Experience Of Aggression Research Articles

Defining Anger and Aggression: A Qualitative Comparison of Youth Experiences

ABSTRACT Anger and aggression are among the most clinically pressing symptoms of those with complex trauma histories. There has been minimal agreement within the literature about how anger and aggression are defined and differentiated, and limited research exists from the youths’ perspective. A sample of 27 youth was recruited with an average age of 14.1 years and average ACEs score of 2.1, with nearly equal males and females. Using social constructionism and developmental trauma frameworks, a phenomenological qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was conducted to address experiences of anger and aggression with a comparative sample of youth at low risk and youth at risk. Themes that emerged included definition, innate vs learned, upbringing, and limitations. Results suggested there were some major differences in how youth at low risk and those at risk defined and experienced anger and aggression.

Teacher-Directed Aggression: Causes Perceived vs. Aggression Experienced

Teachers as victims of aggression seldom become focus of psychological research. However, teacher-directed violence has become a socially relevant phenomenon. Revealing the causes of teacher-directed aggression should at the core of antibullying programs. To identify these causes, psychologists need to study teachers’ experience and insights. The authors compared causes of teacher-directed aggression as perceived by teachers with their accounts of students’ aggression experience. The research relied on the methods of principal component analysis and Pearson’s correlation analysis. The sample consisted of 5,350 teachers from nine regions of the Russian Federation. Most respondents believed teacher-directed aggression to be caused by the dysfunctional family or parents’ disrespect of the teaching staff. The causes were divided into teacher-related, environmental, and intrapersonal. These variables correlated with teachers’ experience of student aggression. The phenomenon of teacher-directed aggression should be taken into account in violence prevention programs aimed at ensuring safety and well-being of both teachers and students.

Student Suicide in India: An Analysis of Newspaper Articles(2019-2023).

Student suicide is one significant public health concern across the world, including India. In recent years, the surge in suicide cases has further worried mental health professionals and policymakers. The current study analysed the reported student suicide cases published in four leading Indian newspapers. Based on the analysis of newspaper reports published between 2019 and 2023, the study detected a total of 491 suicidal deaths of students. The result revealed that academic reasons (academic dissatisfaction, academic stress and academic failure), institutional reasons (bullying, caste discrimination, ragging, harassment and toxic institutional culture), mental health issues (depression, psychological stress and anxiety), financial crisis and online gaming are the most commonly reported reasons behind student suicides. The majority of suicide victims were within the age range of 16-21 years. The highest number of suicide cases are reported from Kota, a city often referred to as the coaching capital of India. The study highlights considering changes in the academic curriculum to make academic programs less stressful for students. More importantly, policies should ensure that the academic campuses are free from harassment, bullying or similar aggressive experiences. Furthermore, emphasising students' mental health should be the education system's biggest priority.

The Consequences of bullying on the Child and on the Rights of Personality

The bullying of children, a form of repeated and intentional aggression, has significant consequences on the rights of personality. Through exposure to physical, verbal, or social harassment, victims become vulnerable with negative effects on their mental and emotional health. By attacking their emotional and psychological integrity, children may develop anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorders. Bullying violates this fundamental right to dignity through the humiliation and contempt towards victims. The constant experience of harassment and aggression can diminish the sense of self-respect and lead to a feeling of dehumanisation and degradation. Children who are victims of bullying may feel that their dignity is being violated and that they are not being given the respect and recognition they deserve. Furthermore, bullying can have consequences on the right to one’s image. These effects can be lasting and may influence how victims perceive themselves in the future. Children may develop a distorted image of themselves, viewing themselves negatively or doubting their own qualities and abilities. In conclusion, bullying not only affects the rights of personality but can also have profound consequences on their long-term emotional and social development. It is essential to pay attention to these aspects and take measures to protect children’s rights to a safe, respectful and dignified childhood. Keywords: Aggresson; Bullying; Children; The rights of personality; Victim.

Response to workplace aggression in forensic and secure mental health services: Investigating staff confidence, associated factors, and training needs.

To evaluate forensic and secure mental health services (FSMHS) staff's confidence in managing workplace aggression, identify associated factors, and explore their workplace aggression prevention training needs. Through an online survey, staff rated their experience of workplace aggression, perceived effectiveness of current training, and confidence in responding to workplace aggression, and described training needs. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify associated factors with statistical significance. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes describing their training needs. The staff perceived current training as low-to-medium in effectiveness, mirroring their confidence in managing workplace aggression. Nurses experienced more workplace aggression compared to other professions. Staff working at High Security perceived current training as less effective compared to those working at Medium Security or Low Security. Qualitative findings underscored the necessity for improved training content, methods, and supportive strategies. Recommendations for enhancing training include: tailoring training to FSMHS settings; equally focussing on both non-physical and physical intervention techniques; providing more scenario-based hands-on practice opportunities; delivering training in a reasonable trainer-trainee ratio; prioritising nurses and High Security staff and integrating other professions into the training framework; and implementing strategies that support staff, consumers, and environment to ensure training effectiveness and applicability.

Resident Aggression and Staff Burnout in Nursing Homes in Hong Kong.

This study examined the effects of exposure to resident aggression, self-efficacy, neuroticism, and attitudes toward dementia on burnout among direct care workers (DCWs) in nursing homes. A convenience sample of 800 DCWs from 70 randomly selected nursing homes in Hong Kong were recruited and individually interviewed. DCWs reported past-month experiences of resident aggression, levels of burnout, self-efficacy, neuroticism, attitudes toward dementia, and other personal and facility characteristics. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that, while physical environment of the facilities, and demographic background and self-efficacy of DCWs were not significant contributing factors, DCWs' exposure to resident aggression, insufficient experience and training in dementia care, negative attitudes toward dementia, and neurotic personality were associated with higher levels of staff burnout. Findings point to the importance of mitigating resident aggression and adequately screen and train staff to optimize their empathy and competence in minimizing the risk of burnout.

How to Capture the Rage? Development and Validation of a State-Trait Anger Scale

Our research seeks to contribute to the existing literature on emotion measurement and research by proposing a new anger metric that addresses limitations of previous scales. This metric shows promise in meeting modern standards and drawing from traditional methods, potentially impacting the study of emotions. Additionally, our study explores cross-cultural congruence in assessing anger between English and German speakers, revealing differences in state and trait anger assessment. We offer theoretical perspectives on these cultural variances and emphasize the importance of considering language nuances in cross-cultural emotion assessment. Furthermore, our research delves into the relationship between anger and other emotions within an affective space, suggesting support for the notion that emotions are composite constructs consisting of valence and activation. We also discuss alternative theoretical perspectives on emotion construction to enhance our understanding. Additionally, our study examines the intricate relationship between anger and different forms of aggression, highlighting the association between anger and various aggressive behaviors in work settings. Our findings underscore the influence of personal traits and situational factors on experiences of anger and aggression, offering insights into the relationships between emotional states, traits, and behavior.

Triggers and Regulation: Qualitative Experiences of Anger and Aggression Among Youth

Triggers and Regulation: Qualitative Experiences of Anger and Aggression Among Youth

Genetic risk for trait aggression and alcohol use predict unique facets of alcohol-related aggression.

A propensity for aggression or alcohol use may be associated with alcohol-related aggression. Previous research has shown genetic overlap between alcohol use and aggression but has not looked at how alcohol-related aggression may be uniquely influenced by genetic risk for aggression or alcohol use. The present study examined the associations of genetic risk for trait aggression, alcohol use, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) with alcohol-related aggression using a polygenic risk score (PRS) approach. Using genome-wide association study summary statistics, PRSs were created for trait aggression, alcohol consumption, and AUD. These PRSs were used to predict the phenotype of alcohol-related aggression among drinkers in two independent samples: the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Family Alcoholism Study (n = 1,162) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; n = 4,291). There were significant associations between the AUD PRS and lifetime alcohol-related aggression in the UCSF study sample. Additionally, the trait aggression PRS was associated with three or more experiences of hitting anyone else and getting into physical fights while under the influence of alcohol, along with a composite score of three or more experiences of alcohol-related aggression, in the UCSF study sample. No significant associations were observed in the Add Health sample. Limited sex-specific genetic effects were observed. These results provide preliminary evidence that genetic influences underlying alcohol use and aggression are uniquely associated with alcohol-related aggression and suggest that these associations may differ by type and frequency of alcohol-related aggression incidents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Violence and aggression against educators and school personnel, retention, stress, and training needs: National survey results.

Aggression and violence against educators and school personnel have raised public health concerns that require attention from researchers, policymakers, and training providers in U.S. schools. School aggression and violence have negative effects on school personnel health and retention and on student achievement and development. In partnership with several national organizations, the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel administered two national, multi-informant, cross-sectional surveys. Time 1 data were collected in 2020-2021 from 14,966 respondents; participants reflected on their experiences of violence and aggression before COVID-19 and during COVID-19 restrictions in this survey. One year later, in 2022, 11,814 respondents completed the Time 2 survey after COVID-19 restrictions ended. Participants included teachers, school psychologists, social workers, counselors, staff members, and administrators from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Rates of violence and aggression directed against educators by students, parents, colleagues, and administrators were substantial before COVID-19, were lower during COVID-19 restrictions, and returned to prepandemic levels or higher after COVID-19 restrictions. After COVID-19 restrictions, 22%-80% of respondents reported verbal or threatening aggression, and 2%-56% of respondents reported physical violence at least once during the year, varying by stakeholder role and aggressor. Rates of intentions to quit the profession ranged from 21% to 43% during COVID-19 restrictions (2020-2021) and from 23% to 57% after COVID-19 restrictions (2021-2022), varying by stakeholder role. Participants across roles reported substantial rates of anxiety and stress, especially during and after COVID-19 restrictions, and identified specific training needs. Implications for theory, research, training, and policy are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Analysis and evaluation of peer group support for doctors in postgraduate training following workplace violence and aggression.

Workplace violence and aggression toward healthcare staff has a significant impact on the individual, causing self-blame, isolation and burnout. Timely and appropriate support can mitigate harm, but there is little research into how this should be delivered. We conducted multi-speciality peer groups for London doctors in postgraduate training (DPT), held over a 6-week period. Pre- and post-group burnout questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to evaluate peer support. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistical methods were used to describe the data. We found four themes: (a) the experience and impact of workplace violence and aggression on DPT, (b) the experience of support following incidents of workplace violence and aggression, (c) the impact and experience of the peer groups and (d) future improvements to support. DPTs showed a reduction in burnout scores. Peer groups are effective support for DPT following workplace violence and aggression. Embedding support within postgraduate training programmes would improve access and availability.

Photovoice in Aggression Management Training for Medical and Nursing Students-A Pilot Study.

Aggression towards medical staff in the healthcare workplace is a common global concern. Measures to mitigate consequences of patient aggression include training through Aggression Management Programs (AMPs), which have been shown to increase students' self-efficacy and self-confidence. To encourage better engagement with a 30 h required AMP training, the study piloted an adapted photovoice activity with 58 students of medicine and nursing. Each student took one to three photos depicting their perceptions, feelings, and experiences of patient aggression in the workplace and discussed them in a course session. Their photos showed types of aggression in psychiatric settings, and their consequences for patients and students. Photo strategies included showing 'actors' or toy figures in aggressive encounters; tools to control aggression in psychiatric settings (e.g., mechanical restraints and syringes); and symbolic photos showing violence to the heart (emotional impact). Adding photovoice elements to the established AMP training appeared to contribute to student reflection on their individual perspectives on patient aggression in the workplace and help students to link their subjective experiences and theoretical learning. In future, incorporating pre-test and post-test questionnaires measuring empathy, attitudes, or critical thinking could help to decipher any changes in AMP effectiveness due to the use of a self-directed photovoice activity.

Adolescent responses to paternal verbal aggression: Assessing spillover and compensatory processes using random intercept cross-lagged panel models.

Prior research suggests several pathways through which verbal aggression manifests across adolescent relationship contexts, including spillover (continuity of aggression across different relationships) and compensation (offsetting an aggressive relationship with less aggression in other relationships). These pathways vary across timescales in ways that between-person analytic approaches are unlikely to adequately capture. The current study used random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) to examine adolescents' spillover and compensatory responses to paternal verbal aggression. Participants were 184 adolescents (53.2% female) from a United States community sample participating in a longitudinal study. Annually from ages 13-17, participants reported on their experiences of verbal aggression in their paternal and maternal relationships and participated in observed interactions with a close peer that were coded for aggressive behavior. Spillover was observed from father-adolescent to mother-adolescent and adolescent-peer contexts in analyses at the between-person level, likely capturing long-term, cumulative effects of paternal aggression. Conversely, compensation was observed in analyses at the within-person level, likely capturing medium-term (i.e., year-to-year) adaptations to paternal aggression: Adolescents who experienced more aggression from their father than expected at a specific time point were less likely to both perpetrate and experience aggression in maternal and peer relationships the following year. Several findings differed across teen gender, with compensation more likely to occur in males than females. These findings highlight the multiple pathways by which father-adolescent aggression may be linked to behavior in other relationships in the medium- and long-term. They also support the value of RI-CLPM in decomposing these effects.

Just like his dad? Understanding the impact of childhood experiences of domestic violence on adolescents and young men who present with difficulties later

This article is based on the author’s clinical experience in working with both perpe-trators and victims. It uses clinical examples to explore the various ways domestic violence impacts on the development of young boys who later present with a variety of psychopathologies. It shows how, in the aftermath of domestic violence, young boys can be thrusted into the vacancies left by their violent fathers, trapped within an identity best described as being “just like his dad”. Without environmental changes that restore safety, benign experiences of aggression, boundaries, and intimacy, the boys who do not develop into being violent themselves do so by deploying various psychological solutions such as depression, perversion and becoming carers. This article discusses these different trajectories in the context of the trauma of domestic violence and then considers the implications for treatment.

Sex differences in responses to aggressive encounters among California mice

Despite how widespread female aggression is across the animal kingdom, there remains much unknown about its neuroendocrine mechanisms, especially in females that engage in aggression outside the peripartum period. Although the impact of aggressive experience on steroid hormone responses have been described, little is known about the impact of these experiences on female behavior or the subsequent neuropeptide responses to performing aggression. In this study, we compared behavioral responses in both male and female adult California mice based on if they had 0, 1, or 3 aggressive encounters using a resident intruder paradigm. We measured how arginine vasopressin and oxytocin cells in the paraventricular nucleus responded to aggression using c-fos immunohistochemistry. We saw that both sexes disengaged from intruders with repeated aggressive encounters, but that on the final day of testing females were more likely to freeze when they encountered intruders compared to no aggression controls – which was not significant in males. Finally, we saw that percent of arginine vasopressin and c-fos co-localizations in the posterior region of the paraventricular nucleus increased in males who fought compared to no aggression controls. No difference was observed in females. Overall, there is evidence that engaging in aggression induces stress responses in both sexes, and that females may be more sensitive to the effects of fighting.

Aggression in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Supervision: Becoming a More Effective Therapist.

Access to one's healthy aggression is critical for both patient and therapist. On the patient's end, the ability to access and modulate aggression is fundamental to the establishment of healthy self-esteem and the capacity to sustain relationships and pursue life goals. On the therapist's end, access to aggression allows for the setting of a secure therapeutic frame and the subsequent conduct of the deep work of therapy. Conversely, lack of access to aggression creates burdensome and problematic situations that may subvert the treatment. Beginning therapists have a particular susceptibility to minimize their own aggression given certain factors in their choice of profession. Supervisors' modeling of the experience of aggression, as well as the provision of a safe atmosphere in which new clinicians become comfortably aware of their own and their patients' aggression, will help fortify beginning therapists' capacity to harness their aggression in the service of the work.

Psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in elderly patients treated at the Department for Psychiatry during 2018

Introduction: Globally, the most common mental disorders in the elderly include dementia (5% - 8%), depression (7%), anxiety disorder (4%), and substance abuse (1%). Moreover, 25% of suicide deaths occur among the elderly. Whether the prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders increases in later life is currently debated in the literature. During the previous two decades of their lives, older adults in Bosnia and Herzegovina have experienced many specific psychosocial circumstances. The experience of war aggression on our country, and the post-war period with a very complex socioeconomic environment of the current socio-political climate, were accompanied by special challenges for the mental health of this population. Motivated by a large number of questions and dilemmas related to the state of mental health of this population, we conducted research at the Department of Psychiatry at the University Clinical Center Tuzla.Objective: Our objective was to investigate psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in people over 55 years of age.Methods: The research sample consisted of all patients older than 55 years treated at the Department for Psychiatry during 2018 (N=281), divided into four age categories. To obtain data, we used medical documentation, i.e., medical records, and we constructed a special questionnaire for research purposes.Results: Diagnoses by ICD-10 groups: 33.4% of patients in the entire sample had affective disorders (F30.0-F39.0): "young" (39.2%), "middle" (43.3%), "older "(75%) (p<0.001); women had significantly more affective disorders (61.8%) than men (26.8%) (p<0.001). Men had significantly more organic mental disorders (F00.0-F09.0) (63.3%) than women (22.6%) (p<0.001).Hypertensio arterialis was the most common comorbid dg. of the entire sample, without significant differences according to age groups and sex (p>0.05). Diabetes mellitus was the second comorbid dg. By frequency in the total sample (19.6%) without significant differences according to age groups and according to sex (p>0.05).Conclusion: In the entire sample, the most common diagnoses are from the affective disorders group; the most common somatic comorbidities are hypertensio arterialis and diabetes mellitus.

Conductas autolíticas suicidas y no suicidas en víctimas de violencia sexual infantil

Sexual violence against children and suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors are two social and health problems that have increased. Sexual assaults have an impact, affecting the tendency to carry out autolytic behaviors. Therefore, it was intended to study the relationship between having been a victim of sexual violence in their childhood and the probability of engaging in suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors in adolescence and early adulthood. For this, a systematic review has been carried out, through the Pubmed and PsycInfo databases of articles published between 2015 and 2022. A significant relationship has been found between both problems, observing that the suicide attempts of these victims were intrinsically related to their experiences of aggression. Thus, it has been found that variables such as gender, rumination, emotional dysregulation, social support, and characteristics of aggression mediate the relationship between sexual violence against children and suicidal and non-suicidal autolytic behaviors. This type of investigation helps us to establish the focus of intervention in the cases of victims of child sexual assault, but it should also help to give visibility to the problem and promote preventive intervention protecting children.

Causal attributions of impulsive and compulsive behaviors.

Aggression, and therefore gender-based violence, can be an impulsive or compulsive behavior, depending on the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs. In Europe, the prevalence of gender-based violence is 16 to 23%. This prevalence shows that there is a need to make further progress in the treatment of aggression against women. Qualitative techniques allow us to understand perceptions and attributions holistically by analyzing what people who commit the crime say, why they say it and how they say it. To explore the experience of physical and verbal aggression by a partner, dependent on the presence or absence of alcohol and drug use, in the prison population. A mixed methodology was used (combining qualitative and quantitative techniques). The sample was made up of 140 men divided into two focus groups [with alcohol and/or drug consumption (SAD) and without alcohol and/or drug consumption (NSAD)] who completed the Demographic, Criminal and Behavioral Interview in Penitentiary Institutions; the Gender Violence Questionnaire (both developed for this study) and the MultiCAGE CAD-4 Questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis and quantitative data were obtained using contingency tables. It was found that the SAD group attributed the crime committed to alcohol and/or drug consumption, while the NSAD group attributed it to jealousy and to their partner. The SAD group revealed that the consequence of the physical aggressions was to get what they were looking for from their partner and the consequences of the verbal aggressions was regret, unlike the NSAD group that did not get anything from the aggressions. The SAD group recognized that to avoid future aggressions they would have to avoid alcohol and/or drug use, while the NSAD group mentioned that they would have to avoid contact with their partner. The need to include perceptions and attributions as well as the use of alcohol and/or drugs is emphasized when assessing individuals who commit the crime of gender-based violence.

Aggression, psychological violence and sexual harassment in seafarers in France.

In a working environment that is predominantly male, very tough physically, with a difficult working environment, occupational exposures and working, verbal and physical aggression can be more frequent than in other sectors. Fishing, merchant shipping and yachting are all sectors where fitness to sail is reassessed every year by doctors in the Seafarers' Health Service. Seafarers are increasingly reporting insulting, violent or sexist behaviour. The main types of abuse seen on board can be verbal and/or physical aggression, humiliation, whether in private or in front of others. Sexual harassment of women is a very worrying subject. It was a retrospective observational study which is part of the professional monitoring of seafarers. The target population was adult seafarers coming for a fitness to sail visit. The group was recruited from seafarers aged over 18 who were being monitored by one of the seafarers' health services (or local centres). The inclusion period was 4 months between January and April 2023. All the information was collected using a self-questionnaire developed from the questionnaires of the Surveillance Médicale des Expositions des Salariés au Risques Professionnels (SUMER) for health status, job satisfaction and the European mini-module, verbal and physical aggression and psychological violence at work (based on the Leymann questionnaire), sexual violence and aggression based on the sexual harassment questionnaire and the PCLS-5 scale validated and translated into French to assess post-traumatic stress. The population studied was therefore 788 sailors. The study population was predominantly male (82.3%). The average age was 41.4 years (standard deviation = 11.7). 46.7% of seafarers estimate being in very good health. During the past 12 months, overall, 24.5% of seafarers disclaimed having been victim in work-related context of a verbal aggression, with a significant difference according to the gender (21.1% for men and 41.0% for women). During the last 12 months, overall, 3.2% of seafarers have been victim in work-related context of a physical aggression (2.6% for men and 5.8% for women, NS), whereas 10.9% of seafarers reported hostile behaviour at present. Twenty per cent of seafarers reported sexual harassment in the last 12 months. During the entire working life of seafarers, 65.5% of women and 38.2% of men reported sexual harassment, and 38.8% of seafarers stated that they had experienced at least one traumatic event in the last 12 months. A quarter of seafarers say they have been the victim of verbal or physical aggression at work in the last twelve months. These figures are high, and higher than those of the global survey on violence and harassment at work carried out by the International Labour Organization. One of the most alarming results of our study is the overexposure of women working in the maritime industry to the risk of physical, verbal or sexual assault of any kind. Indeed, in all the questions concerning the experience of verbal and physical aggression, the number of women victims is twice as high as that of their male colleagues, and this difference is statistically significant. As far as prevention is concerned, it seems that an effort is needed in terms of information, since only one seafarer in two knows the procedure to follow in the event of aggression within their shipyard. Communication between shipowners and seafarers needs to be stepped up to ensure that everyone is familiar with the procedures.