Use of the Buss-Durkee hostility inventory among British prisoners

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.

Exercise and Testosterone Countermeasures to Mitigate Metabolic Changes during Bed Rest

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Exercise is a front-line countermeasure used to maintain astronaut health during long-duration spaceflight; however, reductions in metabolic health still occur. Accordingly, we evaluated serial changes in metabolic parameters in a spaceflight analog and evaluated the efficacy of exercise with or without the addition of low-dose testosterone treatment on mitigating adverse metabolic changes.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Healthy young (<55 years) men were randomly assigned to one of three groups during 70-days of strict, diet controlled, 6° head-down bed rest: Control (CON, n=9), exercise plus testosterone countermeasure (TEX, n=8), or exercise countermeasure plus placebo (PEX, n=9). Basal metabolic rate (BMR), glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity were measured before, during, and after bed rest. Exercise energy expenditure and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption were measured in TEX and PEX subjects during bed rest.

RESULTS

Leptin decreased during bed rest (Pre to BR+0 changed from 6.9 ± 5.1, 5.8 ± 4.2, and 4.7 ± 4.1 to 7.9 ±3.6, 6.5 ± 4.6, and 4.1 ±3.0 ug• L^-1 for CON, PEX, and TEX respectively). Bed rest induced a decrease in BMR (Pre to BR57 changed from 1655 ± 212, 1629 ± 108, and 1706 ± 146 to 1476 ± 166, 1668 ± 142, and 1603 ± 132 kcal • day^-1 ± 95%CI for CON, PEX, and TEX respectively). Similarly, bed rest negatively affected glucose metabolism assessed by 2hr OGTT glucose (Pre to BR66 changed from 6.29 ± 0.72, 5.13 ± 0.72, and 5.87 ± 0.73 to 6.62 ± 0.72, 5.83 ± 0.72, and 7.08 ± 0.72 mmol • L^-1 ± 95%CI). Reambulation following bed rest positively affected glucose tolerance in CON (2hr OGTT glucose at BR+12: 5.3 ± 0.72, 6.42 ± 0.73, and 6.04 ± 0.73 mmol • L^-1 ± 95%CI). Testosterone protected against bed rest induced insulin resistance (HOMA-IR from Pre to BR+66 changed from 1.74 ± 0.54, 1.18 ± 0.55, and 1.45 ± 0.56 to 2.24 ± 0.56, 1.47 ± 0.54, and 1.07 ± 0.54).

CONCLUSION

This study confirmed that inactivity during 70 days of head-down bed rest adversely affects metabolic health. The daily exercise countermeasures were beneficial but not completely protective of bed rest induced decrements in metabolic health. Supplementary countermeasures such as testosterone may provide additional benefits not provided by exercise alone.

Relationships among demands at work, aggression, and verbal abuse among registered nurses in South Korea

BACKGROUND

In order to improve organizational culture and job outcomes, it is important to characterize and better understand the relationship between aggression and verbal abuse among nurses.

PURPOSE

To examine the relationships among demands at work, aggression, and verbal abuse among nurses.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using survey data from three tertiary hospitals located in South Korea. Sixteen nursing units were selected and 378 nurses' data were used as the final sample. The relationships were examined by multiple linear or logistic regression analyses.

FINDINGS

More than 70% of the nurses had experienced at least 1 type of verbal abuse. Higher physical aggression and hostility were significantly related to greater verbal abuse experience.

CONCLUSION

To prevent the vicious cycle of victims becoming perpetrators, it is necessary to develop and implement concrete strategies to manage verbal abuse and aggression among nurse colleagues.

Does change in hostility predict sexual recidivism?

The purpose of the study was to examine whether scores on a widely used measure of hostility--the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI)--and change on this measure predicted sexual recidivism in a sample of 120 adult male incarcerated sexual offenders. Pre- and posttreatment scores, simple difference scores, and clinically significant change were examined. The majority of participants had functional scores on the BDHI prior to treatment. Of those who had dysfunctional pretreatment scores, the majority remained unchanged. Higher posttreatment scores on the Assault and Verbal Hostility subscales significantly predicted sexual recidivism. The remaining pre- and posttreatment scores as well as change scores and classifications did not significantly predict sexual recidivism. Our findings suggest that the Assault and Verbal Hostility subscales may be useful for predicting sexual recidivism but were not clearly consistent with the notion that the BDHI assesses a dynamic risk factor(s) for sexual recidivism. Due to a number of limitations of the current study, however, more rigorous research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Psychosocial characteristics and social networks of suicidal prisoners: towards a model of suicidal behaviour in detention

Prisoners are at increased risk of suicide. Investigation of both individual and environmental risk factors may assist in developing suicide prevention policies for prisoners and other high-risk populations. We conducted a matched case-control interview study with 60 male prisoners who had made near-lethal suicide attempts in prison (cases) and 60 male prisoners who had not (controls). We compared levels of depression, hopelessness, self-esteem, impulsivity, aggression, hostility, childhood abuse, life events (including events occurring in prison), social support, and social networks in univariate and multivariate models. A range of psychosocial factors was associated with near-lethal self-harm in prisoners. Compared with controls, cases reported higher levels of depression, hopelessness, impulsivity, and aggression, and lower levels of self-esteem and social support (all p values <0.001). Adverse life events and criminal history factors were also associated with near-lethal self-harm, especially having a prior prison spell and having been bullied in prison, both of which remained significant in multivariate analyses. The findings support a model of suicidal behaviour in prisoners that incorporates imported vulnerability factors, clinical factors, and prison experiences, and underscores their interaction. Strategies to reduce self-harm and suicide in prisoners should include attention to such factors.

Serotonin in alcoholic violent offenders

Finnish alcoholic, impulsive, habitually violent offenders have been found to have low brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) turnover which is associated with impaired impulse control, a history of suicide attempts, hypoglycaemic tendency after an oral glucose load and diurnal activity rhythm dysregulation or hyperactivity. Relatively high cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free testosterone concentration is a further characteristic of the offenders with antisocial personality disorder. The impulsive offenders may represent a behaviourally extreme group of type 2 alcoholics as defined by Cloninger. A large cohort of 800 subjects, including alcoholic violent offenders, their relatives and male controls, has now been gathered from Finland with support from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. About 200 subjects have provided CSF samples. Leukocytes from the whole cohort have been harvested and immortalized. Genes regulating 5-HT functions are now being systematically analysed from these samples. Thus far, polymorphisms of the tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and 5-HT2C receptor genes have been the most informative findings.

Self-control skills and negative emotional state: a focus on hostility

The self-control theory of psychopathology has contributed to the understanding and treatment of unipolar depression. This paper explores the relationship between self-control skills as measured by the Frequency of Self-reinforcement Questionnaire and other negative emotional states, with a focus on hostility. In Study 1, scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory were inversely related to self-control skills among a sample of 53 college students, suggesting potential generalizability of the theory. In Study 2, self-control skills were inversely related to hostility, anger, and aggression among a sample of 68 college students. The role of self-control skills in the regulation of hostility deserves further investigation.

External Validity of “Trivial” Experiments: The Case of Laboratory Aggression

The external validity of artificial “trivial” laboratory settings is examined. Past views emphasizing generalizability of relations among conceptual variables are reviewed and affirmed. One major implication of typical challenges to the external validity of laboratory research is tested with aggression research: If laboratory research is low in external validity, then laboratory studies should fail to detect relations among variables that are correlated with aggression in “real-world” studies. Meta-analysis was used to examine 5 situational variables (provocation, violent media, alcohol, anonymity, hot temperature) and 3 individual difference variables (sex, Type A personality, trait aggressiveness) in real-world and laboratory aggression studies. Results strongly supported the external validity of trivial laboratory studies. Advice is given on how scholars might handle occasional descrepancies between laboratory and real-world findings.

Interictal aggression in epilepsy: the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory

Adult patients with left, right, or bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy or absence epilepsy, and normal controls completed the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), a standardized questionnaire of aggressive tendencies. Patients with left temporal lobe seizure foci scores higher on the Suspicion scale than did other patients or controls (p < 0.05). Factor analysis scale scores identified three factors: hostile feelings, covert aggression, and overt aggression. The groups differed on their pattern of factor scores (p < 0.01): patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy scored higher than other groups on hostile feelings, normal controls scored higher on Covert aggression, and bitemporal patients scores higher on Overt aggression. Patients with absence seizures did not differ from controls. Lateralization of the seizure focus in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy may alter expression of aggressive behavior.

AN ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS OF THE VIOLENT OFFENDER

Thirty violent and thirty nonviolent youthful offenders were administered the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. A factor analysis of this battery produced two orthogonal factors accounting for three-quarters of the total variance. Factor I was a unipolar Hostility/Neuroticism factor and Factor II was a bipolar Psychoticism vs Extraversion factor. The two groups did not differ significantly from each other on either factor or on an optimal combination of both. Implications for future research are drawn.

Personality characteristics of high and low aggressive adolescents in residential treatment

Variables related to aggression were explored in a population of psychiatrically disturbed male adolescents in a residential treatment setting. The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, Daydreaming Questionaire, Byrne Repression-Sensitization Scale, and the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory were administered to high and low aggressive patients. Multivariate analyses of the data indicated that high aggressors were significantly lower in their social desirability needs and significantly higher in their daydreaming, hostile, attitudes and sensitization than were low aggressive patients. These findings were discussed relative to a greater understanding of aggression in emotionally disturbed adolescents and implications for treatment.