Physiological underarousal as a mechanism of aggressive behavior in university athletes with a history of concussion.

Dawn Good,Caitlyn Gallant,Nicole Barry

doi:10.1002/brb3.1038

Abstract

IntroductionResearch has indicated that athletes who engage in high‐risk athletic activities, such as football and hockey, have riskier personalities than their low‐risk and nonathlete counterparts (Ahmadi et al., 2011, Procedia Soc Behav Sci, 30 and 247–251; Zuckerman, 1983, Biological bases of sensation seeking, impulsivity, and anxiety, Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc.). For instance, increased sensation‐seeking and aggression are common in high‐risk athletes, rendering these individuals more likely to sustain a subsequent injury, such as concussion. Elevated levels of certain personality traits, including impulsivity and aggression, have also been observed after concussion (Goswami et al., 2016, Brain Struct Funct, 221 and 1911–1925). The purpose of this study therefore was to determine whether aggressive behavior in university athletes may be accounted for, in part, by a history of concussion, rather than exclusively athletic status.MethodsUsing a quasi‐experimental design, 66 university students (n = 18 nonathletes, n = 24 low‐risk athletes, n = 24 high‐risk athletes) with (n = 27) and without a history of concussion (n = 39) completed the Buss & Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ; Buss & Perry, 1992, J Pers Soc Psychol, 63 and 452) and provided electrodermal activation (EDA) as an index of physiological arousal.ResultsIt was found that decreased physiological arousal among students with a history of concussion was associated with greater endorsement of physical aggression. Moreover, athletic status did not account for this pattern of aggression, as athletes and nonathletes did not differ in terms of self‐reported aggressive tendencies.ConclusionsPhysiological compromise after concussive injury may act as an independent mechanism of aggressive behavior in athletes beyond factors, such as athletic status.

Highlights

Research has indicated that athletes who engage in high-risk athletic activities, such as football and hockey, have riskier personalities than their low-risk and nonathlete counterparts (Ahmadi et al, 2011, Procedia Soc Behav Sci, 30 and 247–251; Zuckerman, 1983, Biological bases of sensation seeking, impulsivity, and anxiety, Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc.)
The second step to predict baseline electrodermal activation (EDA) amplitude. These analyses revealed that concussion history significantly predicted EDA amplitude independent of athletic status, whereby those with a previous head injury exhibited significantly lower levels of baseline physiological arousal compared to those without a prior concussion, B = −0.946, SE B = 0.429, β = −0.276, p = 0.031
The current study examined athletic status and concussion history as predictors of aggression

Summary

Introduction

Research has indicated that athletes who engage in high-risk athletic activities, such as football and hockey, have riskier personalities than their low-risk and nonathlete counterparts (Ahmadi et al, 2011, Procedia Soc Behav Sci, 30 and 247–251; Zuckerman, 1983, Biological bases of sensation seeking, impulsivity, and anxiety, Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc.). Other investigations have reported differences in aggressive behavior among contact and noncontact athletes (e.g., Ziaee, Lotfian, Amini, Mansournia, & Memari, 2012), suggesting that the nature of contact sports engenders aggression Findings from this literature have been inconsistent (Keeler, 2007; see Kimble, Russo, Bergman, & Galindo, 2010 for a review), proponents of this perspective assert that aggressive behavior is reinforced and maintained in contact/high-risk sports when athletes learn that aggression can have instrumental value (Butt, 1987; Weiner, 1974). These learned behaviors are generalized to nonsporting contexts and used to obtain external rewards. In Keeler’s (2007) investigation, athletes who endorsed higher levels of aggression in their everyday lives were more likely to endorse hostile aggression in sports, while level of contact was not predictive of either form of aggression; there may be bidirectional relationships between aggression and participation in sports

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