Alcohol-related Aggression Research Articles

Agreeableness and alcohol-related aggression: The mediating effect of trait aggressivity.

This study investigated the mediating effect of trait aggressivity on the relation between agreeableness and alcohol-related aggression in a laboratory setting. Participants were 116 healthy male social drinkers between 21 and 30 years of age. Agreeableness and trait aggressivity were measured using the Big Five Inventory and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, respectively. Following the consumption of an alcohol or no-alcohol control beverage, participants completed a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, in which electric shocks were received from and administered to a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggression was operationalized as the proportion of the most extreme shocks delivered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Results indicated that lower levels of agreeableness were associated with higher levels of trait aggressivity. In turn, higher levels of trait aggressivity predicted extreme aggression in intoxicated, but not sober, participants under low, but not high, provocation. Findings highlight the importance of examining determinants of intoxicated aggression within a broader theoretical framework of personality.

Executive functioning, irritability, and alcohol-related aggression.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine (a) whether irritability mediates the relation between executive functioning (EF) and alcohol-related aggression and (b) whether the alcohol-aggression relation is better explained by the interactive effects of EF and irritability above and beyond the effects of either variable alone. EF was measured using seven well-established neuropsychological tests. Irritability was assessed with the Caprara Irritability Scale. Participants were 313 male and female social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. Following the consumption of an alcohol or a placebo beverage, participants were tested on a laboratory aggression task in which electric shocks were given to and received from a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction-time task. Aggression was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent. Results indicated that irritability successfully mediated the relation between EF and intoxicated aggression for men only. Despite the fact that irritability and EF both independently moderated the alcohol-aggression relation in previous studies, no significant interaction for their combined effect was detected here. The findings are discussed, in part, within a cognitive neoassociationistic framework for aggressive behavior.

Alcohol Use and Perceived Social and Emotional Consequences Among Perpetrators of General and Sexual Aggression

This study examines the relation among alcohol use, alcohol-related aggression expectancies, and the perceived negative consequences of perpetrating general and sexual aggression. Participants (N = 2,941; 59% female) were incoming college freshmen who reported on the last 3 months of their senior year of high school. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses for general aggression reveal that heavy alcohol consumption at the time of the aggression and strong alcohol-related aggression expectancies were associated with more frequent social and emotional consequences. For sexual aggression, similar regression analyses found that any alcohol use at the time of the aggression, but not outcome expectancies, was associated with social and emotional consequences. Among individuals who perpetrated general and sexual aggression, consuming alcohol at the time of the aggression was positively associated with perceived negative social and emotional consequences. Results do not support the idea that alcohol is used as an excuse for aggressive behavior.

Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication and Paroxetine on Aggression in Men

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the serotonin (5-HT) system in alcohol-related aggression. Specifically, we experimentally examined the effects of 5-HT augmentation on alcohol-related aggression in men (n = 56). After consuming either alcohol (mean blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%) or a placebo (no alcohol) drink, and taking either 20 mg of paroxetine (Paxil) or a placebo pill, participants were provided the opportunity to administer electric shock to a (faux) opponent during a task disguised as a reaction-time game. Aggression was defined as the intensity of shock chosen and the frequency with which an extreme (clearly painful) shock was chosen. We predicted that 5-HT augmentation would be associated with lower aggressive behavior overall, and also reduce the aggression facilitating effects of acute alcohol intoxication. The results indicated that alcohol intoxication increased aggression, particularly under low provocation. Paroxetine decreased aggression, particularly during high provocation. These effects, however, occurred independently of each other. The effect of alcohol on extreme aggression was moderated by previous aggression history, with more aggressive individuals showing greater alcohol-related increases in extreme aggression.

Alcohol-Aggression outcome expectancies and their responsiveness to event recall

The aim was to examine the effects of describing alcohol-related aggression incidents on alcohol-aggression outcome expectancies. Male students (N = 122) were allocated to Aggression, Relaxation or Control conditions. Those in the Aggression condition recalled experiences of alcohol-related aggression; those in the Relaxation condition recalled experiences of alcohol-related relaxation; and those in the Control condition recalled neutral events. An alcohol-aggression (AA) outcome expectancy measure showed that recalling alcohol-related aggression led to a significant increase in AA immediately after the intervention, which fell to pre-intervention levels after two weeks. The risk of aggression or violence may be temporarily elevated by talking about AA experiences.

Applying the Attention-Allocation Model to the Explanation of Alcohol-Related Aggression: Implications for Prevention

The primary purpose of this article is to apply the attention-allocation model (AAM; ) to the explanation, as well as the prevention, of alcohol-related violence. The AAM contends that alcohol has a “myopic” effect on attentional capacity that presumably facilitates aggression by narrowing attentional focus on the most salient provocative cues that are naturally present in hostile situations, rather than on less salient inhibitory cues. Data are presented to demonstrate support for the AAM with regard to alcohol-related aggression. The model has also been expanded to suggest some intermediary mechanisms that may account for how distracting attention away from provocative cues might be involved in the reduction of aggression. Finally, a number of practical suggestions are put forth regarding how the AAM can be applied to the prevention of intoxicated aggression.

Situational and respondent-level motives for drinking and alcohol-related aggression: A multilevel analysis of drinking events in a sample of Canadian University students

Situational drinking motives (i.e., motives specific to the drinking situation) as well as respondent-level drinking motives (i.e., usual drinking motives across drinking situations) were examined in terms of their relations with aggression experienced by university students. Secondary, multi-level analyses were conducted on the Canadian Campus Survey (CCS), a national survey of 40 Canadian universities conducted between March 1 and April 30, 2004 ( N = 6 282). For their three most recent drinking events, students reported their motive for drinking (i.e., situational motive) and whether they had an argument/fight. Respondent-level drinking motives were computed by averaging motives across drinking events. Drinking to cope at the situational-level increased the likelihood of aggression. Respondent-level enhancement motives also increased the risk of aggression. Aesthetic motives were important at both situational and respondent levels decreasing the risk for alcohol-related aggression. Gender did not moderate these relations. These results suggest that prevention programming might benefit from a focus on altering drinking motives, or their underlying causes, in order to reduce alcohol-related aggression among young adults.

Evaluation of a treatment programme for alcohol‐related aggression

The development of effective treatments for alcohol-related aggression and violence is important in binge drinking cultures, as in parts of the UK.Aim The aim was to evaluate the progress and experience of 10 participants in Control of Violence for Angry Impulsive Drinkers (COVAID) using a single case methodology. Participants completed 10 individual weekly sessions with trained facilitators following the COVAID manual. Change scores on psychometric questionnaires were examined by calculating clinical significance and reliability of change. Self-reports of alcohol consumption and aggression were examined. Follow-up data on convictions were collected. Participants were asked their opinions about COVAID. Scores on the Alcohol-Related Aggression Questionnaire (ARAQ) improved for nine participants; change was both clinically significant and reliable in five cases. Nine participants improved on the Controlled Drinking Self-Efficacy Scale (CDSES), with seven showing clinically significant improvement. Six participants reported a reduction in alcohol consumption from the first to the second half of the programme. At a mean of 29 weeks post-treatment, none of the participants had been reconvicted for a violent offence. Participants reported finding COVAID useful and interesting. Overall, our findings support the possibility that COVAID may assist in reducing alcohol-related violence and violent offending.

Managing alcohol related aggression in the emergency department (Part II)

Violence in the emergency department (ED) is a global problem. In our first paper, we highlighted the potential psychological effects of alcohol intoxication, the literatures discussion of alcohol related violence in the emergency department and the importance of developing positive nurse/service user relationships. In this second paper, we discuss personal and organisational strategies clinical nursing staff may consider appropriate to minimise the risk of assault when caring for service users projecting alcohol related aggression.

Experimentally induced anxiety attenuates alcohol-related aggression in men.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that state anxiety operates as moderator of the alcohol-aggression relation. Participants were 80 healthy male social drinkers between 21 and 33 years of age. They were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (a) alcohol + anxiety induction (n = 20), (b) placebo + anxiety induction (n = 20), (c) alcohol + no anxiety induction (n = 20), and (d) placebo + no anxiety induction (n = 20). Anxiety was induced by informing participants that they had to deliver a speech about what they liked and disliked about their body in front of a video camera. A modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (S. Taylor, 1967) was then used to measure aggressive behavior in a situation where electric shocks were administered to, and received from, a fictitious opponent under the guise of a competitive reaction time task. Results indicated that the anxiety induction was successful in suppressing aggression for participants who received alcohol equal to levels seen in placebo controls. Findings are discussed within the context of a number of theories of alcohol's anxiolytic effects in relation to intoxicated aggression.

Where, With Whom, and How Much Alcohol Is Consumed on Drinking Events Involving Aggression? Event‐Level Associations in a Canadian National Survey of University Students

Epidemiological research using event-level data can provide a better understanding of the association between alcohol consumption, characteristics of drinking contexts, and the likelihood of aggressive behavior. The present research assessed whether alcohol intake and characteristics of the drinking context were associated with the likelihood of aggression within individuals across 3 drinking events based on a national sample of university students, taking into account individual characteristics and university level variables. Additionally, we determined whether individual characteristics, particularly drinking pattern, were associated with alcohol-related aggression controlling for drinking event characteristics, and whether relations of aggression to alcohol and drinking contexts differed by gender. Secondary analyses of the 2004 Canadian Campus Survey (CCS), a national survey of 6,282 university students (41% response rate) at 40 Canadian universities, were conducted. Respondents were asked about their three most recent drinking events, including whether they were in an argument or fight with someone, number of drinks consumed, and characteristics of the drinking context as well as their usual drinking frequency and heavy episodic drinking. We used multi-level analyses to account for the nested structure of the data (i.e., drinking events nested within individuals who were nested within universities). The number of drinks consumed was positively associated with aggression. Drinking contexts found to be positively associated with aggression included being at a party, at a fraternity/sorority and/or residence, at three or more drinking places (versus 1 or 2), and having a partner present whereas having a meal reduced the likelihood of aggression. A significant interaction was found between gender and being at a party, with a significant effect found for women but not for men. These results support experimental evidence indicating a direct role of alcohol in aggression and point to characteristics of the drinking context that might be targeted in future prevention initiatives.

Managing alcohol related aggression in the emergency department (Part I)

Internationally, violence in the emergency department (ED) is of a constant concern to emergency practitioners. Frequently, both original research papers and anecdotal reports emphasise the phenomenon of alcohol related aggression in the ED. In this first paper, we highlight the literatures discussion of alcohol related violence in the emergency department and the potential psychological effects of alcohol intoxication. In the second we offer personal and organisational strategies clinical nursing staff may consider appropriate to minimise the risk of assault when caring for service users projecting alcohol related aggression.

Personality, mating effort and alcohol-related violence expectancies

The current study investigated whether scores on the Alcohol Related Aggression Questionnaire (ARAQ) were predictable from the independent influences of personality and intra-sexual competition as measured by the mating effort scale (MES) and whether education had a protective factor in any relationship that arose. Ninety-five participants completed personality, MES and ARAQ scales. Hierachical linear regression independently entering MES followed by agreeableness, conscientiousness, age, education and sex found alcohol-aggression expectancies were predicted by higher MES and younger age; alcohol-related trait aggression was predicted by higher MES, lower agreeableness and younger age; alcohol-related sensitivity to pain and anxiety was related to higher MES and younger age; an expectation of drinking cheap but high potency alcoholic beverages was primarily associated with higher MES alone. These results show that mating effort has a disproportionate influence upon different facets of alcohol-aggression expectancies relative to even established constructs such as personality, and that much of alcohol-related violence in social contexts, may reflect intra-sexual competition and forces within the individual that lead them to discount the future.

Examining multi‐level relationships between bars, hostility and aggression: social selection and social influence

This paper considers statistical relationships often observed between densities of bars and pubs and rates of violence as suggested by two general approaches: (i) social influence and (ii) social selection. A stratified sample of 36 zip code areas in California was identified as having 'high', 'medium' and 'low' densities of bars and pubs. Aggregate US Census 2000 data were used to characterize population demographics of each zip code area. Telephone surveys were conducted assessing respondent demographics, drinking patterns, utilization of different places for drinking, self-report measures of hostility, norms for aggression and norms for alcohol-related aggression. Hierarchical linear models assessed the degree to which densities of bars and pubs were related to self-reports of hostility and norms for aggression, and if the individual measures of hostility and norms for aggression were related to choice of drinking venue. Respondents living in areas with greater densities of bars and pubs reported lower norms for aggression and greater norms for alcohol-related aggression. Greater peak drinking levels were related directly to greater levels of hostility and norms for both aggression and alcohol-related aggression. Self-reported hostility and norms for alcohol-related aggression were related directly to drinking at bars and pubs, parties and friends' homes. Aggressive norms were related to drinking at parties. Whether bars serve to concentrate aggressive people into selected environments, whether these environments serve to increase levels of aggression, or whether both these processes reinforce each other mutually is not known. However, our findings do indicate relationships between certain exogenous measures, including alcohol outlet densities and social-psychological characteristics associated with violence. Many of these measures are also associated with the social contexts in which people drink.

Personality Correlates of Alcohol Consumption and Aggression in a Hispanic College Population

The authors examined the association between alcohol consumption and aggression from a personality trait perspective with 92 self-identified Hispanic college students. They partially replicated a study by Quigley, Corbett, and Tedeshi, which examined the relationships between desired image of power, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol-related aggression. Among male participants, impulsivity did not correlate with either alcohol consumption or frequency of fighting, whereas with females there was a strong positive correlation between impulsivity and alcohol consumption and a weak positive correlation between impulsivity and frequency of fighting. When the results were compared to those of Quigley et al., it was found that the Hispanic participants drank and fought less. The best predictor variable for male alcohol consumption was the desire to be viewed as “tough.” “Activity” was the primary predictor for female alcohol consumption.

Transitions to, and Correlates of, Suicidal Ideation, Plans, and Unplanned and Planned Suicide Attempts Among 3,729 Men and Women With Alcohol Dependence

Using a heuristic model of suicidal ideation and behavior, the two objectives were to identify correlates of (1) unique suicide-related outcomes (ideation, planning, planned attempt, unplanned attempt) and (2) specific transitions from one suicide-related category to the next. Analyses were conducted with data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), a six-site family pedigree study of individuals in treatment for alcoholism, their relatives, and control families. There were 3,729 subjects in the analysis; all were age 18 years or older with a diagnosis of current alcohol dependence according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised. Lifetime suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts were analyzed retrospectively. Correlates of each lifetime transition were analyzed using a series of multivariate logistic regressions. Multivariate multinomial regression analysis was used to examine correlates of each lifetime outcome. Female gender is uniquely associated with transitions to unplanned and planned attempts. Independent depression and substance-induced depression are associated with transitions to ideation and planning, whereas alcohol-related aggression is correlated with transitions to unplanned attempts. Analyses of suicide-related outcomes show that women are at higher risk for unplanned and planned attempts. Substance use and impairment are related to suicidal plans and attempts but not ideation. Independent and substance-induced depressions are associated with each suicide-related outcome, whereas alcohol-related aggression is uniquely related to unplanned attempts. Data underscore the heterogeneity of suicidal ideation and behavior among alcoholics and indicate the need to make clear distinctions between types of suicidal ideation and behavior in research and prevention efforts.

Alcohol and Aggression

This article presents the first systematic test of the attention-allocation model for alcohol-related aggression. According to this model, alcohol has a "myopic" effect on attentional capacity that presumably facilitates aggression by focusing attention on more salient provocative, rather than less salient inhibitory, cues in hostile situations. Aggression was assessed using a laboratory task in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent. Study 1 demonstrated that a moderate-load cognitive distractor suppressed aggression in intoxicated subjects (to levels even lower than those exhibited by a placebo control group). Study 2 assessed how varying the magnitude of a distracting cognitive load affected aggression in the alcohol and placebo conditions. Results indicated that the moderate-load distraction used in Study 1 (i.e., holding four elements in sequential order in working memory) suppressed aggression best. Cognitive loads of larger and smaller magnitudes were not successful in attenuating aggression.

The relationships between alcohol-aggression proneness, general alcohol expectancies, hazardous drinking, and alcohol-related violence in adult male prisoners

The relationships between alcohol-aggression proneness, general alcohol outcome expectancies, hazardous drinking, and alcohol-related violence were explored in a sample of violent offenders. The hypothesized model was that alcohol expectancies and hazardous drinking would mediate the relationship between proneness to alcohol-related aggression and alcohol-related violence. Additionally, expectancies would predict drinking. Ninety-eight male prisoners were recruited, all serving sentences for violent offences of which 21 were not alcohol-related and 77 were alcohol-related. Measures were the Alcohol-Related Aggression Questionnaire (ARAQ), the Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire (DEQ), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The model was empirically supported. The ARAQ, the DEQ, specifically the DEQ-Increased Confidence (DEQ-IC) scale, and the AUDIT all predict offence type. The DEQ, particularly the DEQ-IC scale, and the AUDIT, mediate the relationship between the ARAQ and offence type. The DEQ total score predicted the AUDIT score. The inclusion of all three variables (ARAQ, DEQ-IC, and AUDIT) in the model most accurately classified the participants. Implications for treatment are discussed.

Alcohol‐aggression expectancies and dispositional rumination moderate the effect of alcohol consumption on alcohol‐related aggression and hostility

Alcohol consumption increases aggression, but only in some drinkers. This study extends previous work to show how expectancies for alcohol-induced aggression and dispositional rumination moderate the link between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related aggression and hostility in a sample of 285 men and women. Alcohol-aggression expectancies and quantity of alcohol interacted to predict alcohol-related hostility and aggression. Trait rumination moderated the effect of alcohol consumption on aggressive acts. Finally, women who ruminated were more likely to report alcohol-related aggression than were men who ruminated. These results suggest that alcohol expectancies for aggression and rumination constitute two important cognitive facilitators of alcohol-related aggression and hostility, and that gender plays an important role in these relations.

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Heavy Episodic Drinking, Social Roles, and Alcohol-Related Aggression in a U.S. Sample of Late Adolescent and Young Adult Drinkers

To better understand alcohol-related aggression among late adolescent and young adult drinkers, the present research aimed to examine whether: 1) the relationship between heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related aggression was different for males and females; and 2) social roles (marital and employment status, living arrangement, student status) influenced alcohol-related aggression. Secondary analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were conducted using a composite sample of drinkers aged 17 to 21 in 1994, 1996 and 1998 (n = 808). A stronger relationship was found between heavy episodic drinking and fights after drinking for females than for males. In terms of social roles, males who lived with their parents were more likely to fight after drinking than those living in their own dwelling, while females who dropped out of high school were significantly more likely to fight after drinking compared with college students. A gender focus is required in future research on alcohol-related aggression.