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PubMed2002

The role of aggression-related alcohol expectancies in explaining the link between alcohol and violent behavior.

Studies have demonstrated an acute effect of alcohol on violent behavior. A remaining issue is the motivation of some offenders for using alcohol before offending. A common explanation is based on the relationship between daily drinking habit and drinking before offending. Drawing upon the deviance disavowal assumption, the embolden hypothesis, and expectancy theories, the present study argues that alcohol may be used intentionally to promote or excuse the violent consequences of drinking. Using data from the 1993 Buffalo Longitudinal Study of Young Men, the present study examines the independent effect of aggression-related alcohol expectancies on drinking before offending and the interactive effect of aggression-related alcohol expectancies and daily alcohol consumption on drinking before offending. The results indicate a significant effect of aggression-related alcohol expectancies on alcohol use before offending. This supports the argument that drinking may be a means for carrying out violent acts. A significant interactive effect was found between aggression-related alcohol expectancies and daily alcohol consumption. "Heavy" daily alcohol consumption increased the likelihood of drinking before offending for individuals who had high aggression-related alcohol expectancies more than those who had low such expectancies. Aggression-related alcohol expectancies moderated the effect of daily drinking on drinking before offending. The implications of these findings are discussed for the link between alcohol and violence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Divalproex sodium reduces overall aggression in youth at high risk for bipolar disorder.

INTRODUCTION: The psychopharmacology of aggression in youth is relatively unexplored, even though such maladaptive aggression manifests across many different diagnoses. METHODS: This study was a 12-week, open-label trial with divalproex sodium (DVPX) in 24 bipolar offspring 6-18 years of age (mean age = 11.3 years; 17 boys) with mixed diagnoses of major depression, cyclothymia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The Overt Aggression Scale (OAS) was used to measure aggression in 4-week intervals. We measured serum gamma-butyric acid (GABA) and glutamate levels at baseline and week 12. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of evaluable subjects were considered responders to DVPX treatment by the OAS. There was a significant correlation between the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and OAS scores at week 0 (p = 0.036) and week 12 (p = 0.025). Serum DVPX level did not correlate with treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: These youths who are at high risk for bipolar disorder experienced an overall decrease in aggressive behavior in response to DVPX. Age or gender did not predict a positive response to DVPX. This study is the first report of treatment efficacy of a mood stabilizer for aggression in youth at high risk for bipolar disorder.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of alcohol intoxication on aggressive responses in men and women.

A considerable literature, clinical and experimental, has demonstrated the aggression-eliciting effects of alcohol intoxication. However, the focus of the experimental literature has been primarily on men and the studies on women have been inconclusive. This study was conducted to test for possible gender differences in the manifestation of alcohol-induced aggression. Participants were 54 males and 60 females, aged 18-30 years, who competed in a competitive aggression paradigm either sober or intoxicated. As expected, intoxicated men were more aggressive than their sober peers. However, under high provocation, both sober and intoxicated, women manifested aggression comparable to the intoxicated men. This study suggests that women can be as aggressive as men, and that alcohol intoxication does not seem to be as important a determining factor.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Affective aggression in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: a quantitative MRI study of the amygdala.

Recurrent episodes with interictal affective aggression are a rare but well-recognized problem in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. They are referred to as episodic dyscontrol or, more precisely, as intermittent explosive disorder (IED). The amygdala play a crucial role in the affective evaluation of multimodal sensory input and the neurobiological mediation of aggressive behaviour. With hippocampal sclerosis, in the context of mesial temporal lobe sclerosis, being the most common cause of temporal lobe epilepsy, we hypothesized that the amygdala might be affected by the same pathogenic process in aggressive patients. We investigated 50 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: 25 with and 25 without a history of IED. Data from clinical, electrophysiological, neuropsychological and psychometric investigations were obtained, as well as MRI scans for the quantitative assessment of possible amygdala pathology. We found no evidence of a higher prevalence of amygdala sclerosis in the aggressive patients. Hippocampal sclerosis was significantly less common in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and IED. However, a significant subgroup of patients (20%) with temporal lobe epilepsy and aggressive behaviour had severe amygdala atrophy in the context of a history of encephalitis. Another subgroup of aggressive patients (28%) had different left temporal lesions affecting either the amygdala or periamygdaloid structures. IED was associated with left-sided or bilateral EEG and MRI abnormalities, low IQ and high scores in depression and anxiety.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Predictors of aggressive behaviors: a longitudinal study in senior day care centers.

Aggressive behaviors place elderly persons and their caregivers at risk. This study examines longitudinally the predictors of aggressive behaviors based on staff and family members' ratings of 200 community-dwelling participants from senior day care centers. The main difference between physically and verbally aggressive behaviors was found to be the role of physical and mental health. Cognitive impairment and poor quality of relationship were the main predictors of physically aggressive behaviors. Verbally aggressive behaviors were predicted mainly by depressed affect, low quality of relationships, and poor physical health. These results validate and expand prior cross-sectional research on the correlates of aggression in other populations, and guide in the development of interventions.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Estrogen receptors in quail brain: a functional relationship to aromatase and aggressiveness.

Estradiol (E2) mediates many of the activational effects of testosterone (T) on masculine reproductive and aggressive behaviors. Using Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) as an animal model, together with a newly devised procedure for quantifying aggressiveness, we recently showed that aggression is E2-dependent and that individual differences in behavioral intensity are correlated with aromatase in the hypothalamus/preoptic area (HPOA). In this study we characterized estrogen receptors (ER) in quail brain and tested the hypothesis that aromatase in brain regulates T-induced behavioral responsiveness by regulating the quantity of E2 available for receptor binding. Based on standard binding assays and Sephadex LH-20 chromatography, quail brain ER was shown to be estrogen-specific, of high affinity (Kd = 0.88 nM), and of limited capacity with highest concentrations in limbic brain areas (Bmax 23-27 fmoles/gm HPOA). In addition, this ER adhered to DNA-cellulose under activating conditions. The quantitative relationship between aromatization, ER, and aggressiveness was tested in reproductively inactive (nonaggressive) males by treatment with T +/- the aromatase inhibitor 4-hydroxyandrostenedione (OHA). After 5 days, T markedly stimulated aggressiveness, and elevated aromatase and nuclear (occupied) ER in HPOA. Simultaneous treatment with OHA blocked effects on aggressiveness and aromatase, and lowered nuclear ER, but increased cytosolic (empty) ER. Total ER (nuclear plus cytosolic) was higher after T treatment whether or not OHA was administered, suggesting that androgen per se induces ER in quail HPOA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aggression↗

PubMed1996

Physical aggression and associated factors in probable Alzheimer disease.

Aggressive behavior is thought to be pervasive among and devastating to demented patients and their caregivers. This study investigated the prevalence of physical aggression in demented inpatients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Additionally, the characteristics and psychiatric symptoms that may be associated with aggression were tested. Forty-seven patients with probable AD were included in this study. Physical aggression was reported in 27 (57.4%) of the patients. These patients were older, had a later onset of dementia, and had a higher prevalence of misidentification, activity disturbances, and day/night disturbance. The relationship between these factors and physical aggression needs further clarification, which may help provide effective predictors and treatment of the aggressive behavior.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Influence of verbal ability on the expression of aggression in physically abused children.

The relationship between verbal ability and aggressive behavior in 53 physically abused children in a residential treatment center was examined. Characteristics differentiating aggressive children from their less aggressive peers were identified. Although general verbal ability was similar in aggressive and nonaggressive abused children, reading and expressive language deficits were more prevalent in the highly aggressive children. Highly aggressive children were significantly more deficient in reading ability and more often required speech-language services. Implications of these findings for treatment and future research are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Aggression in preschoolers: its relation to socialization.

The present article discusses developmental changes of aggression seen in preschool children and reports on an 18-month short-term prospective study of three preschool populations: a group referred for aggressive behavior problems, a normal control group, and a group of youngsters who had lived in violent homes, but showed no aggressive behaviors. Results indicate that the aggressive children, in comparison with the other two groups at age 4, showed a significant delay in their interpersonal awareness and perspective taking ability. However, although the aggressive children caught up with their peers in the course of the study period, there was no accompanying decrease in their aggressive behavior. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Aggression↗

PubMed1993

Precursors of hyperactivity and aggression.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the early characteristics of children who at 8 years old were hyperactive, aggressive, or both, to clarify the etiology of these disorders. METHOD: Prospective data from infancy to 8 years on children who were hyperactive (N = 65), aggressive (N = 57), or both (N = 60) at 8 years were compared with those on a normal comparison group (N = 70). Variables included ratings of temperament, behavior, school performance, and socioeconomic and life stress indices. RESULTS: The two aggressive groups, particularly the hyperactive-aggressive group, were more difficult in temperament and behavior from infancy and had less optimal environments. In contrast, the "pure" hyperactive group showed more problems than did the comparison group only from 3 to 4 years on. All three clinical groups had poorer academic performance than did the controls. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are consistent with a transactional model of development in which aggression (with or without hyperactivity) emerges when difficultness in infancy interacts with a stressed environment. Hyperactivity, when unassociated with aggression, may emerge later from poor self-regulation when faced with societal, especially school, demands. The pattern of group differences found suggest that risk indicators for specific patterns of later maladjustment may be identifiable for early intervention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Family structure and aggressive behavior in a population of urban elementary school children.

OBJECTIVE: This report examined associations between family structure and 393 fourth-grade children's aggressive behavior. METHOD: In an epidemiologically defined urban community population, both teacher and parent ratings of child aggressive behavior were examined among family structures that reflected current demographics. Relative risks for teacher- and parent-rated child aggressive behavior in mother-alone households were compared with those in the next most prevalent family structures (mother-father, mother-grandmother, and mother-male partner families). RESULTS: With all income groups combined, teachers rated boys and girls in mother-alone families as more aggressive relative to mother-father families. Among low-income families, the protective effects for mother-father families were not apparent, and mother-male partner families were associated with an increased risk for teacher-rated aggression for boys. CONCLUSION: Absence of and type of second adult present, child gender, home and school context, and income were important factors that moderated the associations between family structure and child aggressive behavior in this urban setting.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1995

Child physical abuse and aggression: preliminary findings on the role of internalizing problems.

OBJECTIVE: To test the prediction that the interaction of physical abuse and internalizing problems will heighten levels of aggressive behavior in a group of disruptive children. METHOD: Fifty-two clinic-referred disruptive children (aged 7 through 15 years) were assessed in terms of history of physical abuse, internalizing behavior problems (rated by parents), and aggressive behavior (rated by parents, teachers, and clinic staff). RESULTS: Physically abused children with co-occurring high levels of internalizing problems (based on a median split) exhibited significantly higher levels of aggression as rated by parents (p < .000) and teachers (p < .020) and a trend toward heightened aggression as rated by staff (p < .08). The patterns were similar across the three independent informants and remained regardless of age, gender, or race. CONCLUSIONS: Physical abuse was related to heightened levels of aggression only in those children who also had emotional difficulties. Results lend some support to a transactional model of the development of aggression, suggesting that problems arise out of interactions between child factors (such as internalizing problems) and adverse family experiences (such as physical abuse).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

Conceptual issues in the use of drugs for the treatment of aggression in man.

Violence is a symptom of an underlying mental state such as a psychosis, a characterological problem, or brain dysfunction. Thus drugs used to treat aggression in man exert effects by their specific pharmacological actions (e.g., antipsychotic, anticonvulsant). Most literature to date has dealt with animals and human models of aggression and lacks conceptual clarity. Aggression differs from depression, a coherent clinical entity, in its etiological diversity and its paroxysmal or impulsive basis, and this may account for the relationship seen in literature linking violence to epilepsy; yet literature on anticonvulsants is equivocal with regard to beneficial effects on aggression. Lithium has been shown to have positive effects, although its mode of action is unclear. A variety of antipsychotic agents and minor tranquilizers have been mentioned. Central nervous system stimulants have been found useful to treat hyperkinetic syndromes in both children and adults where aggression is a symptom. Hormonal agents are discussed. Drug treatment of aggression should not obscure the need for verbal therapies, and social and environmental factors should always be regarded.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

Treatment of human aggression with major tranquilizers, antidepressants, and newer psychotropic drugs.

Most of the drugs used in the treatment of aggressive syndromes have originally been developed for other clinical applications. Despite significant differences in the pathogenesis of various aggressive disorders, the frequently used "antiaggression" drugs are the major tranquilizers (neuroleptics). If the aggresstion is associated with psychosis, chlorpromazine or haloperidol are the drugs of choice. Aggressive disorders within the acute and chronic brain syndromes are best treated with pericyazine, thioridazine, and thiothixene. In aggressive symptoms of mentally retarded patients, particularly with epileptic syndromes, a new benzazepine (SCH12,679)was found to be very effective. Aggression associated with alcoholism or narcotic addiction showed best response to chlorpormazine and haloperidol. As a general rule, in aggressive patients with clinically known epilepsy, or with abnormal electroencephalographic findings, the major tranquilizers with potent sedative properties should be given with great caution.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

A further examination of the relation between trait anger and alcohol-related aggression: the role of anger control.

BACKGROUND: Trait anger has been identified as a risk factor for alcohol-related aggression. However, to develop a more accurate risk profile, it is necessary to examine the interactive relations between trait anger and other key personality variables. The present study examined the influence of anger control on alcohol-related aggression. METHODS: Participants were 164 social drinking men age 21-35 years old. Trait anger and anger control were assessed with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (Spielberger, 1996). Following consumption of an alcoholic or placebo beverage, participants competed in an aggression paradigm in which electric shocks were received from and administered to a fictitious opponent during a competitive reaction time task. Aggression was operationalized as shock intensities administered to the opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that trait anger significantly predicted aggression, but only among men who were intoxicated and reported low levels of anger control. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that anger control may be a crucial risk factor in determining whether one's anger proneness will lead to intoxicated aggression following provocation.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

The relation of premorbid factors to aggressive physical behavior in dementia.

Aggressive physical behaviour (APB) is common in persons with dementia and often leads to negative consequences such as use of restraints and staff member burnout. For the past several years, a group of nurse researchers has collaborated to develop a model that views dementia behaviors as need-driven but dementia-compromised. The model posits that background variables of the demented person interact with proximal (or current situational) variables to produce APB. The purpose of this study was to test a part of that model by addressing the question: Which premorbid factors predict APB in a sample of 84 demented institutionalized elders? This was a cross-sectional descriptive study that obtained measures of the following characteristics of residents: (1) aggressive behavior as assessed by nursing home staff members using the Ryden Aggression Scale, (2) premorbid personality traits as assessed by a member of the resident's family using the NEO Five Factor Inventory and (3) history of psychosocial stress as assessed by a member of the residents' family using the modified Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Of the sample of 84 residents, 44% exhibited physical aggression. Background factors in the model were not predictive of aggressive behavior in late-stage dementia, although the relation between premorbid neuroticism and physical aggression was in the predicted direction.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Oestrogen regulates male aggression in the non-breeding season.

Extensive research has focused on territorial aggression during the breeding season and the roles of circulating testosterone (T) and its conversion to 17beta-oestradiol (E2) in the brain. However, many species also defend territories in the non-breeding season, when circulating T-levels are low. The endocrine control of non-breeding territoriality is poorly understood. The male song sparrow of Washington State is highly territorial year-round, but plasma T is basal in the non-breeding season (autumn and winter). Castration has no effect on aggression in autumn, suggesting that autumnal territoriality is independent of gonadal hormones. However, non-gonadal sex steroids may regulate winter territoriality (e.g. oestrogen synthesis by brain aromatase). In this field experiment, we treated wild non-breeding male song sparrows with a specific aromatase inhibitor (fadrozole, FAD) using micro-osmotic pumps. FAD greatly reduced several aggressive behaviours. The effects of FAD were reversed by E2 replacement. Treatment did not affect body condition or plasma corticosterone, suggesting that all subjects were healthy These data indicate that E2 regulates male aggression in the non-breeding season and challenge the common belief that aggression in the non-breeding season is independent of sex steroids. More generally, these results raise fundamental questions about how sexual and/or aggressive behaviours are maintained in a variety of model vertebrate species despite low circulating levels of sex steroids or despite castration. Such non-classical endocrine mechanisms may be common among vertebrates and play an important role in the regulation of behaviour.

Aggression↗

PubMed2003

Melanic body colour and aggressive mating behaviour are correlated traits in male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki).

Correlated traits are important from an evolutionary perspective as natural selection acting on one trait may indirectly affect other traits. Further, the response to selection can be constrained or hastened as a result of correlations. Because mating behaviour and body colour can dramatically affect fitness, a correlation between them can have important fitness ramifications. In this work, melanic (black) male mosquitofishes (Gambusia holbrooki) with temperature-sensitive body-colour expression are bred in captivity. Half of the sons of each melanic sire are reared at 19 degrees C (and express a black body colour) and half are reared at 31 degrees C (and express a silver body colour). The two colour morphs are placed in the same social setting and monitored for behavioural differences. Mating behaviour and colour are correlated traits. Mating behaviour differs markedly between the two phenotypes, despite high genetic relatedness. Melanic (black) phenotypes are more aggressive towards females, chasing them and attempting more matings than their silver siblings. Females avoid melanic-male mating attempts more than silver-male mating attempts. When males with temperature-sensitive colour expression are melanic and aggressive, they probably experience a very different selective regime in nature from when they are silver and less aggressive. Under some conditions (e.g. predation), melanic coloration and/or aggression is advantageous compared with silver coloration and/or less aggressive behaviour. However, under different conditions (e.g. high-frequency melanism), melanism and/or aggression appears to be disadvantageous and melanic males have reduced survival and reproduction. Selective advantages to each morph under different conditions may enable the long-term persistence of this temperature-sensitive genotype.

Aggression↗