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PubMed1996

Aggressive behaviour and extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptics in schizophrenia.

The objective of this study was to determine whether extrapyramidal side effects of neuroleptics are associated with aggressive behaviour in schizophrenia. Thirty-one physically aggressive patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for schizophrenia were compared with 31 matched non-aggressive patients in relation to their extrapyramidal side effects, including drug-induced parkinsonian (DIP) symptoms, akathisia and tardive dyskinesia. The aggressive group had significantly more severe DIP side effects than the non-aggressive group, but the association disappeared when level of psychopathology was controlled for. The aggressive group had more severe akathisia than the non-aggressive group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The two groups did not suffer in the severity of tardive dyskinesia. There was no significant, independent effect of extrapyramidal symptoms on aggressive behaviour in our sample of schizophrenic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Temporal lobe epilepsy and aggression.

Research on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and aggression is reviewed in order to learn why it has not contributed more to our understanding of the neural basis of aggression. The research problem can be resolved into two questions: Are temporal lobe epileptics more aggressive? What inferences can be drawn about the factors underlying aggression in TLE? Difficulties in finding suitable operational definitions for TLE and for aggression have, to date, received insufficient attention. In published studies, sample bias and lack of regard for the validity and reliability of behavioral assessments prevent our deciding whether an association exists between interictal aggressive behavior and TLE. Even if this association were demonstrated, one could not draw direct neurobehavioral inferences from it, since a variety of social and psychological, as well as neurophysiological variables could contribute to the association. These would have to be controlled. Methodological refinements could lead to more satisfactory answers to the first question, but the second is considerably more difficult. Some sources of complexity and apparent contradictions in the experimental literature on the neurology of aggression are discussed. They consist of technical problems, the complexity of the neural substrate of aggression and the influence of environmental cues and learning. The combined use of electrophysiological and interview techniques has yielded some interesting results with TLE patients.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

Profiles of aggression among psychiatric patients. I. Nature and prevalence.

Based on the Yudofsky scale, a Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) with upgraded psychometric properties was developed to assess the nature and prevalence of aggression in a psychiatric population. The present report describes the standardization of this scale and the pattern of findings on two cohorts of 114 and 150 inpatients. The results support the discriminative validity of the MOAS and its internal, interrater, and retest reliabilities. Within 1 week some form of aggression was noted in about one fourth of the patient samples, with verbal aggression the most prevalent and autoaggression the least. Chronic patients showed the lowest incidence of physical assault and general aggression, whereas gender differences and daily variations were not significant. Greater stability of aggression was demonstrated for patient groups and for forms of aggression with higher base rates and for the short term (within 1 week) rather than the long course (3 months). The high prevalence of aggression and the consistency of profiles across patient samples suggested that sensitive, multivariable scaling can improve the accuracy of measurement and the depiction of the construct.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Profiles of aggression among psychiatric patients. II. Covariates and predictors.

An Aggression Risk Profile was developed as an objective multidimensional scale for characterizing aggressive psychiatric patients and predicting verbal, physical, and general manifestations of aggression. Based on earlier studies, the 39-item Aggression Risk Profile incorporated demographic, diagnostic, historical, and clinical parameters. Its reliability, discriminative validity, and predictive validity were supported in its application to a total of 208 inpatients. Aggressive patients were more often found to be men, to be diagnosed with organic mental syndrome or substance abuse disorder, and to be notable in history of aggression. They tended to be angry and excitable but not more floridly ill than control subjects. The contemporaneous covariates of aggression, however, were not the same as the predictors, as determined by 3-month prospective follow-up. Twelve significant predictors were identified, and multiple regression analysis revealed different sets of measures that explain 45.0% to 52.5% of the variance for verbal, physical, and total aggression. The most reliable predictors were younger age, shorter length of illness, hostility, depression, anger, and difficulty in delaying gratification. We concluded that prediction is augmented by the combination of clinical and nonclinical predictors, and we discussed likely sources of disparity in previous research.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The influence of trait anger on the alcohol-aggression relation in men and women.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of trait anger on alcohol-related aggression in men and women. METHODS: Subjects were 204 healthy social drinkers (111 men and 93 women) between 21 and 35 years of age. Trait anger was measured using the Spielberger Trait Anger Scale. After the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, subjects were tested on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm in which mild electric shocks were received from and administered to a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. RESULTS: Of all of the variables, provocation was the strongest elicitor of aggression. Overall, anger was positively related to aggression for all subjects. However, the central finding of this study was that alcohol was more likely to increase aggression for persons, particularly men, with higher, as opposed to lower, levels of trait anger. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that alcohol consumption does not increase aggression for all persons and in all situations. A continuing goal for future research in this area is to identify which individual difference and which contextual factors are most important in determining who will and who will not behave in an aggressive manner when intoxicated.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The effects of affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of trait anger on the alcohol-aggression relation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of trait anger on alcohol-related aggression in men and women. METHODS: Subjects were 300 (150 men and 150 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. Trait anger was measured using the ABC Anger Inventory. Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, subjects were tested on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. RESULTS: Results indicated that alcohol increased aggression only for men with higher behavioral and cognitive anger scores and only for women with higher behavioral anger scores. Results also showed that when all anger components were taken into account, behavioral anger was the only factor that put one at risk for intoxicated aggression. CONCLUSIONS: Two recent studies demonstrated that the trait of "general" anger is a risk factor for intoxicated aggression (Giancola, 2002a; Parrott and Zeichner, 2002). The present investigation confirmed and extended these findings by examining the role of three different components of anger. The results highlight the fact that alcohol consumption does not increase aggression in all persons and in all situations. An important goal for future research is to identify which individual difference and contextual factors are most important in determining who will, and will not, behave in an aggressive manner when intoxicated.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Aggressive behaviour affects selection on morphology by influencing settlement patterns in a passerine bird.

The importance of behaviours as instigators or inhibitors of evolutionary change remains largely unresolved and this is in part because there are very few empirical examples of how behaviours affect evolutionary processes. By determining the environment of breeding, aggressive interactions over territories have the potential to strongly impact selection pressures experienced by individuals. Western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) provide a unique opportunity to investigate the evolutionary importance of aggression, since their highly variable breeding habitat favours distinct foraging techniques and they also compete aggressively for nest boxes, a resource that is easy to manipulate. Here, I show experimentally that more aggressive males compete more effectively for territories with a high density of nest boxes and, as a consequence, aggressive and non-aggressive males are sorted into distinct breeding habitats that differ in the strength of selection on morphological traits. Specifically, males with longer tails and tarsi were favoured in open habitats where high agility is required to forage efficiently, whereas in forested habitats, where agility is less important, selection was weak. These results show that aggression can affect selection on a local scale by determining individual settlement patterns. More generally, because territorial interactions are important across a wide variety of taxa, these results suggest that aggressive behaviour has the potential to impact the evolutionary trajectory of many animal populations.

Aggression↗
PubMed2005

Adolescents with chronic illnesses: school absenteeism, perceived peer aggression, and loneliness.

Frequent school absence is often cited as a risk factor for peer relationship problems in youngsters with chronic illnesses, but this assumption has not been subjected to quantitative empirical examination. This issue was examined in the present study by exploring the relationship between school absenteeism, peer aggression, and loneliness in adolescents with chronic illnesses. Forty-one adolescents with chronic illnesses completed a modified version of the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scale and the Asher Loneliness Scale. Details of school absences and hospitalizations were obtained from parents and school and hospital records. No evidence was found to support the notion that peer aggression and loneliness are related to absenteeism, but social aggression (for both boys and girls) and verbal aggression (more markedly for girls) were associated with loneliness. Of the group, 19% reported experiencing verbal aggression and 12% social aggression at least weekly; informal qualitative data suggesting that such aggression is often related to limited sporting ability and appearance. Interventions at both the individual and school community level are warranted.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2002

Witnessing interparental psychological aggression in childhood: implications for daily conflict in adult intimate relationships.

We examined the consequences of witnessing interparental psychological aggression in childhood for daily conflict processes in adult intimate relationships. Both partners in 73 heterosexual couples provided daily diary reports of relationship conflict over a 28-day period. Partners' reports of witnessing mother-to-father and father-to-mother psychological aggression were used to predict exposure to daily relationship conflicts and reactivity to those conflicts (as reflected in end-of-day anger). Results showed no evidence of exposure effects: Witnessing interparental psychological aggression was unrelated to the number of conflict days reported by either partner. Reactivity effects emerged for males only, with father's aggression predicting increased reactivity and mother's aggression predicting the opposite. However, we found evidence of direct or unmediated effects of interparental conflict on daily anger for both males and females. Mirroring the reactivity pattern, the same-sex parent's psychological aggression predicted greater daily anger, whereas the opposite-sex parent's aggression predicted less daily anger. These effects emerged independently of Big Five measures of personality; moreover, Big Five measures did not predict outcomes independently of interparental aggression.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Reactively and proactively aggressive children: antecedent and subsequent characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Reactive and proactive subtypes of aggressive 10-11-12-year-old children were compared with non-aggressive children to examine whether the two forms of aggression were differentially related to antecedent and subsequent measures. METHOD: A large community sample of boys and girls was used. Reactive and proactive aggression was measured through teacher ratings when the children were 10, 11 and 12 years old. Antecedent measures were age 6 temperament and behavioral dispositions; subsequent measures were age 13 delinquency and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Results indicated that reactive and proactive children had distinctive profiles on antecedent and subsequent measures. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that children characterized by reactive or proactive aggression differ on several dimensions of personal functioning, and that reactive and proactive aggression are distinct forms of aggression, although both co-occur in a large proportion of aggressive children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Resident-intruder trait aggression is associated with differences in lysine vasopressin and serotonin receptor 1A (5-HT1A) mRNA expression in the brain of pre-pubertal female domestic pigs (Sus scrofa).

Aggressive behaviour exhibited by domestic pigs following encounters with unfamiliar individuals is a serious welfare and economical problem. Aggression resulting in skin lesions is similarly prevalent in prepubertal pigs of either sex. Little is known about the neural circuits and neuropeptides that control aggression in the pig. Because there is evidence for the involvement of the vasopressin and serotonergic systems in the regulation of aggressive behaviour in male mammals, we sought differences using quantitative in situ hybridisation of vasopressin and serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1A) mRNA expression within specific brain regions of aggressive and nonaggressive prepubertal female pigs. The number of cells expressing vasopressin mRNA was significantly higher in aggressive pigs in the medial amygdala, lateral septum (LS) and showed a similar trend in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BnST) but not the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) or supraoptic nucleus. The 5-HT1A receptor was widely expressed through the porcine brain and a significantly lower intensity (silver grain density) of 5-HT1A mRNA expression was observed in the BnST. In the medial amygdala and LS fewer cells expressed 5-HT1A mRNA in aggressive pigs but no differences were found in the PVN. In the absence of inbred strains or selection lines, these findings have shown that prior identification of phenotypic behavioural extremes in a population in advance of neural studies is a useful technique. Moreover, these findings support a central role for vasopressin and serotonin in the mediation of high trait aggression in prepubertal female pigs.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

Clinician perceptions of personal safety and confidence to manage inpatient aggression in a forensic psychiatric setting.

Inpatient mental health clinicians need to feel safe in the workplace. They also require confidence in their ability to work with aggressive patients, allowing the provision of therapeutic care while protecting themselves and other patients from psychological and physical harm. The authors initiated this study with the predetermined belief that a comprehensive and integrated organizational approach to inpatient aggression was required to support clinicians and that this approach increased confidence and staff perceptions of personal safety. To assess perceptions of personal safety and confidence, clinicians in a forensic psychiatric hospital were surveyed using an adapted version of the Confidence in Coping With Patient Aggression Instrument. In this study clinicians reported the hospital as safe. They reported confidence in their work with aggressive patients. The factors that most impacted on clinicians' confidence to manage aggression were colleagues' knowledge, experience and skill, management of aggression training, use of prevention and intervention strategies, teamwork and the staff profile. These results are considered with reference to an expanding literature on inpatient aggression. It is concluded that organizational resources, policies and frameworks support clinician perceptions of safety and confidence to manage inpatient aggression. However, how these are valued by clinicians and translated into practice at unit level needs ongoing attention.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Staff gender ratio and aggression in a forensic psychiatric hospital.

Gender balance in acute psychiatric inpatient units remains a contentious issue. In terms of maintaining staff and patient safety, 'balance' is often considered by ensuring there are 'sufficient' male nurses present on each shift. In an ongoing programme of research into aggression, the authors investigated reported incidents of patient aggression and examined the gender ratio on each shift over a 6-month period. Contrary to the popular notion that a particular gender ratio might have some relationship with the likelihood of aggressive incidents, there was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of male staff working on the shifts when there was an aggressive incident compared with the shifts when there was no aggressive incident. Further, when an incident did occur, the severity of the incident bore no relationship with the proportion of male staff working on the shift. Nor did the gender of the shift leader have an impact on the decision to seclude the patient or the likelihood of completing an incident form following an aggressive incident. Staff confidence in managing aggression may be influenced by the presence of male staff. Further, aspects of prevention and management may be influenced by staff gender. However, results suggest there is no evidence that the frequency or severity of aggression is influenced by staff gender ratio.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1972

Factors influencing the aggressiveness elicited by marihuana in food-deprived rats.

1. Aggressive behaviour was elicited in rats that had been deprived of food for 20 h daily (starved), by chronic administration of Cannabis sativa extract or (-)-Delta(9)-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol.2. The influence of intraperitoneal (i.p.) or oral glucose administration, cold environment, acidosis, and corn, and protein-free diets on this aggressiveness was studied.3. Intraperitoneal injections of glucose (100-1,600 mg/kg) did not alter the aggressiveness induced by marihuana in starved rats; glucose given orally, however, blocked this behaviour.4. Low temperature (14 degrees C) strongly potentiated the aggressive behaviour induced by marihuana in the starved rats.5. Lactic acid in doses capable of potentiating thiopental anaesthesia, failed to alter the marihuana-aggressiveness of starved rats or to facilitate this effect of marihuana in rats fed ad libitum. The same negative results were obtained with ammonium chloride.6. In rats fed ad libitum with protein-free or corn diets, marihuana administered chronically did not elicit aggressive behaviour. However, aggressiveness appeared when rats were fed for only 2 h daily on those diets.7. The results suggest that the stress of hunger (and not hypoglycaemia, acidosis or lack of specific nutrients due to starvation) is the factor that facilitates the development of aggressive behaviour by chronic administration of marihuana.

Acidosis↗
PubMed1998

Aggressive behaviour in intellectually challenged patients with epilepsy treated with lamotrigine.

PURPOSE: Lamotrigine (LTG) is a valuable addition to the medical management of epilepsy with wide spectrum of efficacy and good outcomes for quality of life. We report the emergence of a syndrome of aggressive behavior provoked by LTG in patients with epilepsy and intellectual challenge. METHODS: On recognition of a tendency to aggression in intellectually challenged patients whose epilepsy was treated with LTG, a survey was conducted of those from centers specializing in management of patients with intellectual disability who were treated with LTG. Responses to LTG were sought and patient's behavioral profiles were determined. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were identified (16 men, 3 women, aged 17-54 years). Five patients discontinued LTG due to unprovoked aggressive behavior subsequent to its use; 2 had aggressive behavior sufficient to justify discontinuation of LTG but required reintroduction to control the epilepsy; 1 required reduction in LTG dosage; 1 had aggression that responded to psychiatric intervention; and 1 had aggression unrelated to LTG. Four patients had behavioral problems other than aggression, 4 had no change in behavior, and the behavior of 1 was improved by LTG treatment. CONCLUSIONS: LTG may provoke aggressive behavior and violence in intellectually handicapped patients with epilepsy, which may limit its use in such patients. Acknowledgment of the potential for such disturbance justifies greater surveillance of these patients and early discontinuation of LTG if necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Executive cognitive functioning predicts reactive aggression in boys at high risk for substance abuse: a prospective study.

This study assessed the ability of executive cognitive functioning (ECF) to predict reactive aggression in boys at high and low risk for substance abuse using a 2-year prospective design. ECF is defined as the self-regulation of goal-directed behavior. Reactive aggression involves impulsive hostile reactions committed with little forethought. ECF was measured using five neuropsychological tests in 198 10- to 12-year-old boys with (SA+) and without (SA-) a paternal history of substance abuse/dependence. Reactive aggression was measured, 2 years later, using a composite index of items derived from two self-report measures. It was hypothesized that ECF would predict reactive aggression, and that this relation would be stronger for the SA+ compared with the SA- boys. SA+ subjects demonstrated lower ECF scores and higher reactive aggression scores, compared with SA- controls. ECF predicted reactive aggression in the SA+ group (beta = 0.37, p = 0.001), but not in the SA- group (beta = 0.09, p = NS). This suggests that compromised ECF may be a risk factor for reactive aggression in SA+ youth. The hypothesis that the relation between ECF and reactive aggression is a manifestation of a mild dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed2005

Fifteen years of research with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale: a review.

OBJECTIVE: Research on the prevalence and causes of in-patient aggression has been hindered by the use of different methods for measuring aggression. Since Palmstierna and Wistedt presented the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS) in 1987, this data collection method has been used in various studies, which may make comparisons more useful. METHOD: Studies with SOAS aggression data were compiled using MEDLINE, the Internet, and references from SOAS papers. RESULTS: Reviews of studies on psychometric properties suggest fair to good inter-rater reliability and validity for SOAS assessments. The number of aggressive incidents per patient per year found on acute admissions wards (n = 38) considerably varied, with a range of 0.4-33.2 incidents (mean = 9.3). CONCLUSION: Although the aggression data included in the present review were obtained in highly comparable ways, substantial differences in aggression rates between wards were still found. Some countries (e.g. the Netherlands) appear to have a relatively high incidence of aggression on acute wards.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Partner aggression severity as a risk marker for male and female violence recidivism.

Pretreatment aggression severity was examined as a risk marker for recidivism in the treatment of partner aggression. Intact married couples experiencing husband-to-wife partner aggression were recruited from the community and participated in either conjoint group treatment or gender-specific group treatment. Elevated levels of husband and wife physical aggression and wife psychological aggression before treatment predicted the continuation and severity of physical aggression by both spouses during treatment and in the following year, with no significant differences across treatment formats. These results indicate that high levels of psychological and physical aggression signify a poor prognosis for both conjoint and gender-specific group treatment programs, suggesting the need for interventions of greater intensity, duration, and/or focus for individuals highest in psychological and physical aggression.

Adult↗