Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “aggression”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,153 records · Page 64Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Aggression at age 5 as a function of prenatal exposure to cocaine, gender, and environmental risk.

OBJECTIVE: To examine childhood aggression at age 5 in a multiple risk model that includes cocaine exposure, environmental risk, and gender as predictors. METHODS: Aggression was assessed in 206 children by using multiple methods including teacher report, parent report, child's response to hypothetical provocations, and child's observed behavior. Also examined was a composite score that reflected high aggression across contexts. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses indicated that a significant amount of variance in each of the aggression measures and the composite was explained by the predictors. The variables that were independently related differed depending on the outcome. Cocaine exposure, gender, and environmental risk were all related to the composite aggression score. CONCLUSIONS: Cocaine exposure, being male, and a high-risk environment were all predictive of aggressive behavior at 5 years. It is this group of exposed boys at high environmental risk that is most likely to show continued aggression over time.

Aggression↗
PubMed2000

Male broiler breeder fowl display high levels of aggression toward females.

Commercial broiler breeder males are reported to display high levels of aggression, often injuring and sometimes killing females. Aggression toward females by mature male domestic fowl is rare and may be regarded as aberrant behavior. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of genetic strain and feed restriction on the sexual and aggressive behavior of male domestic fowl. A 3 x 2 factorial design was used to compare the behavior of three genetic strains (two broiler breeder strains and one commercial laying strain) on two feeding regimens (one restricted and one fed ad libitum) between 25 and 37 d of age. At 22 wk of age, pairs of same-strain males were penned with 20 females of a broiler breeder strain. Behavior was sampled from each pen for six 10-min periods during Weeks 25, 27, 29, 33, and 37. Broiler breeder males displayed significantly more male-to-male (P < 0.0197) and male-to-female aggression (P < 0.0005) than laying strain males. Broiler breeder males chased females (P < 0.0001), forced more copulations (P < 0.0003), and displayed little courtship behavior (P < 0.0001) compared with laying strain males. There were no behavioral differences between broiler breeder strains. It was expected that feed restriction would result in increased aggression. However, males fed ad libitum displayed the most male-to-male (P < 0.0035) and male-to-female (P < 0.0273) aggression. Sexual behavior was not affected by feeding regimen. In conclusion, broiler breeder males display aberrant sexual behavior and extremely high levels of aggression, which are associated with genetic differences, not feed restriction.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Aggressive behavior following traumatic brain injury: how common is common?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and predictors of aggressive behavior among traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors at 6, 24, and 60 months postdischarge. DESIGN: Mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a 5-year follow-up study of discharged TBI patients analyzed retrospectively. SETTING: A specialized Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service of a tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: Two hundred twenty-eight (228) patients with moderate to severe TBI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Overt Aggression Scale; injury-related variables (in particular, Glasgow Coma and Outcome scales and posttraumatic amnesia duration); and a battery of postdischarge questionnaires (Beck Depression Inventory, Trauma Complaints List, General Health Questionnaire, etc). RESULTS: At any given follow-up period, 25% of the participants were classified as aggressive. Aggression, where present, was consistently associated with depression, concurrent traumatic complaints, younger age at injury, and low satisfaction with life rather than with injury, demographic, or premorbid characteristics. Depression was the factor that was most significantly associated with aggressive behavior at all times postinjury, followed by a younger age at the time of injury. CONCLUSIONS: Aggression is a common, fluctuating, and long-term problem following TBI. The underlying association between aggression and psychosocial variables lends support to the provision of ongoing outreach services and psychological and behavioral interventions for all affected TBI survivors.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Reduction of aggressiveness and impulsiveness during clozapine treatment in chronic neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenic patients.

Aggressive and impulsive behavior is frequently observed in schizophrenic patients. Previous studies suggest that impulsive aggression may be the most common behavioral correlate of central serotonergic system dysfunction. This study was aimed to determine if clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic agent with potent serotonergic antagonistic properties, can reduce impulsiveness and aggression in neuroleptic-resistant chronic schizophrenic patients. Fourteen neuroleptic-resistant chronic schizophrenic patients were treated with clozapine and prospectively evaluated for aggressiveness and impulsiveness for 18 weeks. Clozapine treatment induced a marked decrease in impulsiveness (32% on the Impulsivity Scale; p < 0.0001) and aggressiveness (98% on the Overt Aggression Scale; p < 0.0001). We conclude that clozapine treatment may be effective in reducing psychotic symptoms as well as in controlling aggressive and impulsive behavior in neuroleptic-resistant chronic schizophrenic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Subtypes of aggression and their relevance to child psychiatry.

OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence for qualitatively distinct subtypes of human aggression as they relate to childhood psychopathology. METHOD: Critical review of the pertinent literature. RESULTS: In humans, as well as in animals, the term aggression encompasses a variety of behaviors that are heterogeneous for clinical phenomenology and neurobiological features. No simple extrapolation of animal subtypes to humans is possible, mainly because of the impact of complex cultural variables on behavior. On the whole, research into subtypes of human aggression has been rather limited. A significant part of it has been conducted in children. Clinical observation, experimental paradigms in the laboratory, and cluster/factor-analytic statistics have all been used in an attempt to subdivide aggression. A consistent dichotomy can be identified between an impulsive-reactive-hostile-affective subtype and a controlled-proactive-instrumental-predatory subtype. Although good internal consistency and partial descriptive validity have been shown, these constructs still need full external validation, especially regarding their predicting power of comorbidity, treatment response, and long-term prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our understanding and treatment of children and adolescents with aggressive behavior can benefit from research on subtypes of aggression. The differentiation between the impulsive-affective and controlled-predatory subtype as qualitatively different forms of aggressive behavior has emerged as the most promising construct. Specific therapeutic hypotheses could be tested in this context and contribute to a full validation of these concepts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Plasma cortisol and aggression in boys with ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: The results of several studies suggest an inverse relationship between cortisol secretion and aggressive behavior. This study examined basal plasma cortisol levels in aggressive and nonaggressive boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: The subjects were 23 aggressive and 27 nonaggressive boys with ADHD, aged 7 to 11 years. After 3 days of a low monoamine diet and an overnight fast, an indwelling catheter was inserted into a forearm vein. Samples for plasma cortisol levels were obtained 105 and 115 minutes after insertion of the catheter. RESULTS: A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for body mass revealed no significant difference in plasma cortisol between the aggressive and nonaggressive boys. Furthermore, when the children were alternatively divided on the basis of the presence or absence of a DSM-III-R diagnosis of conduct disorder, a one-way ANCOVA again revealed no significant difference in cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesized inverse relationship between cortisol secretion and aggressive behavior in boys with ADHD was not found. These findings are consistent with a large body of literature indicating that the biological substrate of aggression is complex and that the identification of biological laboratory markers of aggressive behavior is not a clinically useful strategy at this time.

Aggression↗
PubMed1997

Low resting heart rate at age 3 years predisposes to aggression at age 11 years: evidence from the Mauritius Child Health Project.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies indicate that low resting heart rate is probably the best-replicated biological correlate of childhood antisocial and aggressive behavior. Nevertheless, there have been few longitudinal tests of this relationship, little control over potential confounds and mediators, and no test of its cross-cultural generalizability. This study tests the hypothesis that low resting heart rate at age 3 years predicts aggression at age 11 years. METHOD: Resting heart rate at age 3 years was assessed in 1,795 male and female children from Mauritius. Aggressive and nonaggressive forms of antisocial behavior were assessed at age 11 years using the Child Behavior Checklist. RESULTS: Aggressive children had lower heart rates than nonaggressive children (p < .001). Conversely, those with low heart rates were more aggressive than those with high heart rates (p < .003). There were no interactions with gender or ethnicity. Evidence was found for specificity of low heart rate to aggressive forms of antisocial behavior. Group differences in heart rate were not attributable to 11 biological, psychological, and psychiatric mediators and confounds. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that low resting heart rate, a partly heritable trait reflecting fearlessness and stimulation-seeking, is an important, diagnostically specific, well-replicated, early biological marker for later aggressive behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMed2001

Pindolol augmentation in aggressive schizophrenic patients: a double-blind crossover randomized study.

Treatment of aggression in schizophrenic patients is a major challenge. We sought to examine the efficacy of augmentation of antipsychotic treatment with pindolol in the amelioration of aggression. Thirty male inpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, aged 20-65 years involved in four or more aggressive incidents in the two previous months, were enrolled in a double-blind crossover study. Aggression was evaluated per incident, with the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was administered at baseline, crossover and at endpoint. Patients received either pindolol or placebo augmentation 5 mg x three times a day until crossover, then switched. No significant differences were found in the PANSS scores between the placebo and pindolol treatments. OAS scores were significantly reduced for number of aggressive incidents towards objects and other persons during pindolol treatment (0.59 versus 1.46, F = 6.09, P < 0.02; 1.96 versus 3.23, F = 4.17, P < 0.05, respectively). Similar results were obtained for severity of incidents (0.89 versus 3.58, F = 19.42, P < 0.0001; 2.89 versus 6.85, F = 10.11, P < 0.004, respectively). Pindolol, with its dual beta and 5-HT1A blocking effect ameliorated both number and severity of aggressive acts. Influence on severity may be associated with a 5-HT1A antagonistic effect.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2001

Effectiveness of ECT combined with risperidone against aggression in schizophrenia.

Aggressive behavior in schizophrenic patients can often be problematic not only for the patients themselves, but for their families and others. This study examined the effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in combination with risperidone in an open trial in 10 male schizophrenic patients with significant aggressive behaviors. Patients were given bilateral ECT five times a week in combination with risperidone. The mean total number of times of ECT was 6.6 (range 5-9). The aggressive behavior in five of the six patients, who showed positive symptoms, was rapidly ameliorated within 12 days. The ECT/risperidone regimen also eliminated aggressive behavior in four patients showing no positive symptoms within 10 days. These treatment effects lasted for at least 6 months in 9 (of the 10) patients. The results suggest that ECT, combined with risperidone, produce a rapid and effective elimination of aggressive behaviors in schizophrenic patients. In addition, there was a resolution of aggression in four patients with no positive symptoms. This suggests that aggression in some schizophrenic patients develops as a primary symptom of schizophrenia and is not related to other positive symptoms of the disease or the patient's personality traits.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Reliability, validity, and preliminary normative data for the Children's Aggression Scale-Teacher Version.

OBJECTIVE: To provide preliminary psychometric data on the Children's Aggression Scale-Teacher Version (CAS-T), which was designed to assess severity and frequency of aggressive, as distinct from nonaggressive, disruptive behaviors. METHOD: The CAS-T has 23 items representing five domains: Verbal aggression, Aggression against objects and animals, Provoked physical aggression, Unprovoked physical aggression, and Use of weapons. The CAS-T was completed for 273 nonreferred boys and 67 clinically referred children (60 boys; 7 girls). Coefficient alpha was assessed separately in clinical and nonreferred groups. Validity was evaluated by comparing CAS-T scores of children with different disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses and by examining the relationship of CAS-T scores to other parent and teacher ratings. RESULTS: The scale as a whole had excellent reliability as measured by coefficient alpha. Children with conduct disorder were rated significantly higher than those with oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and no disruptive behavior disorder diagnosis. Further, patterns of correlations with other rating scales provide strong support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the CAS-T. CONCLUSIONS: The CAS-T may fill a gap in that it distinguishes among various types and severity of aggression, as distinct from oppositional-defiant behaviors.

Aggression↗
PubMed2003

Salivary cortisol, personality, and aggressive behavior in adolescent boys: a 5-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The present investigation tested the hypothesis that low resting salivary cortisol concentration in preadolescent boys would be associated with aggressive behavior later in adolescence. Second, it tested whether personality traits would mediate this relation. METHOD: Resting salivary cortisol concentrations from 314 boys (10-12 years of age) were assayed. When the boys reached 15 to 17 years of age these concentrations were analyzed in the context of personality traits, measured with the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire, and aggressive behavior, measured with the Youth Self-Report inventory. RESULTS: Low cortisol in preadolescence was associated with low harm avoidance, low self-control, and more aggressive behavior 5 years later, during middle adolescence. Cortisol was not related to negative emotionality or any of its factors (including trait aggression). Low self-control was identified as the primary personality mediator of the relation between low cortisol and later aggressive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: In adolescent boys, low resting cortisol concentrations appear predictive of clinically important personality factors. Increased aggressive behavior in adolescents with low resting cortisol may be more strongly associated with lack of self-control than with a specifically "aggressive personality."

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Family and cognitive factors: modeling risk for aggression in children with ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationships of family and cognitive factors to aggression as reported by parents and teachers. METHOD: Data regarding different types of aggressive behavior were collected from parents and teachers of 165 school-age (7-11 years old) children referred to a study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and disruptive behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the differential relationships of family and cognitive factors to aggression in the home and school settings. RESULTS: Family risk factors influenced aggression reported at home and at school, whereas cognitive risk factors may exert their influence on aggression at school. Significant covariance between parent and teacher report of aggressive behavior was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention at the family level may serve to reduce aggressive behaviors in both home and school environments.

Aggression↗
PubMed2005

Oxcarbazepine in patients with impulsive aggression: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Impulsive aggression is a common clinically significant symptom, but there are few controlled studies evaluating drug treatment. This study evaluated oxcarbazepine in patients with impulsive aggression and whether diagnosis or other baseline characteristics predict response. METHOD: Eligible outpatients had clinically significant impulsive aggression, without other psychiatric symptoms clearly requiring treatment. Patients were randomized to oxcarbazepine or placebo, double-blind, for 10 weeks, at a variable dose increasing to 1200 mg/d if tolerated and to 2400 mg/d if aggression persisted. Primary outcome measures were (1) change in a Global Overt Aggression rating derived from the Overt Aggression Scale-Modified and (2) patient-rated global improvement. RESULTS: Of 48 patients, 24 per group, 9 dropped out due to adverse events, but 45 completed at least 4 weeks on double-blind medication. Analyses showed consistent evidence of benefit from oxcarbazepine, compared with placebo, on both primary efficacy measures and most secondary measures. There were no significant interactions between diagnosis or other baseline characteristics and differential response to oxcarbazepine or placebo. CONCLUSION: Oxcarbazepine appears to benefit adults with clinically significant impulsive aggression.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Co-option of male courtship signals from aggressive display in bowerbirds.

The pre-existing trait hypothesis suggests that females evolve a mating preference for an already existing male trait. This hypothesis poses a simple resolution to Darwin's long-standing question of how elaborate, male display traits evolve. The frequently observed convergence of aggressive and courtship displays across a wide array of species provides the only current support for this hypothesis. Here we provide much more detailed supporting evidence from bowerbird skrraa calls used in aggression and courtship. Consistent with the pre-existing trait hypothesis we show that (i) putatively co-opted skrraa calls used in courtship and aggression are homologous, (ii) skrraa calls were used in aggression in bowerbirds before being used in courtship, (iii) historically, intense, aggressive-like courtship calls were present near the time of co-option, and (iv) bower types contemporaneous with co-option emphasize design features that provide females protection from the adverse effects of intense courtship displays. These results, plus evidence for a female preference for males with intense aggressive-like courtship skrraa calls, suggest that aggressive skrraa calls have been co-opted for use in male courtship display

Aggression↗
PubMed2004

Optimal reproductive-skew models fail to predict aggression in wasps.

Optimal-skew models (OSMs) predict that cooperative breeding occurs as a result of dominants conceding reproductive benefits to subordinates, and that division of reproduction within groups reflects each cooperator's willingness and ability to contest aggressively for dominance. Polistine paper wasps are a leading model system for testing OSMs, and data on reproduction and aggression appear to support OSMs. These studies, however, measure aggression as a single rate rather than by the activity patterns of individuals. This leads to a potential error: if individuals are more likely to receive aggression when active than when inactive, differences in aggression across samples can reflect changes in activity rather than hostility. This study replicates a field manipulation cited as strongly supporting OSMs. We show that fundamentally different conclusions arise when controlling for individual activity states. Our analyses strongly suggest that behaviours classified as 'aggression' in paper wasps are unlikely to function in establishing, maintaining or responding to changes in reproductive skew. This illustrates that OSM tests using aggression or other non-reproductive behaviour as a metric for reproductive partitioning must demonstrate those links rather than assume them.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Community violence exposure, social cognition, and aggression among urban elementary school children.

The effects of witnessing community violence on aggressive cognitions and behavior were investigated in an ethnically diverse sample of 4,458 children living in urban neighborhoods. Prior violence exposure had a significant effect in increasing aggression, normative beliefs about aggression, and aggressive fantasy. Although exposure to violence predicted aggressive behavior both in Grades 1 through 3 (ages 5-8) and Grades 4 through 6 (ages 9-12), the effects on social cognition were only evident in the later grades. Furthermore, the effect of violence exposure on aggression in the later grades was partially mediated by its effect on social cognition. These findings suggest that witnessing community violence has an effect on children's aggressive behavior through both imitation of violence and the development of associated cognitions as children get older.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Drinking patterns, drinking contexts and alcohol-related aggression among late adolescent and young adult drinkers.

AIMS: The main objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the relative roles of heavy episodic drinking (HED), drinking frequency and drinking volume in explaining alcohol-related aggression and (2) whether drinking context variables (i.e. usual drinking locations, typical drinking companions and extent of peer drinking) confound or modify the relationship between HED and alcohol-related aggression or whether they predict alcohol-related aggression independently. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth was conducted. Alcohol-related aggression (denoted fights after drinking) was measured based on self-reports of arguments or fights that occurred during or after drinking in the previous 12 months. PARTICIPANTS: A composite sample of drinkers, ages 17-21, from the 1994, 1996 and 1998 Young Adult surveys (n = 738) was used. FINDINGS: Frequency of drinking and drinking volume largely confounded the association between HED and fights after drinking. Usually drinking in public locations away from home versus private locations was found to be significantly associated with a greater likelihood of fights after drinking among females. Among males, usual drinking location modified the relationship between drinking frequency and alcohol-related aggression, with the greatest risk of aggression for males who drank frequently and usually drank in public locations away from home. CONCLUSIONS: Programs designed to reduce drinking frequency in this population and to increase the safety of drinking locations in public places away from home may prove to be beneficial in reducing alcohol-related aggression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Do social information-processing models explain aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities in residential care?

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine whether the social information-processing model (SIP model) applies to aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). The response-decision element of SIP was expected to be unnecessary to explain aggressive behaviour in these children, and SIP was expected to mediate the relation between social schemata and aggressive behaviour. METHOD: SIP and aggressive behaviour of 130 10- to 14-year-old children with MID in residential care were assessed. The fit of various SIP models was tested with structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The response-decision process was found not to be necessary to explain aggressive behaviour. Social schemata were indirectly related to aggressive behaviour with aggressive response generation as mediating variable. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for SIP theory and intervention are discussed.

Adolescent↗