The relationships between trait anger, forgiveness, and subjective well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediating model under lockdown situation

Although previous studies have found relationships between anger, forgiveness, and well-being, none have examined whether forgiveness mediates the relationship between trait anger and subjective well-being. To address this gap, this study constructed and tested a relevant moderated mediating model. We also considered the moderating effects of the COVID-19 lockdown situation, which has indirectly deteriorated well-being. The participants included 1,274 individuals who were recruited in April 2022. In sum, the results showed negative relationships between the trait anger and forgiveness and well-being, with a positive association between forgiveness and well-being. Moreover, forgiveness mediated the association between trait anger and subjective well-being, whereas the lockdown situation regulated the effects of trait anger on forgiveness and subjective well-being; specifically, forgiveness and well-being were more susceptible to trait anger among individuals under the lockdown situation. These findings suggest that forgiveness mediates the relationship between trait anger and well-being, while trait anger negatively predicts forgiveness and subjective well-being. Furthermore, the lockdown situation increases the negative predictive effects of anger on forgiveness and subjective well-being.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04500-9.

Trait anger representation in microstructural white matter tracts: A diffusion MRI study

BACKGROUND

Understanding the microstructure of the brain that underlies emotions is of pivotal importance for psychology and psychiatry. Herein, we investigated white matter (WM) tracts associated with anger using the diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI) connectometry approach while exploring potential sex differences.

METHODS

225 healthy participants from the LEMON database were evaluated using the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). WM images were prepared and analyzed with DMRI. Multiple regression models were fitted to address the correlation of local connectomes with STAXI components with age and handedness as covariates.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences in state anger and trait anger between males and females (p = 0.55 and 0.30, respectively). DMRI connectometry revealed that quantitative anisotropy (QA) values in the bilateral corticospinal tract (CST), splenium of corpus callosum (SCC), middle cerebellar peduncle, left inferior cerebellar peduncle, left cingulum, and left fornix were negatively correlated with trait anger and trait anger temperament (TAT) in males. In contrast, the QA values in the bilateral CST and SCC showed a positive correlation with trait anger and TAT in females, which, however, did not reach statistical significance.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design and self-reported measures of anger limit the generalizability of our results.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first DMRI connectometry study to investigate WM circuits involved in anger. We found that the pathways associated with the limbic system and movement-related regions were involved in trait anger and anger expression in men, while no brain pathways showed a significant relationship with anger in women.

Further examinations of attitudes toward discrete emotions, with a focus on attitudes toward anger

The present research aimed to better understand individual differences in attitudes towards emotions with a focus on anger. We report findings of four studies conducted with American and Polish individuals. Results showed that individuals who have more positive attitudes toward anger are higher in trait anger (Studies 1-4), are more likely to think about getting revenge (Study 1), and expect that getting revenge will make them feel good (Studies 1-2). In addition, these individuals are lower in agreeableness and lower in the tendency to engage in avoidance when angered (Studies 1-4). They score lower in humility (Studies 3-4), lower in secure romantic attachment but higher in anxious and avoidance attachment (Study 3). Finally, they are more likely to believe a wide range of conspiracies (Studies 2-4). Discussion focuses on the implications of these results.

Trait anger causes risky driving behavior by influencing executive function and hazard cognition

Drivers with a high level of trait anger feel more intensity of anger on road, contributing to more risky driving behavior and further increasing the probability of collisions. It seems that trait anger directly correlates with risky driving behavior, but how it works in detail remains unknown and previous research indicated executive function and hazard cognition may play a mediation role in it. Our research aims to explore the relationship among these variables and test if there is a multiple mediation model. We sampled 302 valid participants and used online questionnaires, containing trait anger scale (TAS), executive function index (EFI), hazard cognition scale (HCS; representing attitudes towards risky driving behavior), driver behavior questionnaire (DBQ), and self-reported traffic violations (e.g., accidents, penalty points, fines). Hierarchical multiple linear regression of DBQ results show trait anger is a medium but statistically significant predictor of risky driving behavior and drivers' attitude towards risky situations can significantly predict risky driving behavior at medium effect. But risky driving behavior cannot be predicted by executive function. Interestingly, opposing to prior research, zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis of self-reported traffic violations suggests trait anger negatively predicts accidents and fines in the zero-inflation model, and hazard cognition negatively predicts penalty points. Notably, the executive function negatively predicts penalty points and fines in the count model, which confirms our hypothetical direction. They all represent a small effect size in this nonlinear regression model. Path analysis suggested that trait anger influences risky driving behavior through executive function, and hazard cognition both separately and jointly. This study provides a theoretical framework for the transaction model of aggressive driving behavior and offers some possible interventions toward the effect of trait anger on risky driving behavior.

Do Hypertensive Men Spy With an Angry Little Eye? Anger Recognition in Men With Essential Hypertension - Cross-sectional and Prospective Findings

BACKGROUND

Higher trait anger has inconsistently been associated with hypertension and hypertension development, but social context in terms of recognition of other persons' anger has been neglected in this context.

PURPOSE

Here, we investigated anger recognition of facial affect and trait anger in essential hypertensive and normotensive men in addition to prospective associations with blood pressure (BP) increases.

METHODS

Baseline assessment comprised a total of 145 participants including 57 essential hypertensive and 65 normotensive men who were otherwise healthy and medication-free. Seventy-two eligible participants additionally completed follow-up assessment 3.1 (±0.08 SEM) years later to analyze BP changes over time. We assessed emotion recognition of facial affect with a paradigm displaying mixed facial affect of two morphed basic emotions including anger, fear, sadness, and happiness. Trait anger was assessed with the Spielberger trait anger scale.

RESULTS

Cross-sectionally, we found that with increasing BP, hypertensive men overrated anger displayed in facial expressions of mixed emotions as compared to normotensive men (ps ≤ .019) while there were no differences in trait anger (p = .16). Prospectively, the interaction between mean anger recognition and trait anger independently predicted BP increases from baseline to follow-up (ps ≤ .043), in that overrating displayed anger predicted future BP increases only if trait anger was high.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate an anger recognition bias in men with essential hypertension and that overrating displayed anger in combination with higher trait anger seems to predict future BP increases. This might be of clinical relevance for the development and progression of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Childhood Maltreatment and Bullying Perpetration among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Moral Disengagement and Trait Anger

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment plays an important role in adolescents' bullying perpetration. However, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unknown.

OBJECTIVES

The current study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescents' bullying perpetration and extended previous literature by examining the mediating effect of moral disengagement and the moderating effect of trait anger in this relationship.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Four hundred and thirty-five Chinese adolescents (228 girls, mean age = 13.55 years) participated in the current study.

METHODS

Our theoretical model was examined using a short-term longitudinal design. During the fall of 2016, adolescents completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. After six months, they completed the moral disengagement Scale, the Bullying Scale, and the Trait Anger Scale in the spring of 2017.

RESULTS

The results indicated that childhood maltreatment positively predicted adolescents' bullying perpetration at six months later, and moral disengagement mediated this relationship. Trait anger moderated the relationship between moral disengagement and bullying perpetration, but not the relationship between childhood maltreatment and bullying perpetration. Specifically, high trait anger adolescents who had higher levels of moral disengagement were more likely to bully their peers than low trait anger adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that childhood maltreatment plays an important role in adolescents' bullying perpetration, and this relationship is mediated by moral disengagement. Moreover, trait anger moderates the relationship between moral disengagement and bullying perpetration. Educators who examine adolescents' bullying perpetration should pay closer attention to their moral disengagement and trait anger, as well as their childhood maltreatment experiences, in order to provide appropriate interventions.

The Relation Between Trait Anger and Impulse Control in Forensic Psychiatric Patients: An EEG Study

Inhibitory control is considered to be one of the key factors in explaining individual differences in trait anger and reactive aggression. Yet, only a few studies have assessed electroencephalographic (EEG) activity with respect to response inhibition in high trait anger individuals. The main goal of this study was therefore to investigate whether individual differences in trait anger in forensic psychiatric patients are associated with individual differences in anger-primed inhibitory control using behavioral and electrophysiological measures of response inhibition. Thirty-eight forensic psychiatric patients who had a medium to high risk of recidivism of violent and/or non-violent behaviors performed an affective Go/NoGo task while EEG was recorded. On the behavioral level, we found higher scores on trait anger to be accompanied by lower accuracy on NoGo trials, especially when anger was primed. With respect to the physiological data we found, as expected, a significant inverse relation between trait anger and the error related negativity amplitudes. Contrary to expectation, trait anger was not related to the stimulus-locked event related potentials (i.e., N2/P3). The results of this study support the notion that in a forensic population trait anger is inversely related to impulse control, particularly in hostile contexts. Moreover, our data suggest that higher scores on trait anger are associated with deficits in automatic error-processing which may contribute the continuation of impulsive angry behaviors despite their negative consequences.

Suicidal behaviors and irritability in children and adolescents: a systematic review of the nature and mechanisms of the association

While many psychiatric disorders are associated with an increased risk for suicidal behaviors (SB) in children and adolescents, a few studies have explored the role of clinical symptoms based on a dimensional approach. Irritability is seen as a marker, a general psychopathology, and a symptom of both externalizing and internalizing disorders. In this review, we are interested in determining whether and how irritability can predict SB in youth. First, we reviewed consistencies and variation in the literature linking irritability to suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA). Second, based on the available models, we proposed specific mechanistic pathways, whereby irritability may modulate the risk for SB. Irritability has been found associated with SB both in cross-sectional and in longitudinal studies. The relation is consistent in different settings (i.e., general population and clinical settings) and across psychiatric disorders. The association is reduced but persists after adjusting for psychiatric disorder, including depression. On one hand, irritability constitutes a risk factor for SI via the onset of internalized disorder. On the other hand, irritable youth may be more prone to attempt suicide when experiencing SI. The measures for irritability were heterogeneous. A limited number of studies were designed to explore the role of mediators and/or moderators. Recognizing irritability in children and adolescents is a key issue with regards to suicide prevention.

A Link Between Childhood Adversity and Trait Anger Reflects Relative Activity of the Amygdala and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

BACKGROUND

Trait anger, or the dispositional tendency to experience a wide range of situations as annoying or frustrating, is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. The experience of adversity during childhood is one risk factor for the later emergence of high trait anger. This association has been hypothesized to reflect alterations in neural circuits supporting bottom-up threat processing and top-down executive control.

METHODS

Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging and self-report questionnaire data from 220 volunteers, we examined how individual differences in top-down prefrontal executive control and bottom-up amygdala threat activity modulate the association between childhood adversity and trait anger during young adulthood.

RESULTS

We report that the association between childhood adversity and trait anger is attenuated specifically in young adults who have both relatively low threat-related amygdala activity and high executive control-related dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity.

CONCLUSIONS

These brain activity patterns suggest that simultaneous consideration of their underlying cognitive processes-namely, threat processing and executive control-may be useful in strategies designed to mitigate the negative mental health consequences of childhood adversity.

Hostile interpretation training for individuals with alcohol use disorder and elevated trait anger: A controlled trial of a web-based intervention

High trait anger is associated with more severe alcohol use problems, and alcohol has been found to facilitate aggressive behavior among individuals with high trait anger. Treatments focused on a sample with alcohol use disorder with elevated anger could reduce alcohol use problems, as well as violence and aggression. We sought to examine the efficacy of interpretation bias modification for hostility (IBM-H) in a sample with high trait anger and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Fifty-eight individuals with AUD and elevated trait anger were randomly assigned to eight web-based sessions (two per week) of IBM-H or a healthy video control condition (HVC). Measures of interpretation bias, anger, and alcohol use were administered at pre- and post-treatment and at one-month follow-up. IBM-H led to greater improvements in interpretation bias compared to HVC at post and follow-up. IBM-H also led to greater reductions in trait anger than HVC, though this was an indirect effect mediated by changes in interpretation bias. Further, IBM-H led to lower anger expression than HVC; this was a direct (non-mediated) effect. Lastly, both conditions reported decreases in alcohol use and consequences following treatment, though there were no significant differences between them. These findings provide initial support for the utility of IBM-H as a brief non-confrontational intervention for AUD with elevated trait anger. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Pain and multiple facets of anger and hostility in a sample seeking treatment for problematic anger

A number of studies have reported associations between pain and anger in samples with chronic pain, but research has mostly overlooked associations between pain and anger in those with problematic anger. The present study explored associations between pain severity and a variety of anger and hostility constructs in a sample seeking anger treatment (n =131). Zero-order correlations and partial correlations were used to examine associations between pain, anger, and hostility, controlling for depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression models examined potential interaction effects of gender on associations between pain and these outcomes. Pain severity was positively associated with trait anger, outward anger expression, hostile interpretation bias, hostile ideation, and inability to forgive others. These associations were independent of co-occurring depressive symptoms, with some exceptions. Gender moderated the association between pain and hostile ideation such that pain was positively associated with hostile ideation in women but not men. Pain severity was uniquely associated with multiple outcomes of relevance to individuals undergoing treatment for problematic anger. Clinical implications will be discussed.

Anger proneness, gender, and the risk of heart failure

BACKGROUND

Evidence regarding the association of anger proneness with incidence of heart failure is lacking.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Anger proneness was ascertained among 13,171 black and white participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort with the use of the Spielberger Trait Anger Scale. Incident heart failure events, defined as occurrence of ICD-9-CM code 428.x, were ascertained from participants' medical records during follow-up in the years 1990-2010. Relative hazard of heart failure across categories of trait anger was estimated with the use of Cox proportional hazard models. Study participants (mean age 56.9 [SD 5.7] years) experienced 1,985 incident HF events during 18.5 (SD 4.9) years of follow-up. Incidence of HF was greater among those with high, as compared to those with low or moderate trait anger, with higher incidence observed for men than for women. The relative hazard of incident HF was modestly high among those with high trait anger, compared with those with low or moderate trait anger (age-adjusted hazard ratio for men: 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23-1.69). Adjustment for comorbidities and depressive symptoms attenuated the estimated age-adjusted relative hazard in men to 1.26 (95% CI 1.00-1.60).

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment of anger proneness may be necessary in successful prevention and clinical management of heart failure, especially in men.