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Journal of Psychiatric Research Nov 2022A Lifetime History of Experienced Aggression and a Lifetime History of Witnessed Aggression assessment was developed and its psychometric properties examined in a modest...
A Lifetime History of Experienced Aggression and a Lifetime History of Witnessed Aggression assessment was developed and its psychometric properties examined in a modest sample of individuals with and without history of psychopathology. Following this, the two assessments were administered to 400 subjects with or without histories of major psychiatric and personality disorders. These studies demonstrated good to excellent psychometric properties as well as evidence of convergent and divergent validity. Since both assessments quantify the occurrence of aggressive behaviors directed at a person and the occurrence of aggressive behaviors witnessed, the researchers propose that these assessments represents a needed modular assessment of aggression in the environment for behavioral science research.
Topics: Aggression; Humans; Personality Disorders; Psychometrics
PubMed: 36191520
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.09.018 -
Aggressive Behavior May 2022This study investigated early adolescents' (ages 9-14; M = 11.91) self-reported, evolutionarily relevant motives for using aggression, including competitive,...
This study investigated early adolescents' (ages 9-14; M = 11.91) self-reported, evolutionarily relevant motives for using aggression, including competitive, impression management, sadistic, and reactive functions, and examined differential relations with a range of psychosocial characteristics. As expected, competitive functions were associated with aggression and victimization in which the perpetrator had equal or less power than the victim, in line with the view that these are aversive and appetitive motives related to competition with rivals. Impression management and sadistic functions were associated with bullying and coercive resource control strategies (the latter for boys only), consistent with expectations that these are appetitive motives, with the former being more goal-directed and the latter somewhat more impulsive. Finally, as hypothesized, reactive functions were associated with emotional symptoms, hostility, victimization by bullying, and aggression by perpetrators with equal or less power than the victim, consistent with theory and research conceptualizing reactive aggression as an impulsive, emotion-driven response to provocation. The benefits of studying a wide range of evolutionarily relevant aggressive functions are discussed.
Topics: Adolescent; Aggression; Bullying; Child; Crime Victims; Hostility; Humans; Male; Motivation
PubMed: 35088903
DOI: 10.1002/ab.22020 -
Biological Psychiatry Aug 2017Some people are highly motivated to seek aggressive encounters, and among those who have been incarcerated for such behavior, recidivism rates are high. These...
BACKGROUND
Some people are highly motivated to seek aggressive encounters, and among those who have been incarcerated for such behavior, recidivism rates are high. These observations echo two core features of drug addiction: high motivation to seek addictive substances, despite adverse consequences, and high relapse rates. Here we used established rodent models of drug addiction to determine whether they would be sensitive to "addiction-like" features of aggression in CD-1 mice.
METHODS
In experiments 1 and 2, we trained older CD-1 mice to lever press for opportunities to attack younger C57BL6/J mice. We then tested them for relapse to aggression seeking after forced abstinence or punishment-induced suppression of aggression self-administration. In experiment 3, we trained a large cohort of CD-1 mice and tested them for choice-based voluntary suppression of aggression seeking, relapse to aggression seeking, progressive ratio responding, and punishment-induced suppression of aggression self-administration. We then used cluster analysis to identify patterns of individual differences in compulsive "addiction-like" aggressive behavior.
RESULTS
In experiments 1 and 2, we observed strong motivation to acquire operant self-administration of opportunities to aggress and relapse vulnerability during abstinence. In experiment 3, cluster analysis of the aggression-related measures identified a subset of "addicted" mice (∼19%) that exhibited intense operant-reinforced attack behavior, decreased likelihood to select an alternative reinforcer over aggression, heightened relapse vulnerability and progressive ratio responding, and resilience to punishment-induced suppression of aggressive behavior.
CONCLUSIONS
Using procedures established to model drug addiction, we showed that a subpopulation of CD-1 mice demonstrate "addiction-like" aggressive behavior, suggesting an evolutionary origin for compulsive aggression.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Choice Behavior; Cohort Studies; Compulsive Behavior; Conditioning, Operant; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Reinforcement, Psychology; Self Administration
PubMed: 28434654
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.03.004 -
Aggressive Behavior Nov 2022Social rejection elicits profound feelings of distress. From an evolutionary perspective, the best way to alleviate this distress is to behave prosocially, minimizing... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Social rejection elicits profound feelings of distress. From an evolutionary perspective, the best way to alleviate this distress is to behave prosocially, minimizing the likelihood of further exclusion. Yet, examples ranging from the playground to the pub suggest rejection commonly elicits aggression. Opposing theoretical perspectives and discordant empirical results have left a basic question unanswered: does rejection more commonly elicit prosocial or aggressive behavior? We conducted three meta-analyses (one with studies measuring aggressive behavior; one with studies measuring prosocial behavior; and one with studies measuring both aggressive and prosocial behavior; N = 3864) to quantify: (1) the extent to which social rejection elicits prosocial or aggressive behavior and (2) potential moderating effects on these relations. Random-effects models revealed medium effects such that social rejection potentiated aggressive behavior (k = 19; d = 0.41, p < .0001) and attenuated prosocial behavior (k = 7; d = 0.59, p < .0001), an effect that remained consistent even when participants were given the option to behave prosocially or aggressively (k = 15; d = 0.71, p < .0001). These results cast doubt on the theory that rejection triggers prosocial behavior, and instead suggest it is a robust elicitor of aggression. Statement of Relevance: To our knowledge, these meta-analyses are the first to directly test whether social rejection elicits aggressive or prosocial behavior. By including a comprehensive collection of both published and unpublished research studies, and examining a wide variety of previously untested moderators, we show that social rejection robustly elicits aggressive behavior and inhibits prosocial behavior. Additionally, we demonstrate that aggressive behavior following social rejection is not simply a function of limited choices in response options. In fact, aggressive behavior was evoked even when the option to engage in prosocial behavior was provided. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive narrative review of the neural mechanisms underlying social rejection-elicited aggressive and prosocial behavior to supplement primary analyses. Overall, we believe that our work makes a critical theoretical contribution to the field.
Topics: Aggression; Altruism; Humans; Social Behavior; Social Isolation; Social Status
PubMed: 35349722
DOI: 10.1002/ab.22026 -
Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology &... Mar 2020Poor sociability and aggressive behavior are major clinical features of opiate use disorders that may contribute to the establishment and maintenance of these harmful...
Poor sociability and aggressive behavior are major clinical features of opiate use disorders that may contribute to the establishment and maintenance of these harmful diseases. The present study investigated the long-term effects of chronic morphine administration and withdrawal upon social and aggressive behavior as well as the interrelationship between these two behaviors. Thus, social behavior was measured in C57BL/6J male mice 7, 21, 35 and 49 days after cessation of escalating morphine doses (20-100 mg/kg, i.p.) administered during 6 consecutive days, using the three-chamber task for sociability (i.e., preference for an unfamiliar conspecific vs. an object) and social novelty preference (i.e., preference for a novel vs. a familiar conspecific). Moreover, aggressive biting behavior towards an unfamiliar conspecific was assessed throughout the three-chamber tests. Opiate withdrawal increased both social approach and aggressive biting behavior. Moreover, in morphine-withdrawn, but not in control, mice social approach and aggressive behavior followed a similar time-course and positively correlated one with each other, suggesting that social interest was mainly driven by aggressiveness. Aggressive biting behavior was still elevated 49 days after the last morphine administration, revealing that opiate withdrawal is followed by long-lasting aggressiveness. Throughout, opiate withdrawal did not affect social novelty preference, ruling out a role for olfactory or social discrimination dysfunction in the elevated social approach and aggressive behavior. The present findings of very long-lasting aggressive behavior and aggression-driven social approach in opiate-withdrawn mice might help understanding the behavioral and brain underpinnings of poor sociability and aggressiveness commonly observed in opiate use disorders patients.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Male; Mice; Models, Animal; Morphine; Social Behavior; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; Time Factors
PubMed: 31669507
DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109780 -
Development and Psychopathology May 2019We sought to determine which patterns of direct and indirect aggression and victimization are most clearly associated with self-harm in adolescent girls and boys...
We sought to determine which patterns of direct and indirect aggression and victimization are most clearly associated with self-harm in adolescent girls and boys cross-sectionally at two time points, as well as prospectively over one year. A cluster analysis using the LICUR procedure (Bergman, 1998) was employed to identify stable patterns of aggression and victimization in a community cohort of 883 Swedish adolescents (51% girls; mean age 14.5). The results showed that a pattern combining high aggression with high victimization was consistently associated with high levels of self-harm in both genders, both cross-sectionally and prospectively. Additionally, this pattern of aggressive victims was a clear risk factor for the development of repetitive self-harm over a one-year period in both girls (odds ratio 13.58) and boys (odds ratio 5.72). We also found several gender differences: In girls, subgroups characterized by high victimization (aggressive victims and non-aggressive victims) had the highest levels of self-harm, whereas in boys the patterns characterized by high aggression (aggressive victims and aggressive non-victims) seemed more relevant. The findings concerning the aggressive victim cluster are clear warning signs of severe psychopathology and possible psychiatric diagnosis in this subgroup of girls and boys.
Topics: Adolescent; Aggression; Bullying; Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Male; Risk Factors; Self-Injurious Behavior; Sex Factors
PubMed: 30008281
DOI: 10.1017/S0954579418000433 -
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Dec 2022The healthy context paradox indicates that in "healthy" contexts, with lower bullying or victimization norms, victimization experiences would unexpectedly exacerbate...
The healthy context paradox indicates that in "healthy" contexts, with lower bullying or victimization norms, victimization experiences would unexpectedly exacerbate adolescents' adjustment difficulties, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, particularly from the clique perspective. The current 2-year longitudinal multilevel study attempts to examine the conditional effects of both clique structure (i.e., status hierarchy) and clique norms (i.e., aggression norms) on the relationship between individual victimization and aggressive behavior. The sample consisted of 691 Chinese junior high school students (M = 12.74, SD = 0.43; 55.6% boys), who were identified to belong to 153 cliques with sizes varying from 3 to 12 students (M = 5.08, SD = 1.89), according to the social cognitive map. Participants completed peer-nominated measures at two time points, two years apart. The multilevel models revealed that it was in less hierarchical cliques with lower aggression that victimized adolescents would exhibit more relational forms of aggression (rather than overt forms) two years later. More intriguingly, contrary results were found in all-girls cliques and all-boys cliques. Specifically, victimized girls' overt and relational aggression was higher in cliques with less hierarchy and lower aggression, whereas, in cliques with more hierarchy and higher aggression, victimized boys' relational aggression was higher, which conforms to the healthy context paradox and the peer contagion hypothesis, respectively. These findings highlight that egalitarian cliques with low aggression would promote aggressive behavior of victimized adolescents, especially for girls rather than for boys, which in turn has crucial implications for anti-bullying interventions.
Topics: Male; Female; Adolescent; Humans; Child; Aggression; Bullying; Adolescent Behavior; Crime Victims; Peer Group
PubMed: 36087192
DOI: 10.1007/s10964-022-01677-3 -
Aggressive Behavior Sep 2017This study is the first to examine whether executive functioning (EF) abilities moderate longitudinal associations between peer victimization and engagement in...
This study is the first to examine whether executive functioning (EF) abilities moderate longitudinal associations between peer victimization and engagement in physically and relationally aggressive behavior. Participants were 61 children (9-13 years, M = 10.68, SD = 1.28; 48% male) drawn from a partially clinical sample who were assessed at two time points, approximately 12 months apart. At time 1, children were administered a battery of EF tests; adult reports of children's relational and physical victimization and use of relational and physical aggression were collected. At time 2, adult-reported aggression was re-collected. Regression analyses tested whether EF ability moderated the association between peer victimization and increased engagement in aggression. Form-specific (e.g., physical victimization predicting physical aggression) and cross-form (e.g., physical victimization predicting relational aggression) models were tested. EF moderated the association between physical victimization and increases in physical aggression over time and between relational victimization and increases in relational aggression over time. Physical victimization predicted increases in physical aggression only among children with poor EF. However, relational victimization predicted increases in relational aggression for children with good EF skills but decreases in relational aggression for children with poor EF skills. Interaction effects for cross-form models were not significant. Results suggest that there are distinct risk factors implicated in children's engagement in physical and relational aggression. Established cognitive vulnerability models for engagement in physical aggression should not be assumed to apply to engagement in relational aggression.
Topics: Adolescent; Aggression; Bullying; Child; Crime Victims; Executive Function; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Peer Group; Risk Factors
PubMed: 28393381
DOI: 10.1002/ab.21708 -
Aggressive Behavior Jan 2023Research in biosocial criminology and other related disciplines has established links between nutrition and aggressive behavior. In addition to observational studies,... (Review)
Review
Research in biosocial criminology and other related disciplines has established links between nutrition and aggressive behavior. In addition to observational studies, randomized trials of nutritional supplements like vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and folic acid provide evidence of the dietary impact on aggression. However, the exact mechanism of the diet-aggression link is not well understood. The current article proposes that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the process, with the microbiota-gut-brain axis serving as such a mediating mechanism between diet and behavior. Based on animal and human studies, this review synthesizes a wide array of research across several academic fields: from the effects of dietary interventions on aggression, to the results of microbiota transplantation on socioemotional and behavioral outcomes, to the connections between early adversity, stress, microbiome, and aggression. Possibilities for integrating the microbiotic perspective with the more traditional, sociologically oriented theories in criminology are discussed, using social disorganization and self-control theories as examples. To extend the existing lines of research further, the article considers harnessing the experimental potential of noninvasive and low-cost dietary interventions to help establish the causal impact of the gut microbiome on aggressive behavior, while adhering to the high ethical standards and modern research requirements. Implications of this research for criminal justice policy and practice are essential: not only can it help determine whether the improved gut microbiome functioning moderates aggressive and violent behavior but also provide ways to prevent and reduce such behavior, alone or in combination with other crime prevention programs.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Aggression
PubMed: 35997420
DOI: 10.1002/ab.22050 -
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Feb 2018Peer victimization is predictive of serious problems in adjustment, especially among children who are both victimized and aggressive. This study investigated how...
Peer victimization is predictive of serious problems in adjustment, especially among children who are both victimized and aggressive. This study investigated how different types of aggression contribute to later victimization. Specifically, we examined prospective relationships between the types of aggression that children perpetrated and the types that they experienced at the hands of others. Trained observers coded schoolyard behavior of 553 children in grades 3-6 during the initial year of a bullying intervention program. Both observed aggression and victimization were specified by form (direct, indirect) and function (proactive, reactive). Total hourly rates of victimization were highest in the upper grades. Direct-reactive aggression uniquely predicted increases in victimization, while direct-proactive aggression predicted decreases, particularly in direct-proactive victimization. Indirect-proactive aggression (e.g., derogatory gossip) predicted increases in indirect-proactive victimization only in the control group. Indirect-reactive aggression and victimization occurred too rarely to detect change. Aggression-victimization relationships did not differ for boys and girls. Discussion considers why children might risk direct reactive aggression in the face of increased victimization. Different sequelae for different forms and functions of aggression highlight the need to resolve theoretical ambiguities in defining proactive and reactive aggression.
Topics: Aggression; Bullying; Child; Child Behavior; Crime Victims; Female; Humans; Male; Peer Group
PubMed: 28500469
DOI: 10.1007/s10802-017-0306-5