1
|
Chen C, Li C, Fei S, Chen W. Network analysis of trait aggression among community youths and juvenile offenders. BMC Psychol 2024; 12:387. [PMID: 38987815 PMCID: PMC11238466 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01872-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The mainstream view in trait aggression research has regarded the structure as representing the latent cause of the cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that supposedly reflect its nature. Under network perspective, trait aggression is not a latent cause of its features but a dynamic system of interacting elements. The current study uses network theory to explain the structure of relationships between trait aggression features in juvenile offenders and their peers. METHODS Network analysis was applied to investigate the dynamic system of trait aggression operationalized by the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire in a sample of community youths (Mage = 17.46, N = 715) and juvenile offenders (Mage = 18.36, N = 834). RESULTS The facet level networks showed that anger is a particularly effective mechanism for activating all other traits. In addition, anger was more strongly associated with physical aggression and the overall network strength was greater in juvenile delinquency networks than in their peers. The item level networks revealed that A4 and A6 exhibited the highest predictability and strength centrality in both samples. Also, the Bayesian network indicated that these two items were positioned at the highest level in the model. There are similarities and differences between juvenile delinquents and community adolescents in trait aggression. CONCLUSION Trait aggression was primarily activated by difficulty controlling one's temper and feeling like a powder keg.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
- Inner Mongolia Student Bullying Prevention Research Center, Tongliao, China
| | - Chenglong Li
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Shienyu Fei
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Wei Chen
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.
- Inner Mongolia Student Bullying Prevention Research Center, Tongliao, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fekih-Romdhane F, Malaeb D, Sarray El Dine A, Yakın E, Hallit S, Obeid S. Association between Bullying Victimization and Aggression in Lebanese Adolescents: The Indirect Effect of Repetitive Negative Thinking-A Path Analysis Approach and Scales Validation. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:children10030598. [PMID: 36980156 PMCID: PMC10047793 DOI: 10.3390/children10030598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
(1) Background: The purpose of the present study was to validate the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form (BPAQ-SF) and test whether repetitive negative thinking plays an indirect role in the relationship between bullying victimization and aggression among Lebanese adolescents. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and May 2022 and included 379 Lebanese adolescent students (64.9% females, mean age 16.07 years). (3) Results: The three-factor solution of the PTQ and the four-factor solution of the BPAQ-SF showed excellent model fit. PTQ mediated the association between bullying victimization and physical aggression, verbal aggression, hostility, and anger. (4) Conclusions: This study expands on previous research by showing that repetitive negative thinking, an impactful socio-cognitive factor for students' mental health, has a mediating (indirect) effect on the cross-sectional relationship between bullying victimization and aggression. This suggests that interventions aiming to prevent aggressive behaviors among adolescent students may be more effective if focused on repetitive negative thinking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Feten Fekih-Romdhane
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis el Manar University, Tunis 1068, Tunisia
- The Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Department of Psychiatry "Ibn Omrane", Razi Hospital, Manouba 2010, Tunisia
| | - Diana Malaeb
- College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman P.O. Box 4184, United Arab Emirates
| | - Abir Sarray El Dine
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon
| | - Ecem Yakın
- Centre d'Études et de Recherches en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé, Université de Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, UT2J, 5 allées Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse, France
| | - Souheil Hallit
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh P.O. Box 446, Lebanon
- Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, 11931 Amman, Jordan
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib P.O. Box 60096, Lebanon
| | - Sahar Obeid
- Department of Social and Education Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Jbeil P.O. Box 13-5053, Lebanon
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
West SJ, Chester DS. The tangled webs we wreak: Examining the structure of aggressive personality using psychometric networks. J Pers 2022; 90:762-780. [PMID: 34919275 PMCID: PMC9203597 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Trait aggression is a prominent construct in the psychological literature, yet little work has sought to situate trait aggression among broader frameworks of personality. Initial evidence suggests that trait aggression may be best couched within the nomological network of the Five-Factor Model (FFM). The current work sought to locate the most appropriate home for trait aggression among the FFM. METHOD We applied a preregistered regimen of psychometric network analyses to three datasets (combined N = 2927) that contained self-reports of trait aggression and the FFM traits. RESULTS Trait aggression was highly central in the factor-level networks, which contained associations consistent with the conceptualization of this construct as a lower-order component of low agreeableness. The facet-level networks revealed that the behavioral facets of trait aggression reflected low agreeableness, but that the anger and hostility facets reflected high neuroticism. The item-level network suggested that the intent to initiate aggressive encounters was the primary bridge that empirically linked trait aggression to agreeableness. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that trait aggression is primarily a lower-order facet of agreeableness, advance our understanding of trait aggression, integrate it with broader frameworks of personality, and suggest future directions to refine this complex dispositional tendency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J. West
- Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Martinelli A, Kreifelts B, Wildgruber D, Bernhard A, Ackermann K, Freitag CM, Schwenck C. Aggression differentially modulates neural correlates of social intention attribution to benevolent, tickling and taunting laughter: An fMRI study in children and adolescents. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:303-316. [PMID: 33759708 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1908420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Human laughter is a powerful means of communicating social intention, ranging from welcoming and friendly to hostile and ridiculing. To be communicated accurately, the recipient must correctly identify the laugher's underlying social intention. Regular misattribution of the social intention of others has been associated with maladaptive psychosocial development, in particular with aggressive behavior. We investigated the relationship between self-reported aggressive behavior and the neural correlates of social intention attributions to different audiovisual laughter types in 50 healthy children and adolescents (29 female, 10-18 years, M 15.5, SD 2.2) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Trial-by-trial associations of neural response and behavioral attributions were distinctly modulated by aggression for benevolent versus taunting and tickling laughter. With increasing aggression, hostile misattributions of benevolent laughter were associated with decreased dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior insular cortex activation. In contrast, hostile attributions of taunting and tickling laughter were associated with increased superior frontal, superior temporal, medial prefrontal, supplementary motor, and anterior and mid-cingulate cortex activation. We argue that aggression may be associated with down-regulated emotional saliency of benevolent laughter, whereas up-regulated neural responses to taunting laughter may underlie a heightened sensitivity to hostility or acceptance of taunting behavior in more aggressive individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - B Kreifelts
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - D Wildgruber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - A Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - K Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - C M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - C Schwenck
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany.,Department of Special Needs Educational and Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Barroso R, Ramião E, Figueiredo P, Araújo AM. Abusive Sexting in Adolescence: Prevalence and Characteristics of Abusers and Victims. Front Psychol 2021; 12:610474. [PMID: 33716872 PMCID: PMC7943630 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.610474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexting has been defined as sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, images, or photos to others through digital platforms, and can assume more consensual or more abusive and violent forms. This study aims to explore the prevalence of abusive sexting in Portuguese adolescents and the psychological characteristics of sexting abusers in terms of emotional and behavioral problems, potential markers of psychopathy, childhood trauma and maltreatment, and different forms of aggression. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 4,281 participants, aged 12-20 years (2,264 girls and 2,017 boys), of whom 204 (4.8%) engaged in abusive sexting behaviors and 182 (4.3%) self-identified as being a non-consensual sexting victim. Abusive sexting was more common among boys and middle adolescents, and abusive sexting victims were more likely to be children of single-parent families. Engaging in abusive sexting and being a victim of abusive sexting were also related to behavioral and emotional problems, callousness, experiences of neglect and abuse in childhood, and various forms of aggression. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Barroso
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Ramião
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexandra M. Araújo
- Department of Psychology and Education, Portucalense University, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Tahir A, Baig LA, Ahmer Z. Does watching violent electronic and social media content lead to increased levels of aggression? A survey among adolescents in an urban slum of metropolitan Karachi. Int J Adolesc Med Health 2020; 34:179-185. [PMID: 32833662 DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2020-0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Increased levels of aggression and desensitization of adolescents has been witnessed as a result of exposure to violent social/electronic media content. It is imperative for policymakers to study such behavioral outcomes in order to make sound policies regarding media literacy. The objective of the study therefore was to assess relationship between violent electronic/social media exposure and level of aggression. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted among adolescents aged 9-19 years in peri-urban slum of Karachi. Content-based Media Exposure scale and Buss and Perry questionnaire, internationally validated tools were used to collect data. Level of aggression was the main outcome variable which was analyzed. Results Four hundred and twenty-two adolescents participated in the survey. Usage of television was significantly higher in the younger age group whereas the effect of watching violent content among the adolescents varied. It was observed that 153 (36.3%) respondents felt stressed and 24 (5.7%) felt aggressive after watching violent content on electronic and social media. The contents showing people who fight (39.6 ± 5.6, p-value<0.05), who steal (39.5 ± 7.5, p-value=<0.05) and destroyed someone else's belongings (40.6 ± 7.6, p-value=<0.05) had a significant effect on the level of aggression. Regression analysis predicted a strong positive association of exposure of violent content with level of aggression (β=0.43). Conclusions The usage of violent content on social and electronic media was popular among adolescents, and produced negative effects on the behavior of adolescents. Measures should be taken to introduce media literacy of the children in Pakistan, especially in the peri-urban slums.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Tahir
- United Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Lubna Ansari Baig
- APPNA Institute of Public Health, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Zaeema Ahmer
- APPNA Institute of Public Health, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Torregrosa MS, Gómez-Núñez MI, Inglés CJ, Ruiz-Esteban C, Sanmartín R, García-Fernández JM. Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form in Spanish Children. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-020-09809-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
8
|
Martinelli A, Kreifelts B, Wildgruber D, Ackermann K, Bernhard A, Freitag CM, Schwenck C. Aggression modulates neural correlates of hostile intention attribution to laughter in children. Neuroimage 2018; 184:621-631. [PMID: 30266262 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Revised: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The tendency to interpret nonverbal social signals as hostile in intention is associated with aggressive responding, poor social functioning and mental illness, and can already be observed in childhood. To investigate the neural correlates of such hostile attributions of social intention, we performed a functional magnetic imaging study in 10-18 year old children and adolescents. Fifty healthy participants rated videos of laughter, which they were told to imagine as being directed towards them, as friendly versus hostile in social intention. Hostile intention ratings were associated with neural response in the right temporal voice area (TVA). Moreover, self-reported trait physical aggression modulated this relationship in both the right TVA and bilateral lingual gyrus, with stronger associations between hostile intention ratings and neural activation in children with higher trait physical aggression scores. Functional connectivity results showed decreased connectivity between the right TVA and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with increasing trait physical aggression for making hostile social intention attributions. We conclude that children's social intention attributions are more strongly related to activation of early face and voice-processing regions with increasing trait physical aggression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Martinelli
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - B Kreifelts
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - D Wildgruber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - K Ackermann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - A Bernhard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - C M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - C Schwenck
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Special Needs Educational and Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, University of Giessen, Otto-Behaghel-Straße 10C, 35394, Giessen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Pechorro P, Russell JD, Ayala-Nunes L, Gonçalves RA, Nunes C. The Brief Peer Conflict Scale: Psychometric Properties Among a Sample of Incarcerated Male Juvenile Offenders. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2018; 62:2414-2429. [PMID: 28730910 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x17719299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Aggression can be considered a multidimensional construct that influences various forms of antisocial behavior, including juvenile delinquency and conduct problems. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Brief Peer Conflict Scale-20 item version (PCS-20) among a Portuguese forensic sample (N = 192) of incarcerated male juvenile offenders ( M = 16.62 years; SD = 1.52 years; age range = 13-18 years). The PCS-20 demonstrated good psychometric properties in terms of its four-factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity that generally justify its use among incarcerated male youth. The findings provide additional support for the extension of the PCS-20 across different cultures, ethnic groups, and samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Pechorro
- 1 University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- 2 PsyAssessmentLab, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | | | | | - Cristina Nunes
- 5 Research Centre for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pechorro P, Ray JV, Raine A, Maroco J, Gonçalves RA. The Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire: Validation Among a Portuguese Sample of Incarcerated Juvenile Delinquents. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2017; 32:1995-2017. [PMID: 26112972 DOI: 10.1177/0886260515590784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) among a forensic sample of incarcerated male juvenile offenders ( N = 221). The Portuguese version of the RPQ demonstrated promising psychometric properties, namely, in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity that generally justifies its use among this population. Statistically significant associations were found with conduct disorder, age of criminal onset, age of first problem with the law, crime seriousness, physical violence use in committing crimes, alcohol use, cannabis use, cocaine/heroin use, and having unprotected sex. The findings provide additional support for the extension of the RPQ across different cultures, ethnic groups, and samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - James V Ray
- 2 University of Texas at San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Adrian Raine
- 3 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - João Maroco
- 4 ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Oliveira JP. Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of the Mini-IPIP five-Factor Model Personality Scale. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-017-9625-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|