parents and other responsible adults attending to an array of youth and young adult dating relationship dynamics rather than single indicators, to assess youth and young adult risk for involvement in abusive relationships.