Anger response styles and reaction to provocation

Validation of the Behavioral Anger Response Questionnaire for Children (BARQ-C) in a large community sample of Vietnamese middle adolescents in Hanoi

BACKGROUND

Depression and other forms of psychological distress are common among Vietnamese adolescents and increase the risk of mental health problems in adulthood. As anger coping is a robust predictor of adolescent mental health difficulties, and there appear to be cultural variations in anger coping, a measure of adolescent anger coping styles that has been validated using a non-Western adolescent sample is required to inform and support early intervention to prevent or treat mental health difficulties in Vietnamese adolescents. This study examined the construct validity (structural and external) of the Behavioral Anger Response Questionnaire for Children in Vietnam (BARQC-V).

METHODS

Baseline data sourced from a recent randomised control trial conducted with Grade 10 Vietnamese adolescents aged 14 to 16 (N = 1084) were used to examine multiple aspects of construct validity: factorial structure (evaluated using factor analysis); internal consistency (tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient); and external aspect (assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficients between the BARQC-V and Vietnamese translations of the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised, Mental Health Continuum Short Form, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale).

RESULTS

Evaluating factorial structure using confirmatory factor analysis failed to converge on a solution. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a 5-factor structure model that explained 49.32% of the BARQC-V's total variance and was deemed to be a good fit by the final confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the 5 factors demonstrated acceptable internal reliability for the BARQC-V's sub-scales. Concerning concurrent validity, three sub-scales predicted well-being and mental health difficulties: the maladaptive anger coping styles Rumination and Direct Anger-out were positively associated with depression and distress, and negatively associated with coping self-efficacy and mental well-being; and the adaptive anger coping style Assertion was positively associated with coping self-efficacy and mental well-being, and negatively associated with depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The BARQC-V provides a validated measure of three anger coping strategies used by adolescents in Vietnam (Rumination, Direct Anger-out, and Assertion) that can be used to improve detection and treatment of mental health difficulties in this population, and as a starting point by future research to develop a much-needed gold standard measure of anger coping for adults, adolescents and children world-wide.

Outcome Trajectories and Prognostic Factors for Suicide and Self-Harm Behaviors in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder Following One Year of Outpatient Psychotherapy

This study examined suicide and self-harm trajectories in 180 individuals with BPD receiving dialectical behavior therapy or general psychiatric management in a randomized controlled trial. Suicide and self-harm behaviors were assessed at baseline, every four months throughout treatment, and every 6 months over 2 years of follow-up. Latent class growth mixture modeling identified suicide and self-harm trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined baseline patient characteristics. Three latent subgroups were identified. The largest responded rapidly to treatment and sustained a favorable response post-discharge. The second progressed slowly during treatment but achieved and maintained a favorable response. A third subgroup showed a rapid favorable response during treatment, however symptoms returned to near baseline levels post-discharge. This third subgroup had higher baseline depression, emergency department visits, and unemployment. BPD patients with high baseline health care utilization, depression, and unemployment may benefit from modifications to treatment specifically targeting these issues.

The Use of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II With Forensic Populations: A Psychometric Critique

The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II (STAXI-II) is a psychometric assessment that measures the experience, expression, and control of anger in research and clinical settings. Although the STAXI-II is extensively used and its psychometric properties supported, no psychometric critique has yet specifically assessed its utility with forensic populations. The aim of this critique was to explore the validity and reliability of the STAXI-II when used with forensic samples. It was found that the psychometric properties of the STAXI-II, when used with forensic populations, are satisfactory. However, gaps in research and issues that need to be addressed in practice have been highlighted. Although STAXI-II provides a comprehensive measure of anger, it does not capture all aspects of the construct. In addition, the tool does not contain an inherent validity scale, indicating the need to control for social desirability responding when administering the STAXI-II. Practical implications, limitations, and future research will be discussed.

Self-Construals, Anger Regulation, and Life Satisfaction in the United States and Japan

Previous studies have reported evidence that indicates differences between Western and East Asian cultures in anger regulation and its psychological consequences. However, many of these studies have focused on a specific anger regulation strategy and its relation with a psychological consequence. Here, we developed an integrated model that can comprehensively examine three different anger regulation strategies (anger suppression, expression, and control), independent and interdependent self-construals as the psychological antecedent, and life satisfaction as the psychological consequence. We estimated the model using large samples of American and Japanese adults to examine the associations between the two self-construals, three anger regulation strategies, and life satisfaction. We compared the difference in the patterns of relationships among the key constructs between the American and Japanese samples. The results confirmed previously suggested cultural differences while also discovering new culturally different paths. The results generally suggest that individual-level self-construals matter more when anger is a culturally condoned emotion (vs. condemned). The implications and limitations of the integrated model are discussed.

Effects of anger regulation and social anxiety on perceived stress

The mediating role of social anxiety was explored within the effect of anger regulation on perceived stress in the national sample of American and Japanese older adults. Results indicated that anger suppression is a significant factor in perceived stress mediated by social anxiety. Anger suppression was also directly related to perceived stress. The correlation of anger suppression with social anxiety was stronger in Japan than in the United States. Understanding both universal and culture-specific aspects of emotion regulation and perceived stress will be essential for the development of sound theory, future research, and effective prevention and intervention efforts.

Validation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale in black single mothers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale in a community sample of Black single mothers and to evaluate the scale's construct validity.

METHODS

Principal components and exploratory factor analysis were used. The participants responded to the CES-D scale and Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory.

RESULTS

The final sample consisted of 208 Black single mothers aged 18-45 years. A 2-factor structure was accepted. Construct validity was confirmed via significant correlations with the anger scales. A method artifact for the 2-factor solution was ruled out.

CONCLUSION

The CES-D scale is valid for use with Black single mothers. Additional psychometric evidence for the CES-D for Black single mothers is warranted.

Associations between oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphisms and self-reported aggressive behavior and anger: Interactions with alcohol consumption

Oxytocin has been implicated in the regulation of social as well as aggressive behaviors, and in a recent study we found that the effect of alcohol on aggressive behavior was moderated by the individual's genotype on an oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism (Johansson et al., 2012). In this study we wanted to deepen and expand the analysis by exploring associations between three (rs1488467, rs4564970, rs1042778) OXTR polymorphisms and aggressive behavior, trait anger as well as anger control in a population-based sample of Finnish men and women (N=3577) aged between 18 and 49 years (M=26.45 years, SD=5.02). A specific aim was to investigate if the polymorphisms would show interactive effects with alcohol consumption on aggressive behavior and trait anger, as well as to explore whether these polymorphisms affect differences in anger control between self-reported sober and intoxicated states. The results showed no main effects of the polymorphisms, however, three interactions between the polymorphisms and alcohol consumption were found. The effect of alcohol consumption on aggressive behavior was moderated by the genotype of the individual on the rs4564970 polymorphism, in line with previous results (Johansson et al., 2012). For trait anger, both the rs1488467 and the rs4564970 polymorphisms interacted with alcohol consumption. It appears that the region of the OXTR gene including both the rs4564970 and the rs1488467 polymorphisms may be involved in the regulation of the relationship between alcohol and aggressive behavior as well as between alcohol and the propensity to react to situations with elevated levels of anger.

Genetic effects on anger control and their interaction with alcohol intoxication: a self-report study

Individual differences in anger control are important to consider when trying to understand intoxicated aggression (Parrott and Giancola, 2004). We explored, first, genetic and environmental effects on anger control both in self-reported sober and alcohol intoxicated states, and whether the same genetic and environmental effects influence it in both these states, and second, a possible interaction between genetic effects and alcohol in the control of anger. In the population based sample (N=8964) of Finnish twins (18-33 years) and their siblings (18 years or older), genetic effects on anger control were found both for the self-reported sober (27% for men, 34% for women) and alcohol intoxicated states (29% for men, 37% for women), with high genetic correlations (from .77 to .85) between these states. Genetic effects (26% for men, 29% for women) were also found for the difference in anger control between the self-reported sober and alcohol intoxicated states, suggesting the effect of alcohol on anger control depends on the genotype of the individual.

Relations among social support, burnout, and experiences of anger: an investigation among emergency nurses

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to determine whether social support, burnout, and anger expression are related with each other among emergency nurses working in private- or public-sector hospitals.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

The sample consisted of 100 emergency nurses working in the private or public sector in Ankara, Turkey. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and The Trait-Anger and Anger Expression Scale were used.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrated that social support did not differentiate among the nurses working in the private sector or in the public sector according to the burnout subscales' scores. However, nurses in the private sector find it more difficult to express their anger. The state-trait anger levels of the nurses differ according to the burnout levels and also according to the sector that they are working in. The congruence between this study's findings and the literature is discussed.