The Dark Triad and aggression among drug abstainers: a moderated mediation model of self-control and physical exercise

BACKGROUND

Drug addiction is a significant public health concern, and aggression is common among people with drug addiction. Despite mounting evidence showing that the Dark Triad is a risk factor for aggression, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship are less known. This study tested the mediation effect of self-control in the association between the Dark Triad and aggression and whether this mediation was moderated by physical exercise.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in two compulsory drug rehabilitation centers in Nanning, China. A convenience sample of 564 drug abstainers completed a questionnaire to assess their Dark Triad, self-control, aggression, and physical exercise levels. Mediation and moderation analyses were carried out in SPSS macro-PROCESS.

RESULTS

Self-control partially mediated the positive association between the Dark Triad and aggression. Physical exercise moderated the indirect effect of the Dark Triad on aggression via self-control, with the effect decreasing with the increase in physical exercise levels.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers fresh insights into the underlying mediating and moderating mechanisms between the Dark Triad and aggression. The findings provide important practical implications for future intervention and prevention programs to address aggression among drug abstainers, which may be realized through strengthening self-control and physical exercise.

Anxiety as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Deviant Peer Association and Substance Use: Does the Specific Dimension of Anxiety Matter?

Deviant peer association has been identified as a risk factor for substance use. Anxiety has been examined as a moderator of this relationship in a limited capacity. Despite this, investigations of specific dimensions of anxiety as moderators of this relationship remain understudied. This study examined three dimensions of anxiety as moderators: physiological anxiety, worry/oversensitivity anxiety, and social concerns/concentration anxiety. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses. Ordered logistic regression models were used to assess relationships of interest for three substance use outcomes: heavy episodic drinking, marijuana use, and cigarette use. Findings indicated that social concerns/concentration anxiety moderated the relationship between deviant peer association and marijuana use, but, contrary to predictions, a protective effect at higher levels of this form of anxiety was observed. Worry/oversensitivity anxiety also appeared to exert a significant and negative direct effect on all three substance use outcomes. Implications are discussed.

Understanding mechanisms underlying the relationship between antisocial personality disorder and substance-impaired driving among young adults involved with the justice system as minors

INTRODUCTION

Antisocial personality disorder is a risk factor associated with increased risk for substance-impaired driving. While past research has focused on identifying prevalence rates for the disorder among substance-impaired drivers, there is a dearth of research focused on identifying the mechanisms by which the disorder actually functions to increase risk for the behavior among young adults who were formerly adjudicated for a serious offense. There are cognitive, affective, and social mechanisms that may help to explain this relationship.

METHOD

Impulse control, hostility, and deviant peer association are examined as mechanisms that explain the relationship in each of these domains, respectively. The Pathways to Desistance data were utilized in analyses, comprising the responses of 1,354 youth who were adjudicated for a serious offense just prior to baseline measurements. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct effects of antisocial personality disorder on substance-impaired driving risk and the hypothesized mechanism variables were then included in the model to determine which of them provided significant pathways through which the main relationship operated.

RESULTS

Results indicated that meeting criteria for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder was associated with increased risk of substance-impaired driving at follow-up. This relationship was attenuated to non-significance upon inclusion of the mechanism variables and reduced in magnitude by 20%. This attenuation was due almost entirely to impulse control. Practical Applications: This provides indication that intervention for substance-impaired driving offenders with antisocial personality disorder may be most effective when structured around improving impulse control for young adults who were previously involved with the juvenile/criminal justice system.

Antisocial Personality Disorder as a Risk Factor for Opioid Use: The Dual Mediating Roles of Antisocial Attitudes and Self-Control

Antisocial personality disorder is a risk factor for opioid use. There is a dearth of research which examines self-control and moral disengagement as potential mediators of this relationship. This study utilized data from the Pathways to Desistance study in analyses. Generalized structural equation modeling was utilized to test for mediation of the relationship between antisocial personality disorder and opioid use. Bootstrapped standard errors were computed so that a Clogg Z test could be estimated to determine if identified mediation effects significantly differed. Results indicated that a likely diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder increased risk for opioid use. Inclusion of moral disengagement and self-control into the model resulted in attenuation of this effect to non-significance and reduced the magnitude of the effect by around 45%. The contribution of both constructs to the total indirect effect did not significantly differ and only the total indirect effect was significant.