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International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2022Being different multifactorial forms of psychopathology, aggression, depression and suicidal behavior, which is considered to be violent aggression directed against the... (Review)
Review
Being different multifactorial forms of psychopathology, aggression, depression and suicidal behavior, which is considered to be violent aggression directed against the self, have principal neurobiological links: preclinical and clinical evidence associates depression, aggression and suicidal behavior with dysregulation in central serotonergic (5-HT) neurotransmission. The implication of different types of 5-HT receptors in the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of aggression, depression and suicidality has been well recognized. In this review, we consider and compare the orchestra of 5-HT receptors involved in these severe psychopathologies. Specifically, it concentrates on the role of 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT and 5-HT receptors in the mechanisms underlying the predisposition to aggression, depression and suicidal behavior. The review provides converging lines of evidence that: (1) depression-related 5-HT receptors include those receptors with pro-depressive properties (5-HT, 5-HT and 5-HT) as well as those providing an antidepressant effect (5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT subtypes). (2) Aggression-related 5-HT receptors are identical to depression-related 5-HT receptors with the exception of 5-HT receptors. Activation of 5-HT, 5-HT 5-HT, 5-HT receptors attenuate aggressiveness, whereas agonists of 5-HT intensify aggressive behavior.
Topics: Aggression; Depression; Humans; Receptors, Serotonin; Serotonin; Suicide
PubMed: 35955946
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158814 -
Neuropharmacology Sep 2024There is an important relationship between the immune system and aggressive behavior. Aggressive encounters acutely increase the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and... (Review)
Review
There is an important relationship between the immune system and aggressive behavior. Aggressive encounters acutely increase the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and there are positive correlations between aggressive traits and peripheral proinflammatory cytokines. Endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, which results in peripheral immune activation, decreases aggressive behavior as one of the sickness behavioral symptoms. In contrast, certain brain infections and chronic interferon treatment are associated with increased aggression. Indeed, the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on the brain in aggressive behavior are bidirectional, depending on the type and dose of cytokine, target brain region, and type of aggression. Some studies have suggested that microglial activation and neuroinflammation influence intermale aggression in rodent models. In addition, pathological conditions as well as physiological levels of cytokines produced by microglia play an important role in social and aggressive behavior in adult animals. Furthermore, microglial function in early development is necessary for the establishment of the social brain and the expression of juvenile social behaviors, including play fighting. Overall, this review discusses the important link between the immune system and aggressive traits and the role of microglia as mediators of this link.
Topics: Aggression; Microglia; Animals; Humans; Immune System; Cytokines; Social Behavior; Brain
PubMed: 38825308
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110021 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2022Harsh parenting and its effect on children's aggressive behavior has received attention from researchers, however few studies have considered the role of the emotional...
Harsh parenting and its effect on children's aggressive behavior has received attention from researchers, however few studies have considered the role of the emotional process. This study aims to examine the relationship between harsh parenting, children's aggressive behavior, normative beliefs about aggression, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy, alongside their mechanism of interplay. A sample of 235 senior primary school students in Beijing were recruited as participants by using the Harsh Parenting Scale, the Normative Beliefs about Aggression Scale, the Buss-Warren Aggression Questionnaire, and the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale. Results indicated that: (1) Harsh parenting had a significant positive predictive effect on children's aggressive behavior after controlling gender; (2) normative beliefs about the aggression of children mediated the relationship between harsh parenting and children's aggressive behavior; and (3) regulatory emotional self-efficacy had moderating effects both the mediation model of normative beliefs about the aggression of children and in the direct predictive model of harsh parenting on children's aggressive behavior. The results are not only helpful to understand the relationship between harsh parenting and children's aggressive behavior from the perspective of an integrated model of emotion processes and cognition, but also provide a new practical way to prevent and intervene in children's aggressive behavior in the future.
Topics: Aggression; Beijing; Child; Emotions; Humans; Parenting; Students
PubMed: 35206591
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042403 -
Aggressive Behavior Mar 2022Conflicts between couples and their parents-in-law are a common phenomenon in Chinese families. In this study, in-law psychological aggression (InPA) victimization and...
Conflicts between couples and their parents-in-law are a common phenomenon in Chinese families. In this study, in-law psychological aggression (InPA) victimization and its association with intimate partner violence (IPV), women's health, and gender role valuation were examined. A household face-to-face survey with random sampling was conducted, and a total of 260 married Chinese women with parents-in-law were recruited. Among the participants, 11.2% and 43.1% had experienced InPA victimization and IPV victimization, respectively, and 7.3% had experienced both. Women's daily contact with parents-in-law, anxiety symptoms, demand to obey parents-in-law, and the low valuation of the male role significantly positively related to InPA victimization, whereas discussions of in-law conflict with husbands were significantly negatively related to InPA victimization. Therefore, in developing interventions for women experiencing InPA victimization, the role of the husband in InPA victimization and the risk of co-occurring InPA and IPV should be considered. These findings reflect the need to raise awareness about the influence of culture on gender roles, the harm caused by InPA victimization, and the urgent need to help Chinese women who are experiencing in-law conflict.
Topics: Aggression; Bullying; Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Intimate Partner Violence; Male; Women's Health
PubMed: 34913171
DOI: 10.1002/ab.22015 -
Hormones and Behavior Aug 2021Aggression is a fundamental behavior displayed universally among animal species, but hyper- or hypo-aggressiveness can be maladaptive with negative consequences for...
Aggression is a fundamental behavior displayed universally among animal species, but hyper- or hypo-aggressiveness can be maladaptive with negative consequences for individuals and group members. While the social and ecological significance of aggression is well understood, the specific neurobiological and hormonal mechanisms responsible for mediating aggression have not been fully elucidated. Previous studies have shown a relationship between aggressive acts and circulating gonadal steroids, but whether classical nuclear steroid receptors regulate aggression in animals is still uncertain. We examined whether the nuclear androgen receptor (Ar) and nuclear progestin receptor (Pgr) were necessary for aggressive behaviors and maintenance of a dominance relationship in male zebrafish (Danio rerio). Dyadic social interactions of Ar knockout (ArKO), Pgr knockout (PgrKO) and wildtype (WT) controls were observed for two weeks (2-weeks). ArKO zebrafish were significantly less aggressive and had a less defined dominance relationship, whereas PgrKO dominant zebrafish were significantly and persistently more aggressive with a robust dominance relationship. Our results demonstrate the importance of nuclear steroid hormone receptors in regulating aggression of adult male zebrafish and provide new models for understanding of the mechanisms of aggression.
Topics: Aggression; Androgens; Animals; Humans; Male; Receptors, Progesterone; Social Dominance; Zebrafish
PubMed: 34153924
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105012 -
Aggressive Behavior Mar 2018Poor conditioning to punishment, such as loud tones or electric shock, has been proposed as an important factor involved in the etiology of aggressive and psychopathic...
Poor conditioning to punishment, such as loud tones or electric shock, has been proposed as an important factor involved in the etiology of aggressive and psychopathic behavior. However, it is not known whether the association holds when monetary or social stimulus is used as the unconditioned stimulus, and if aggressive individuals also have impaired conditioning to rewards. In this study, skin conductance responses in a conditioning task involving both monetary/social reward and punishment as unconditioned stimuli were assessed in 340 male and female 8- to 9-year-old children from the community. Children reported their reactive and proactive aggression using the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ; Raine et al., 2006). Results showed that monetary/social reward and punishment were effective in eliciting physiological classical conditioning in children, and that reduced reward conditioning was associated with high levels of proactive aggression in particular. Findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between reactive and proactive aggression when examining antisocial behavior in children, and suggest that reward-oriented treatment programs may not be effective for children with more proactive, instrumental aggressive behavior.
Topics: Aggression; Autonomic Nervous System; Child; Child Behavior; Conditioning, Classical; Female; Galvanic Skin Response; Humans; Male; Punishment; Reward; Social Perception
PubMed: 29098703
DOI: 10.1002/ab.21738 -
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Dec 2022Interpersonal conflicts are inevitable, but the probability that conflicts involve aggressive behavior varies. Prior research that has tended to focus on victimization...
Interpersonal conflicts are inevitable, but the probability that conflicts involve aggressive behavior varies. Prior research that has tended to focus on victimization in intimate partnerships reported through retrospective designs. Addressing these limitations, the current study examines daily reports of behaving aggressively in any conflict across relationships in a sample of 512 young adults drawn from the nationally representative iCOR cohort. Respondent attitudes and affective measures were collected at the end of the daily data collection period. Regression methods were applied to examine the probability and frequency of aggression, investigating early and recent exposure to adversities, attitudes, self-control, affect and emotional states, and alcohol use behavior. Recent adversities and the propensity to endorse a defensive honor code attitude, consistent with theory and retrospective studies of aggression, predicted both prevalence and frequency of aggressive behavior. The associations of childhood maltreatment and self-control with the prevalence of behaving aggressively were as expected, but these constructs were significantly associated with the frequency of aggression with unexpected, inverse directionality. Moreover, respondents' affect and other emotional states were only associated with the frequency, not the prevalence, of aggressive behavior. Overall, this daily data collection constructively distinguished risk and protective factors for behaving aggressively more often. Further research is needed to disentangle the extent to which affective states drive or is a consequence of frequent aggressive behavior.
Topics: Humans; Young Adult; Aggression; Conflict, Psychological; Interpersonal Relations; Retrospective Studies; Violence; Affect; Attitude; Risk
PubMed: 34961387
DOI: 10.1177/08862605211063003 -
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Jul 2022Impelled by a desire to control, suppress, and deny emotional response, stoic individuals may act out their pent-up emotions on relational partners by provoking conflict...
Impelled by a desire to control, suppress, and deny emotional response, stoic individuals may act out their pent-up emotions on relational partners by provoking conflict and/or engaging in partner-directed violent and aggressive behaviors. However, little is known regarding what factors can push stoics over the edge from remaining quiet or avoiding revealing frustrations to initiating aggressive behavior. This relationship between stoicism and aggression is important to consider in serial arguments, where the repetitive nature of a conflict may become increasingly difficult for stoics to manage internally. Here, we examined the influence of stoicism on verbal aggression in serial arguments between romantic partners. We additionally considered the effects of power, perceived resolvability, and argument frequency on the relationship between stoicism and verbal aggression. Using a survey design with a sample of 281 individuals involved in a romantic relationship, we observed that stoicism is positively associated with verbal aggression in serial arguments. While perceived power and resolvability did not moderate the relationship between stoicism and verbal aggression, argument frequency about a serial argument topic was a significant moderator. The results of this study imply that stoicism plays an important role in explaining aggressive tactics in conflict. A high argument frequency about a conflict topic may lead to a buildup of unexpressed emotions, particularly anger, in stoic individuals, resulting in an explosive release of violence and aggression toward a romantic partner. Unique results on the relationship between stoicism and power and directions for future research are discussed.
Topics: Aggression; Anger; Dissent and Disputes; Humans; Philosophy; Violence
PubMed: 33637010
DOI: 10.1177/0886260521994583 -
Aggressive Behavior Jan 2023The past two decades have produced extensive evidence on the manifold and severe outcomes for victims of aggression exposure in the workplace. However, due to the...
The past two decades have produced extensive evidence on the manifold and severe outcomes for victims of aggression exposure in the workplace. However, due to the dominating individual-centered approach, most findings miss a social network perspective. Consequently, knowledge of negative spillover to different life-domains or crossover to uninvolved individuals alongside a detailed understanding of the involved transmission processes remains scarce. By integrating social aggression theorizing, the present study investigated transmission routes (emphatic, behavioral) of experienced adversities and aggression at work toward perpetration of aggressive behavior and potential spillover and crossover effects into the private life domain in a diary study of 72 mixed dyads. Analyses of mediation based upon the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model revealed an association between the frequency of perpetrating aggressive behavior in the work context and a spillover into the private life domain via aggression-promoting internal states (emotions, cognitions, arousal). Based on the different patterns of mediation, it appears that adversities follow a mental transmission process, whereby experienced aggression displayed behavioral assimilation. In contrast, no crossover effects of exposure to adversities or aggression at work to a study partner at home could be detected. Practical and theoretical implications as well as limitations and ideas for future work are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Aggression; Emotions; Cognition
PubMed: 36283119
DOI: 10.1002/ab.22056 -
Aggressive Behavior Mar 2022Aggression among peers is a common and serious problem in school-age children. Physical, relational, and cyber aggression often occur simultaneously but may exhibit...
Aggression among peers is a common and serious problem in school-age children. Physical, relational, and cyber aggression often occur simultaneously but may exhibit heterogeneous developmental patterns. We aimed to identify heterogeneous co-developmental patterns of physical, relational, and cyber peer aggression and to investigate the contributions of victimization experiences to co-developmental trajectories. Participants were 2869 elementary school students (56.2% boys), initially in fourth grade (M = 10.51 years) in China. Longitudinal data on peer aggression were collected from participants semiannually for 2 years. Data on victimization experiences were collected in the initial measurement wave. Parallel process latent curve growth modeling produced four co-developmental trajectories of peer aggression: High Desisting group, Moderate-Increasing group, Moderate-Physical and Relational Aggression group, and Low Stable group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that childhood emotional abuse, psychological maltreatment by teachers, as well as physical peer victimization, and cyber peer victimization, served as risk factors for severe co-developmental trajectories. The findings highlight the co-development of physical, relational, and cyber aggression. The identification of risk factors for co-developmental trajectories points to the need for continued monitoring and protection from ongoing victimization experiences in the family and school settings to prevent or ameliorate aggressive behavior.
Topics: Aggression; Bullying; Child; Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Male; Peer Group; Schools
PubMed: 34908174
DOI: 10.1002/ab.22011