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PubMed2003

Predatory aggression, but not maternal or intermale aggression, is associated with high voluntary wheel-running behavior in mice.

Predatory (towards crickets), intermale, and maternal aggression were examined in four replicate lines of mice that had been selectively bred for high wheel-running (S) and in four random-bred control lines (C). In generation 18, individual differences in both predatory and intermale aggression were significantly consistent across four trial days, but predatory and intermale aggression were uncorrelated both at the individual level and among the eight line means. Latencies to attack crickets were significantly lower in S lines as a group. Intermale aggression, however, did not differ between S and C lines. S lines were significantly smaller in body mass, but did not differ in either testes mass or plasma testosterone. In generations 28 and 30, respectively, S and C lines did not differ in either maternal or intermale aggression. However, significant differences among the individual lines were found for maternal aggression, and one S line exhibited an extremely high mean time of aggression (>120 sec for a 5-min test). Maternal and intermale aggression were not correlated among the eight line means or at the level of individual variation. Overall, our results suggest: (1) predatory aggression and voluntary wheel-running are positively related at the genetic level; (2) predatory and intermale aggression are unrelated at a genetic level; and (3) maternal and intermale aggression are not tightly related at the genetic level. Possible relationships between predatory aggression, dopamine, and wheel-running behavior are discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1989

Psychological aggression predicts physical aggression in early marriage.

Psychological aggression by self and partner, physical aggression by the partner, and marital dissatisfaction were examined as longitudinal predictors of first instances of physical aggression during marriage. Subjects who were not physically aggressive at a premarital assessment were selected from a sample of 393 engaged couples. Couples participated in three subsequent assessments over the first 30 months of marriage. As hypothesized, individuals' own psychological aggression predicted their initial incidents of physical aggression in marriage. Psychological aggression by their partners also predicted initial incidents of physical aggression. Prior physical aggression by their partners was inconsistently associated with first instances of physical aggression. Contrary to our hypothesis, previous levels of marital dissatisfaction did not predict initial incidents of physical aggression. These findings were consistent across sexes. The results underscore the progression from psychological to physical abuse and have clear implications for understanding the development and prevention of interspousal aggression.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Aggressive marital conflict, maternal harsh punishment, and child aggressive-disruptive behavior: evidence for direct and mediated relations.

Direct associations between aggressive marital conflict and child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home and school were explored in this cross-sectional study of 360 kindergarten children. In addition, mediated pathways linking aggressive marital conflict to maternal harsh punishment to child aggressive-disruptive behavior were examined. Moderation analyses explored how the overall frequency of marital disagreement might buffer or exacerbate the impact of aggressive marital conflict on maternal harsh punishment and child aggressive-disruptive behavior. Hierarchical regressions revealed direct pathways linking aggressive marital conflict to child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home and school and a partially mediated pathway linking aggressive marital conflict to child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home. Further analyses revealed that rates of marital disagreement moderated the association between aggressive marital conflict and child aggressive-disruptive behavior at home, with an attenuated association at high rates of marital disagreement as compared with low rates of marital disagreement.

Aggression↗
PubMed1994

Aggression in psychiatry: a qualitative study focusing on the characterization and perception of patient aggression by nurses working on psychiatric wards.

The present study focuses on the characterization and perception of patient aggression by nurses working in a psychiatric hospital in The Netherlands. Data have been collected by interviewing nurses working on open and closed wards. The results have been compared and related to the existing literature on aggression. An expert panel has collaborated in the assessment of part of the research findings. Nurses perceive and describe aggression in different ways. Since the descriptions of aggression varied considerably, it was not possible to formulate a general definition of aggression on the basis of the results of the study. Despite the fact that on the whole the general public have a negative view of aggression, the descriptions nurses gave were not always negative. Most of the nurses acknowledged positive as well as negative aspects of aggressive behaviour by patients. Interventions in cases of aggressive behaviour depend on different factors, e.g. the individual nurse's perception of the situation, the (mostly unwritten) rules, and the type of ward (open or closed). The same interventions are often used both to prevent aggression and to stop it. The difference lies in the moment of execution. Most interventions are aimed at stopping aggressive behaviour by acting in a non-restrictive way, e.g. by talking to the patient, touching the patient and giving unexpected responses. Nurses express the belief that aggression is mainly caused by a combination of patient-related, situational and interactional factors. This is not in accordance with the opinion of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, who relate aggressive behaviour mainly to patient characteristics.

Aggression↗
PubMed1999

An examination of social cognitive theory with differences among sexually aggressive, physically aggressive and nonaggressive children in state care.

Three groups of boys in Washington State care (37 sexually aggressive, 17 physically aggressive, and 15 nonaggressive) are compared on measures of behavior and cognition. Bandura's Social Cognition theory is offered as a possible explanation for sexual aggression by children. Two theory-based hypothesis are tested. First, are sexually aggressive children cognitively deficient when compared to the other groups? Second, do the sexually aggressive children have cognitive distortions about their behavior and about sex? Similarities were found in the aggressive and sexually aggressive groups on several measures. Physically aggressive boys were found to have some sexual behavior problems. Sexually aggressive boys were also found to be physically aggressive. Physically aggressive boys were found to have the least severe and least frequent victimization history. No support was found for the first hypothesis, while some evidence of cognitive distortions regarding both social behavior and sex was found in the sexually aggressive children. Discussion and some implications for research and practice are offered.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

Serotonin transporter characteristics in lymphocytes and platelets of male aggressive schizophrenia patients compared to non-aggressive schizophrenia patients.

A large body of literature indicates that disturbances of central serotonin (5-HT) function play an important role in aggressive behavior. Results from open-label and placebo-controlled trials as well as the reported inverse relationship between 5-HT function and aggression in human subjects, suggest that reduced 5-HT activity is associated with aggressive behavior. The activity of the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT), as determined by [(3)H]5-HT uptake to blood lymphocytes, was measured in 20 currently aggressive and 20 non-aggressive male schizophrenia patients. In addition, the pharmacodynamic characteristics of platelet 5-HTT were assessed by [(3)H]citalopram binding. There were no significant differences in the density (B(max)) of platelet [(3)H]citalopram binding sites between the two groups. Similarly, the dissociation constant (K(d)) values were indistinguishable. The maximum uptake velocity (V(max)) of [(3)H]5-HT to fresh lymphocytes and the K(m) values of the 5-HT to the transporter were significantly higher in currently aggressive compared to the non-aggressive schizophrenia patients. The association of high V(max) values with current aggressive behavior provides further support to the involvement of the 5-HTT in aggressive behavior as well as to the efficacy of 5-HTT blockers in the control of aggression. The role of the various components of the serotonergic system in the pathophysiology and treatment of aggressive behavior in schizophrenia needs to be further evaluated.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

What can animal aggression research tell us about human aggression?

Research on endocrinological correlates of aggression in laboratory animals is implicitly motivated by an expectation that the results of such studies may be applicable to human aggression as well. Research with a focus on the stimulus antecedents of aggression, its response characteristics, and its outcomes suggests a number of detailed correspondences between offensive aggression in laboratory rodents and human angry aggression. These include resource (including status and territory) competition as motives that are particularly elicited by conspecific challenge situations and, when the aggression is successful, outcomes of reduction of challenge and enhancement of resource control and status. Although the response characteristics of human aggression have been dramatically altered by human verbal, technological, and social advancements, there is some evidence for targeting of blows, similar to a well-established pattern for offensive aggression in many nonhuman mammals. Finally, for people as well as for nonhuman mammals, fear of defeat or punishment is a major factor inhibiting the expression of offensive aggression. While defensive aggression has been very little researched in people, it may represent a different phenomenon than angry aggression, again providing a parallel to the offense-defense distinction of laboratory rodent studies.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

Aggression after traumatic brain injury: analysing socially desirable responses and the nature of aggressive traits.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To compare patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with controls on sub-types of aggression and explore the role of social desirability. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental, matched-participants design. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Sixty-nine participants were included in the study. The sample comprised a TBI group (n = 24), a spinal cord injury (SCI) group (n = 21) and an uninjured (UI) group of matched healthy volunteers (n = 24). Participants were given self-report measures of aggression, social desirability and impulsivity. Sixty-one independent 'other-raters' were nominated, who rated participant pre-morbid and post-morbid aggression. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Using standardized norms, 25-39% of participants with TBI were classified as high average-very high on anger and 35-38% as high average-very high on verbal aggression. Other-raters rated participants with TBI as significantly higher on verbal aggression than SCI and UI participants. There were no differences between the groups on physical aggression. The TBI group also had higher levels of impulsivity than SCI and UI groups. Social desirability was a highly significant predictor of self-reported aggression for the entire sample. CONCLUSIONS: Impulsive verbal aggression and anger are the principal aggressive traits after brain injury. Physical aggression may present in extreme cases after TBI, but appears less prominent overall in this population. Social desirability, previously overlooked in research examining TBI aggression, emerged as an influential variable that should be considered in future TBI research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2007

Parents' aggressive influences and children's aggressive problem solutions with peers.

This study examined children's aggressive and assertive solutions to hypothetical peer scenarios in relation to parents' responses to similar hypothetical social scenarios and parents' actual marital aggression. The study included 118 children ages 9 to 10 years old and their mothers and fathers. Children's aggressive solutions correlated with same-sex parents' actual marital aggression. For children with mothers who exhibited low actual marital aggression, mothers' aggressive solutions to hypothetical situations corresponded with children's tendencies to propose aggressive but not assertive solutions. In a 3-way interaction, fathers' aggressive solutions to peer scenarios and marital aggression, combined, exacerbated girls' aggressive problem solving but had the opposite effect for boys. We address the complexity, particularly with respect to parent and child gender combinations, in understanding parents' aggressive influences on children's peer relationships.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

An investigation into the sub-acute effects of ecstasy on aggressive interpretative bias and aggressive mood - are there gender differences?

The lowering of serotonin for a period following MDMA use could account for the increases in both self-rated and objective measures of aggression previously found in ecstasy users several days after taking the drug. There is some evidence of gender differences in the acute, sub-acute and long-term effects of MDMA use, and given that gender differences have been found in aggression, it is possible that men may experience more aggression mid-week than women. The aim of this study was to attempt to replicate findings showing increased bias towards aggressive material in ecstasy users several days after using the drug. In addition, to investigate possible gender differences in mid-week aggression. A total of 46 participants were tested: 19 ecstasy users and 27 controls were compared on the night of drug use and 4 days later. On day 4, a task designed to tap cognitive bias toward material with aggressive content was administered. Participants were required to process sentences that could be interpreted as either aggressive or neutral and subsequently remember them in a recognition test. This data set was then combined with the data from Curran et al.'s (2004) study that employed exactly the same procedure. Thus, the data from 107 participants was analysed to investigate gender differences. Ecstasy users recognized more aggressive sentences than controls and tended to react slower to neutral sentences than controls. Ecstasy users also rated themselves as being more aggressive and depressed than controls on day 4. No gender differences were found on any measure of aggression in the combined data set. Both male and female ecstasy users show a bias toward interpretation of ambiguous material in an aggressive manner when compared to controls 4 days after ecstasy use.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Proactive and reactive aggression in delinquent adolescents: relations to aggression outcome expectancies.

Investigated whether the relation between aggression and the tendency to expect positive outcomes for aggressive behavior is specific to the proactive subtype of aggression (as opposed to the reactive subtype). In a sample of 86 incarcerated adolescent boys ages 13 to 18, we measured outcome expectancies for aggression using audiotaped hypothetical vignettes. For each participant, staff members completed proactive and reactive aggression rating scales. Regression analyses revealed that the relation between aggression and outcome expectancies was indeed specific to proactive aggression. Furthermore, this finding was supported regardless of whether outcome expectancies were assessed using vignettes describing proactive-aggressive behavior or those describing reactive-aggressive behavior. We discuss these findings and argue that interventions to reduce proactive or reactive aggression should differ from each other by addressing the specific social cognitive processes involved in each type of aggression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[The status of aggressive children and victims of aggression in school].

In a representative sample of 1594 pupils of the eight grade in Vienna and lower Austria the experiences of conflicts among pupils and the other school experiences were explored. Based on the reports of their own involvement in aggressive acts 4 groups of pupils were formed--a group which was themself aggressive against other pupils in their class but was no target of aggression (bullies); a group which was frequently a target of aggression; a group which was both--aggressive and target of aggression and finally an uninvolved group. It was shown that aggressive children had a high self-reported readiness to solve conflicts through physical power and that they were often involved in other dissocial acts in school. A major part of these pupils had a rather negative image of their school and of the teachers. The self-concept and the perception of their own role in class depended very much on their being a target of aggression or not. Parallels between these two subgroups and the distinction between socialized and undersocialized aggression are highlighted. In addition the special situation of those pupils who are a target of aggression without being aggressive is considered.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

The role of overt aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior in the prediction of children's future social adjustment.

2 limitations of past research on social adjustment were addressed: (1) the tendency to focus on forms of aggression that are typical of boys (e.g., overt aggression) and to neglect forms that are more typical of girls (e.g., relational aggression) and (2) the tendency to study negative behaviors (e.g., aggression), to the exclusion of positive behaviors (e.g., prosocial acts). Using a longitudinal design (n = 245; third- through sixth-grade children, 9-12 years old), assessments of children's relational aggression, overt aggression, prosocial behavior, and social adjustment were obtained at 3 points during the academic year. Findings showed that, as has been demonstrated in past research for overt aggression, individual differences in relational aggression were relatively stable over time. Additionally, relational aggression contributed uniquely to the prediction of future social maladjustment, beyond that predicted by overt aggression. Finally, prosocial behavior contributed unique information (beyond that provided by overt and relational aggression) to the prediction of future social adjustment.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of p53 in aggressive and non-aggressive histologic variants of basal cell carcinoma.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) generally has an indolent course but a subgroup of BCCs tends to grow aggressively into deep tissues and even metastasize. Although studies have shown a positive correlation between mutations in the tumor suppressor gene p53 and aggressive behavior in epithelial tumors, the results for BCC are conflicting. We aimed to determine whether there is any relationship between p53 expression in BCC and histopathologic subtype of the tumor.Thirty-three formalin-fixed BCC tissue samples were examined at Hazrat-e Rasool University Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from March 2003 to April 2004. Tumors were categorized as aggressive (infiltrative or morpheic) and non-aggressive (nodular or superficial) based on histopathological examination of hematoxylin and eosin sections. p53 expression was demonstrated by immunohistochemical staining using the monoclonal anti-p53 antibody (PAb240) and results were reported using a semiquantitative score. Expression of p53 was compared between aggressive and non-aggressive tumors. All of the 11 aggressive tumors exhibited nuclear staining in more than 50% of the tumor cells. In the 22 non-aggressive tumors, less than 50% of cells showed positive staining. p53 immunoreactivity was significantly higher in aggressive BCCs than non-aggressive ones (x(2) test; p < 0.01). No correlation was found between p53 expression and the age of the patient or site of the tumor. History of childhood radiotherapy correlated positively with higher levels of p53 expression. We conclude that expression of p53 might be used as a marker to predict the aggressiveness of BCCs.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Effects of testosterone exposure and fighting experience on the aggressive behavior of female and male mice selectively bred for intermale aggression.

Exposure of female mice to testosterone resulted in aggressive behavior as a function of breeding line in two lines of mice selectively bred for high (Turku Aggressive, TA) and low (Turku Nonaggressive, TNA) levels of aggressiveness. Female TA mice that received a single injection of testosterone propionate (TP) (1 mg in 0.05 ml peanut oil) on the second day of life, and starting at 120 days of age received daily injections for seven consecutive days, displayed aggressive behavior on a level comparable to that of socially isolated males of the same line, whereas control TA females (injected with 0.05 ml peanut oil) and TP-exposed TNA females were totally nonaggressive. The level of aggressiveness was assessed by means of dyadic tests against intact male opponents. Early and adult exposure to TP did not lead to increased aggressiveness in male TNA mice. Fighting experience in combination with prolonged TP treatment changed the aggressiveness of the TP-exposed TA females, leading to decreased aggressiveness in defeated animals. The genetically correlated low level of aggressiveness of TNA male and female mice was unaffected by any combination of TP exposure, learning and social isolation. It is concluded that differences in testosterone reactivity of target organs, other than those which are Y chromosome determined, i.e., the testes, are responsible for the aggressiveness in the strains studied.

Aggression↗
PubMed1995

Predatory aggression in male mice selectively bred for isolation-induced intermale aggression.

Male mice differing in their genetically determined disposition for isolation-induced intermale aggression were compared on behaviors related to predatory aggression. An ongoing sequence of selective breeding established high-aggressive (Turku Aggressive: TA) and low-aggressive (Turku Non-Aggressive: TNA) lines from an outbred Swiss albino foundation stock. The parental strain, designated the Normal (N) strain, has been kept as a control line and is bred without regard to aggressiveness. Testing consisted of dropping a live cricket into the home cage of the individually housed experimental mice. Results showed that the TA males displayed shorter latencies to attack and spent more time in chasing, attacking, and consuming crickets than did TNA and N males. The TNA males displayed significantly less predatory aggression than both the TA and N males. When brothers of the males tested for predatory aggression were tested for intermale aggression, a similarly significant effect of breeding line was obtained for the latency to attack. Testing consisted of placing an intact male mouse into the cage of the male to be tested. The results suggest that there may be parallels in genetic variation between intermale and predatory attacking.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

Aggressive behavior in patients with stroke: association with psychopathology and results of antidepressant treatment on aggression.

OBJECTIVE: To examine, in a post hoc analysis of an antidepressant treatment trial, correlates of irritability and aggression after stroke and changes in irritability scores associated with antidepressant treatment. DESIGN: Aggressive patients (n=23) were compared with nonaggressive patients (n=69) on numerous measures of psychopathology, poststroke impairment, and neuroimaging findings. SETTING: All patients were hospitalized at the time of the initial evaluation for acute stroke or for rehabilitation therapy. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-two patients from the Iowa City Stroke Study were classified as aggressive or nonaggressive, based on symptoms elicited by the Present State Examination (PSE) and from family or caretaker reports. INTERVENTION: All patients were randomized to receive nortriptyline, fluoxetine, or placebo using a double-blind methodology. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The change in aggression score as elicited by the PSE at the beginning and the end of a 12-week treatment trial. RESULTS: Twenty-five percent (23/92) of patients reported irritability or aggression. Irritable and aggressive patients had higher total PSE scores, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores, and lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores. They also had lesions that were more proximal to the frontal pole. Stepwise regression analysis showed that HAMA scores and proximity of lesion to the frontal pole were significant independent predictors of irritability. Among irritable and aggressive patients with depression who responded to antidepressants, there was a significantly greater reduction in irritability after treatment, compared with patients whose depression did not lessen with treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors, such as severity of impairment, other psychopathology, and neurobiologic factors, appear to contribute to irritable and aggressive behavior in stroke patients. If depression accompanies aggression, the results of this small study suggest that successful treatment of depression may reduce aggressive behavior.

Aged↗
PubMed2007

Differential role of the 5-HT1A receptor in aggressive and non-aggressive mice: an across-strain comparison.

Differential role of the 5-HT(1A) receptor in aggressive and non-aggressive mice: an across-strain comparison. PHYSIOL BEHAV 00(0) 000-000, 2006. According to the serotonin (5-HT)-deficiency hypothesis of aggression, highly aggressive individuals are characterized by low brain 5-HT neurotransmission. Key regulatory mechanisms acting on the serotonergic neuron involve the activation of the somatodendritic inhibitory 5-HT(1A) autoreceptor (short feedback loop) and/or the activation of postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors expressed on neurons in cortico-limbic areas (long feedback loop). In this study, we examined whether low serotonin neurotransmission is associated with enhanced 5-HT(1A) (auto)receptor activity in highly aggressive animals. Male mice (SAL-LAL, TA-TNA, NC900-NC100) obtained through different artificial-selection breeding programs for aggression were observed in a resident-intruder test. The prefrontal cortex level of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA were determined by means of HPLC. The activity of the 5-HT(1A) receptors was assessed by means of the hypothermic response to the selective 5-HT(1A) agonists S-15535 (preferential autoreceptor agonist) and 8-OHDPAT (full pre- and postsynaptic receptor agonist). Highly aggressive mice had lower serotonin levels in the prefrontal cortex and two out of three aggressive strains had higher 5-HT(1A) (auto)receptor sensitivity. The results strengthen the validity of the serotonin-deficiency hypothesis of aggression and suggest that chronic exaggerated activity of the 5-HT(1A) receptor may be a causative link in the neural cascade of events leading to 5-HT hypofunction in aggressive individuals.

Aggression↗