Anger Suppression Research Articles

Mediation analyses of longitudinal data investigating temporal associations between inflated sense of responsibility, obsessive-compulsivesymptoms, and anger suppression.

Cognitive theories emphasize the central role of anger and anger suppression in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). According to these theories, anger suppression is seen as a consequence of OCD, whereas cognitive beliefs, such as an inflated sense of responsibility, are seen as antecedent factors. To extend the findings from cross-sectional studies, the current study investigated the temporal associations between OCD symptoms, an inflated sense of responsibility, and anger suppression. Consistent with cognitive considerations, we hypothesized that OCD symptoms mediate the association between feelings of responsibility and anger suppression. These associations were also explored in patients presenting particularly high checking-related symptoms. Further, the stability of effects beyond controlling for depressive symptoms and medication intake was explored. A total of N = 48 patients with OCD (50% female, M = 32.46 [SD = 10.63]years of age) completed measures on obsessive beliefs, OCD symptoms, and anger suppression at three assessment points: before and after a metacognitive intervention as well as at a follow-up 6 months later. Mediation models investigating symptom associations at these three timepoints were conducted. Exploratory analyses investigating these associations in individuals presenting high checking-related symptoms (n = 20) and testing the stability of effects beyond controlling for depressive symptoms and medication intake were conducted. The sense of responsibility did not significantly predict the level of anger suppression. A temporal association between OCD symptoms (as assessed with the self-report measure) and anger suppression could be evidenced, which was stable beyond controlling for depressive symptoms and medication intake. Against the expectations based on cognitive theories, the sense of responsibility did not predict OCD symptoms. No mediating effect of OCD symptoms was found. In line with cognitive viewpoints, the present study shows that higher OCD symptoms predict higher levels of anger suppression in a longitudinal design, thereby contributing to the suppression of anger. This effect seems to be independent from depressive symptoms and medication intake. The effect of sense of responsibility on OCD symptoms was less clear and could only be found in the subgroup of patients with OCD and checking-related symptoms, who generally presented higher levels of responsibility. Overall, this is the first study demonstrating temporal associations between OCD symptoms and anger suppression. Acknowledging that anger and anger suppression may be a consequence of OCD symptoms and may also affect aspects of psychotherapy, which can ultimately inform future adjustments to psychotherapeutic treatment.

Prediction of anger suppression based on obsessive beliefs and anxious preoccupied attachment style among the non-clinical population: a cross-sectonal study

The Article Abstract is not available.

"대인 간 외상 경험과 가해염려 사회불안과의 관계에서 거부민감성과 분노억제의 순차적 매개효과*"

"대인 간 외상 경험과 가해염려 사회불안과의 관계에서 거부민감성과 분노억제의 순차적 매개효과*"

Anger is eliminated with the disposal of a paper written because of provocation

Anger suppression is important in our daily life, as its failure can sometimes lead to the breaking down of relationships in families. Thus, effective strategies to suppress or neutralise anger have been examined. This study shows that physical disposal of a piece of paper containing one’s written thoughts on the cause of a provocative event neutralises anger, while holding the paper did not. In this study, participants wrote brief opinions about social problems and received a handwritten, insulting comment consisting of low evaluations about their composition from a confederate. Then, the participants wrote the cause and their thoughts about the provocative event. Half of the participants (disposal group) disposed of the paper in the trash can (Experiment 1) or in the shredder (Experiment 2), while the other half (retention group) kept it in a file on the desk. All the participants showed an increased subjective rating of anger after receiving the insulting feedback. However, the subjective anger for the disposal group decreased as low as the baseline period, while that of the retention group was still higher than that in the baseline period in both experiments. We propose this method as a powerful and simple way to eliminate anger.

Validation of Korean Version of the Anger Discomfort Scale

This article reports on the validation of the Korean version of the Anger Discomfort Scale (ADS-K) in samples comprising college students and community-based adults living in South Korea (n = 765). The Anger Discomfort Scale (ADS) is a 15-item scale designed to assess levels of discomfort associated with both the experience and expression of anger in interpersonal contexts. For psychometric property testing, survey data were analyzed with advanced multivariate methods, focusing on aspects of validity and reliability. The properties of the total scores are examined by descriptive statistics. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis identified the structure of the ADS-K as a well-defined bi-factor model. Correlational analyses indicated that anger discomfort was positively associated with anger suppression, anger expression, trait anxiety, and constructs related to anxiety in interpersonal relationships (e.g., fear of evaluation by others and expectations of negative interpersonal results). Implications for the use of the ADS-K and future directions are suggested.

Anger and anxiety in older adults: a cross-lagged examination

Objectives Both anger and anxiety are common in older adulthood, with aversive consequences for individuals’ physical and mental health. Theory suggests that anger can be an emotional response to the experience of anxiety. Similarly, anger can induce anxiety symptoms. Despite studies documenting the co-occurrence of anger and anxiety and their strong theoretical links, little is known about their temporal relationship. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal cross-lagged relationship between anger expression, anger suppression, and anxiety. Methods A large and representative sample of older adults (N=6,852) was utilized, with data collected in two waves at an interval of four years. All variables were measured using validated self-report scales.Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Results Results indicate that both anger suppression and anger expression are significant predictors of anxiety symptoms. Similarly, anxiety is a significant predictor of both anger suppression and anger expression. Conclusions The effects did not differ in magnitude, suggesting a balanced reciprocity between anger and anxiety. An understanding of this reciprocal association can inform interventions and strategies aimed at promoting emotional well-being in older individuals. By addressing both anger and anxiety concurrently, interventions may have a more comprehensive impact on improving mental health outcomes in this population.

The inner workings of anger: A network analysis of anger and emotion regulation.

This study aimed to investigate the interrelations between emotion regulation strategies and different types of anger using network analysis. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional sample of 538 adults (55% females; mean age = 39.8 years, SD = 12.3) seeking treatment for anger. Data were collected between March and November 2019 in Sweden. Participants completed measures of anger problems (anger expression, anger suppression, angry reactions, anger rumination, trait anger, hostility, physical aggression, and verbal aggression) and emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, anger relaxation, and five mindfulness strategies). To determine whether distinct clusters of anger nodes would emerge, exploratory graph analysis was employed. Based on clustering of nodes, we estimated separate networks including all measures of emotion regulation. Two clusters emerged: one consisting primarily of cognitive components of anger, and another of behavioral. Across networks, anger nodes were strongly interconnected, and anger rumination and anger suppression were especially influential. Several direct links were found between specific emotion regulation strategies and cognitive components of anger, whereas most strategies were only indirectly related to angry behavior. Cognitive reappraisal showed no direct link with any of the anger nodes. Our findings reveal potential pathways by which different emotion regulation strategies may influence different types of anger, which could serve as therapeutic targets.

The mediating role of attachment and anger: exploring the impact of maternal early-life maltreatment on child abuse potential.

Maternal early-life maltreatment (ELM) increases the risk of subsequent child maltreatment, but the underlying mechanisms of these intergenerational effects remain largely unknown. Identifying these mechanisms is crucial for developing preventive interventions that can break the cycle of abuse. Notably, previous research has shown that ELM often results in attachment insecurity and altered anger characteristics. Therefore, this study determines whether these characteristics mediate the relationship between maternal history of ELM and child abuse potential. The study sample included 254 mothers, of whom 149 had experienced ELM to at least a moderate degree. Maternal ELM was assessed using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) interview. Attachment insecurity, trait anger and anger expression, and maternal abuse potential were assessed using the Vulnerable Attachment Questionnaire (VASQ), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI), respectively. The severity of maternal ELM predicted higher child abuse potential, with attachment insecurity and anger suppression mediating this effect. Specifically, higher levels of maternal ELM were associated with greater attachment insecurity and increased anger suppression, resulting in a higher child abuse potential. Although higher levels of trait anger were directly associated with higher child abuse potential, this parameter did not mediate the relationship with ELM. In addition, no significant associations were observed between outwardly expressed anger and ELM or child abuse potential. All analyses were adjusted for maternal mental disorders, years of education, and relationship status. Attachment insecurity and anger suppression may serve as pathways linking the maternal history of ELM to the risk of child abuse, even when considering maternal psychopathology. Overall, our findings indicate that interventions aimed at strengthening attachment and improving anger suppression may be beneficial for all mothers with ELM history and high child abuse potential, not just those who suffer from mental illness.

Anger dysregulation and non-suicidal self-injury during adolescence: A test of directionality.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been tied to several forms of emotional and behavioral dysregulation in adolescence, with less attention paid to regulation of anger. Most assume that anger dysregulation leads to engagement in NSSI, rather than the reverse. However, it is plausible that NSSI compromises adolescents' abilities to regulate their emotions, including anger, because it may reduce the development of alternative regulatory strategies and intensify negative emotions by reducing tolerance of distress. Using three waves of data from a sample of adolescents in 17 Swedish schools (n = 1,304 M age = 13.68, SD age = .67; 89% of Swedish origin; 58% girls), we examined the directionality of ties between NSSI and three forms of anger dysregulation: dysregulated expressions of anger, anger suppression, and low anger reflection. We also looked for differences in magnitude of paths and gender differences. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models showed that NSSI predicted changes in all forms of anger dysregulation but found no support for the opposite direction. Gender differences were not evident. Results challenge directionality assumptions and support suggestions that adolescents' anger regulation degrades when they self-injure.

열등감이 전위공격행동에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to find out the mediating effect of anger expression (angerexpression, anger suppression, and anger control) in the relationship between inferiorityfeelings and displaced aggressive behavior. To this end, the online and offline survey wasconducted on a total of 238 undergraduate and graduate students in Korea, and the data wereanalyzed by frequency analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and sobelverification. As a result, first, it was found that inferiority complex had a positive effect ondisplaced aggressive behavior. Second, dysfunctional anger expression (anger expression,anger suppression,) had a partial mediating effect between inferiority feelings and displacedaggressive behavior, and functional anger expression (anger control) had not mediating effect. Based on these results, this study proposed the need for anger control to lower the displacedaggressive behavior of people with inferiority feelings.

"Holding in Anger" as a Mediator in the Relationship between Attachment Orientations and Borderline Personality Features.

Insecure attachment and difficulties in regulating anger have both been put forward as possible explanations for emotional dysfunction in borderline personality (BP). This study aimed to test a model according to which the influence of attachment on BP features in a subclinical population is mediated by anger regulation. In a sample of 302 participants, BP features were assessed with the Borderline features scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI-BOR), attachment was measured with the Experiences in Close Relationships-12 (ECR-12), and trait anger and anger regulation were assessed with the State and Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2). The results indicated that anger suppression emerged as a significant mediator of the associations between both anxious and avoidant attachment and BP traits, while anger control resulted as a marginal mediator in the association between attachment avoidance and BP. Suppressing anger may reflect different forms of cognitive or behavioural avoidance of anger, which may differ on the basis of attachment orientations. We argue that these results may have important clinical implications: the promotion of anger regulation in BP should be considered a critical treatment goal.

Maternal socialization of emotion and the development of emotion regulation in early adolescent girls.

Regulation of negative emotions is a core competency of child development. Parental emotion socialization profoundly influences later capacity to regulate negative affect in childhood and adolescence. The present study examined the effects of maternal emotion socialization on the development of emotion regulation in the context of a longitudinal study of 210 mother-daughter dyads. Dyads completed a conflict resolution task when the child was age 11 years during which maternal warmth and hostility were coded. At ages 11 to 13 years, mothers completed self-report measures of supportive and nonsupportive responses to child negative emotion, and children completed self-reports of inhibition and adaptive regulation of sadness and anger. We used latent growth curve modeling to estimate changes in inhibition and adaptive regulation of sadness and anger over time; observed maternal warmth and hostility were included as time-invariant covariates and maternal self-report of supportive and nonsupportive responses were included as time-varying covariates. Observed maternal warmth was positively associated with girls' adaptive regulation of anger and sadness at age 11 years. Maternal self-reported supportive responses to girls' negative affect were positively associated with girls' adaptive regulation of anger, and nonsupportive responses were negatively associated with adaptive regulation of anger and sadness. These findings support the role of maternal emotion socialization and indicate specific effects of maternal warmth and supportive responses in the development of girls' capacity to modulate negative emotions during early adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Profiles of adolescents' sadness, anger, and worry regulation: Characterization and relations with psychopathology.

Adaptive emotion regulation (ER) reflects competence in effective emotion expression and emotion coping, both of which are critical to mitigating psychopathology risk. The current study extends past work on adolescent ER in three ways. First, using a functionalist framework, we focused on discrete emotions, examining how adolescents may differentially express and cope with sadness, anger, and worry. Second, we used a person-centered approach to determine whether subgroups of youth report different patterns of managing emotions. Third, to provide indices of validity and replicability, we characterized ER profiles in two independent community samples of adolescents and in relation to psychological adjustment (i.e., depression, anxiety, aggression), concurrently and longitudinally. Sample A comprised 202 youths (Mage = 12.90 years, 52.5% girls) participating at two time points 2 years apart. Sample B comprised 500 adolescents (Mage = 14.06 years, 60.2% girls), 99 of whom participated again 6 months later. Latent profile analyses per sample revealed similar three-profile solutions, such that adolescents were classified into the Expressive Coping (i.e., high regulation coping, low inhibition), Inhibited Coping (i.e., high regulation coping, high inhibition), or Dysregulated Anger (i.e., low anger coping, low anger inhibition) group. Youth in the Dysregulated Anger group reported elevations in depression and, in some instances, anxiety and aggression. Psychological adjustment for the other groups differed by sample. Profile membership did not predict change in symptoms over time. As such, adolescents vary in the extent to which their ER is global versus emotion-specific, in both replicable and, potentially, clinically meaningful ways. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Chronic Inhibition of Aggressive Behavior Induces Behavioral Change in Mice.

Suppression of anger is more common than its expression among Asian individuals. Emotional suppression is considered an unhealthy emotional regulation. Most studies on emotional suppression have concluded that suppression adversely affects social outcomes, with approximately 5% of the world's population suffering from emotional disorders. However, anger suppression has not received academic attention, and details of the effects of chronic anger suppression on the central nervous system remain unclear. In this study, we performed the resident-intruder test to investigate the effect of chronic suppression of aggressive behavior in mice using a behavioral test battery and to clarify whether suppression of this aggressive behavior is stressful for mice. Mice chronically inhibited aggressive behavior and lost weight. Mice with inhibited aggressive behavior showed a reduced percentage of immobility time during the tail suspension test as well as no changes in activity, anxiety-like behavior, muscle strength, or temperature sensitivity. This study provides scientific evidence for the effects of chronic aggressive behavior inhibition on the body and central nervous system.

Decoding individual differences in expressing and suppressing anger from structural brain networks: A supervised machine learning approach

Anger can be broken down into different elements: a transitory state (state anger), a stable personality feature (trait anger), a tendency to express it (anger-out), or to suppress it (anger-in), and the ability to regulate it (anger control). These elements are characterized by individual differences that vary across a continuum. Among them, the abilities to express and suppress anger are of particular relevance as they determine outcomes and enable successful anger management in daily situations. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that anger suppression and expression can be decoded by patterns of grey matter of specific well-known brain networks. To this aim, a supervised machine learning technique, known as Kernel Ridge Regression, was used to predict anger expression and suppression scores of 212 healthy subjects from the grey matter concentration. Results show that individual differences in anger suppression were predicted by two grey matter patterns associated with the Default-Mode Network and the Salience Network. Additionally, individual differences in anger expression were predicted by a circuit mainly involving subcortical and fronto-temporal regions when considering whole brain grey matter features. These results expand previous findings regarding the neural bases of anger by showing that individual differences in specific anger-related components can be predicted by the grey matter features of specific networks.

Acceptance of Illness, Satisfaction with Life, and Emotional Control in the Early Stage of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Introduction: Psychological disorders are strong predictors of life expectancy and have an impact on quality of life. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is frequently diagnosed before the onset of subjective symptoms. Similar to other disorders of genetic origin, ADPKD may be a source of remarkable psychological discomfort. One way of coping with emotional distress is its suppression, and this could be measured. Our study aimed to provide data on the acceptance of illness, the emotional suppression of anger, and both anxiety and depression as well as satisfaction with life in young patient population of early-stage ADPKD in comparison to healthy demographically matched individuals. Methods: Fifty patients in the asymptomatic stage of ADPKD with an eGFR >60 mL/min (4p MDRD) and 50 healthy demographically matched individuals were included in this study. Participants filled out a set of psychological questionnaires: Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: Asymptomatic patients with ADPKD had 80% scores indicative of disease acceptance in AIS. As compared to healthy individuals, they presented with significantly stronger suppression of both anxiety and depression but not anger. The ADPKD group had significantly lower satisfaction with life in comparison to the healthy group. Conclusion: Asymptomatic ADPKD patients had a high level of disease acceptance. Anger suppression in this group was comparable to healthy individuals, but anxiety and depression were controlled more intensively. Despite the asymptomatic course of the disease, ADPKD patients revealed lower satisfaction with life in comparison to healthy persons.

Attachment-related differences in dispositional anger and its experience and expression following an insult-based anger induction

Variation in how individuals experience and express anger has been linked to their attachment style, particularly in close interpersonal contexts. However, little research has investigated attachment-related differences in anger and aggression in non-attachment-based settings. This multi-method investigation reports two studies. The first investigated associations between anger and adult attachment dimensions in 270 participants. The second describes a lab-based anger provocation task which examined associations between attachment and pre-post-test change in self-reported anger, physiological responses, anger suppression and aggressive responding (N = 77). Results from study 1 indicate that attachment anxiety was a significant independent predictor of trait anger, while attachment avoidance was not. There were no significant interaction effects, suggesting distinct effects of attachment dimensions on anger. In study 2, attachment avoidance was negatively related to anger change scores from baseline to post-provocation and positively to anger suppression. Attachment anxiety was positively associated with aggressive responding. These findings support the high arousal-low control style previously associated with attachment anxiety, evidenced by elevated trait anger and aggressive responding. They also align with previous studies that support an association between attachment avoidance and emotion suppression, suggesting that the attachment framework can be usefully extended to understand anger and aggression in non-attachment-based contexts.

The effects of intranasal oxytocin on black participants' responses to outgroup acceptance and rejection.

Social acceptance (vs. rejection) is assumed to have widespread positive effects on the recipient; however, ethnic/racial minorities often react negatively to social acceptance by White individuals. One possibility for such reactions might be their lack of trust in the genuineness of White individuals' positive evaluations. Here, we examined the role that oxytocin-a neuropeptide putatively linked to social processes-plays in modulating reactions to acceptance or rejection during interracial interactions. Black participants (N = 103) received intranasal oxytocin or placebo and interacted with a White, same-sex stranger who provided positive or negative social feedback. After positive feedback, participants given oxytocin (vs. placebo) tended to display approach-oriented cardiovascular responses of challenge (vs. threat), exhibited more cooperative behavior, and perceived the partner to have more favorable attitudes toward them after the interaction. Following negative feedback, oxytocin reduced anger suppression. Oxytocin did not modulate testosterone reactivity directly, but our exploratory analysis showed that the less participants suppressed anger during the interaction with their partner, the greater testosterone reactivity they displayed after the interaction. These results survived the correction for multiple testing with a false discovery rate (FDR) of 20%, but not with a rate of 10 or 5%. Discussion centers on the interplay between oxytocin and social context in shaping interracial interactions.

Effects of a nonviolent communication-based anger management program on psychiatric inpatients

This quasi-experimental study aimed to determine the effects of a nonviolent communication-based anger management program on self-esteem, anger expression, and aggression in 44 psychiatric inpatients (experimental group: n = 21; control group: n = 24). The program consisted of six sessions of 60 min each, using a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design, and thereafter analyzing the intervention effects. Results showed statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in anger expression and anger suppression. There were positive, though not statistically significant, changes in self-esteem and aggression. The findings indicated a decreasing effect of anger expression and anger suppression.

Understanding Irritability in Relation to Anger, Aggression, and Informant in a Pediatric Clinical Population.

Despite its clinical relevance to pediatric mental health, the relationship of irritability with anger and aggression remains unclear. We aimed to quantify the relationships between well-validated, commonly used measurements of these constructs and informant effects in a clinically relevant population. A total of 195 children with primary diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, or no major disorder and their parents rate irritability, anger, and aggression on measures of each construct. Construct and informant relationships were mapped via multi-trait, multi-method factor analysis. Parent- and child-reported irritability and child-reported anger are highly associated (r= 0.89) but have some significant differences. Irritability overlaps with outward expression of anger but diverges from anger in anger suppression and control. Aggression has weaker associations with both irritability (r= 0.56) and anger (r= 0.49). Across measures, informant source explains a substantial portion of response variance. Irritability, albeit distinct from aggression, is highly associated with anger, with notable overlap in child-reported outward expression of anger, providing empirical support for formulations of clinical irritability as a proneness to express anger outwardly. Diagnostic and clinical intervention work on this facet of anger can likely translate to irritability. Further research on external validation of divergence of these constructs in anger suppression and control may guide future scale revisions. The proportion of response variance attributable to informant may be an under-recognized confound in clinical research and construct measurement.