Higher Levels Of Aggression Research Articles

Anxiety and functional readiness for learning activities in first-graders

Introduction. The modern system of primary education dictates high requirements to children, which determines the relevance of the study of the child’s functional readiness for schooling. The child’s readiness for school provides an ability to fully satisfy conditions of systematic education and includes intellectual, emotional and social aspects. The emotional state of the child and the level of anxiety are important factors reflecting the adequacy of school adaptation during this period. 
 Objective: assessment of anxiety and functional readiness for being taugh tin first-graders.
 Materials and methods. There were conducted survey and testing of sixty one 7–8 years first-graders, including 31 boys (50.8%) and 30 girls (49.2%). The children were taught in different classes: two classes with a separate form of education (only boys 
 (19 students) and only girls (20 students)) and one class of joint education (together boys and girls — 22 students). Anxiety was assessed according to the method of “Scale of socio-situational anxiety” by O. Kondash (1973) adapted by V.V. Katunova (2020). The assessment of functional readiness for school was carried out using the Kern–Irasek orientation test of the school maturity. 
 Results. When analyzing school and self-assessment anxiety, a significant predominance of excessive calmness was noted among 62.3% and 65.6% of children, respectively (95% CI 50.1–74.5% and 53.7–77.5%). When assessing school anxiety, a significant prevalence of normal anxiety for girls studying in a separate form of education — 55% (95% CI 33,2–76.8) was revealed in comparison with children studying in a joint form of education — 13.6% (95% CI –0.7–8.0). When considering aggressiveness, a significant prevalence of a low level of aggressiveness among girls — 35% (95% CI 14.1–55.9), and a high level among boys — 68.4% (95% CI 47.5–89.3) in comparison with children studying in the joint form of education (4.5%; 95% CI –4.2–13.2 and 27.3%; 95% CI 8.7–45.9, respectively). Reliable risks of high interpersonal anxiety and a high level of aggressiveness for boys studying in a separate form of education have been identified, which, however, requires further research. 
 Conclusion. The data obtained make it possible to identify a risk group among children for the formation of school maladaptation and inadequate response to the academic load.

Emotion regulation strategies and aggression in youngsters: The mediating role of negative affect

Aggression in youngsters is a highly prevalent problem worldwide. Given that this problem has negative consequences for society, aggressors, and victims, the present study aims to understand the processes underlying the acts of aggression in this population. Specifically, we analyze the role of two emotional regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and the positive and negative affect variables in aggressive behavior. For this purpose, 654 primary and high school students aged between 9 and 18 years (47.6% boys) were assessed on emotion regulation, positive and negative affect, and aggression through the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, respectively. The results revealed that higher use of the cognitive reappraisal strategy was correlated with lower levels of aggression (for total, physical, and anger). In contrast, the opposite was observed with expressive suppression (for total aggression and hostility). More important for the purposes of this study was the finding that the negative affect variable mediated the relationship between expressive suppression and aggressive behavior. Specifically, those individuals who made greater use of the expressive suppression strategy had higher levels of negative affect, which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of aggression. Cognitive reappraisal appeared to be only directly related with a reduction in total aggression. Thus, higher levels of cognitive reappraisal were related to a reduction in aggressive behavior. However, when focusing on the four dimensions of aggression, the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and aggression appears to be mediated by negative affect and, in the case of anger, by positive affect. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Who is Most at Risk for Developing Physical Aggression After Playing Violent Video Games? An Individual Differences Perspective From Early Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood.

Many theories of development suggest that playing violent video games would not impact all adolescents the same way, yet empirical research is sparse. To date there have been no within-subjects analyses that examine which adolescents are most at risk for developing aggression after playing violent video games and under what context, and no longitudinal studies encompassing multiple developmental stages (i.e., early adolescence to emerging adulthood) that examine the long-term effects of playing violent video games. To address this gap, the current study used a longitudinal design (spanning 8 years and encompassing multiple developmental periods) with a sample of U.S. adolescents who completed questionnaires on aggression, video gaming, and multiple risk and protective factors for aggression. Participants included 488 adolescents (M age = 13.82, SD = 1.03 at the initial wave, 51% female, with 65% being White, 12% Black, 19% multiethnic, and 4% other). Mixture regression was utilized to model physical aggression over time and to examine how playing violent video games might be related to aggression on an individual level. There were four classes: "Multi-risk", "High Gaming, High Aggression" (both of which had high levels of aggression over time), "Moderate Risk", and "Low Risk, High Privilege" (both of which had lower levels of aggression over time). Individuals were most aggressive with multiple risk factors or higher levels of violent game play and playing violent video games likely increased aggression more in individuals with other gaming problems and in males with low self-regulation. The results are discussed using a balanced perspective and recognize that violent video games do not affect all adolescents the same way. This research has direct implications for designing interventions around reducing aggressive behavior among adolescents.

Development of social skill training design for preschool in social distancing pandemic COVID-19

Introduction: The low level of social skills during the social distancing period triggers high levels of aggression in children. Teachers and parents find teaching difficult because of their limited knowledge and the pandemic situation. Therefore, teachers and parents must be trained to develop children's social skills proportionally. Training children's social skills should be done face-to-face because it is related to the ability to modify behaviour. Of course, this cannot be done, so it is necessary to design training designs in such a way as to deliver digital-based learning, namely virtual learning. This research aims to develop a social skills training design for preschools during the social distancing pandemic of COVID-19. Methods: The research method using Research and Development (R&D) refers to the ADDIE research development model: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation, which aims to produce an effective training design to develop early childhood social skills for teachers and parents through digital-based learning, namely virtual learning. Results: The design has been tested and validated by 3 experts; experts in the field of character education, linguists, and experts in educational technology both quantitatively and qualitatively and has met the acceptability criteria. Therefore, design training has proved effective in improving the competence of teachers and parents in developing the social skills of children ages early during social distancing. These results can be seen from the activities of the trainers and trainees on the implementation of the training in the very good category, said to be practically based on the positive responses of the trainees (teachers and parents) in the very good category, can increase the knowledge and competence of participants based on the results of the learning evaluation. Conclusion: The design training has proved effective in improving the competence of teachers and parents in developing the social skills of children ages early during social distancing.

Study of aggressive behavior of primary school age children with psychophysical disorders

The article highlights the categories of children that belong to children with psychophysical developmental disorders and shows their age characteristics. It is noted that these are children aged 6–7 to 10–11 years who have been diagnosed with hearing impairment (deaf, reduced hearing); visual impairment (blind, low vision); intellectual impairment (mentally retarded, delayed mental development); speech disorders; disorders of the musculoskeletal system; a complex form of impairment (mentally retarded blind or deaf; deaf-blind, etc.); emotional and volitional disorders and children with autism.Due to subjective reasons, children of primary school age with disorders of psychophysical development often demonstrate aggressive behavior without understanding its meaning. The nature of this behavior in many cases is determined by their age characteristics. The reasons for such behavior are the influence of both internal and external factors, which are characterized in the article.An analysis of the works of scientists who tried to explain the peculiarities of the development and manifestation of aggressive behavior in children of primary school age with disorders of psychophysical development was carried out. The presence of various assumptions and arguments for the existence of various reasons for the appearance of aggressive behavior in children with disorders of psychophysical development has been confirmed in the scientific literature. However, a lack of scientific publications on researching the levels of aggressive behavior in children of primary school age with disorders of psychophysical development during the period of active hostilities was found. This became the goal of the study, which revealed a high level of aggression in children of this category. In particular, the use of Bassa-Darka, "Non-existent animal" and "Cactus" methods for diagnosing aggressive behavior in children of primary school age with psychophysical developmental disorders made it possible to reveal a pronounced high level of aggression in the respondents.The data obtained as a result of the diagnosis of the level of aggressive behavior in the specified category of children made it necessary to study the specific causes of such behavior and to develop ways and means of correcting the aggressive behavior of elementary school students with psychophysical development disorders.

Which animal-to-feeding-place ratio at time-controlled hay racks is animal appropriate? Preliminary analysis of stress responses of horses.

Automated feeding systems offer numerous advantages for animals and humans, but the associated benefits and risks can often only be seen under practical conditions. The space allowance (~80 cm per horse) at time-controlled hay racks for horses in group housing, unlike at partitioned feeding stands or transponder-controlled feed stations, currently falls below the required individual distance between the horses, which can result in a high level of aggression between the horses due to the lack of partitions between them. Hence, a feed-through at a time-controlled hay rack cannot be equated with a feeding place. In this preliminary study, we therefore aimed to determine the minimum animal-to-feeding-place ratio (AFR) at time-controlled hay racks that would provide adequate individual distances between the horses. To do so, we assessed behavioral and physiological parameters (via video behavioral observations and salivary cortisol measurements) of up to 28 horses in a loose housing system. Over 2 observation days per treatment, four AFRs were investigated in a balanced sequence: 1:1.2, 1:2, 1:3, and C (single feeding in familiar surroundings as a control). We found that the horses expressed less aggressive behavior, especially those behaviors with a high risk of injury such as biting and kicking, when there were three times as many openings as there were horses at time-controlled hay racks, as compared with only 20% more openings or twice as many openings as there were horses [lineal mixed model: F (3, 4) = 7.411; adjusted R 2 = 0.733; p (AFR_1:2) = 0.06, p (AFR_1:3) = 0.02, p (AFR_C) = 0.01]. The salivary cortisol levels during feeding decreased more strongly with more generous AFRs [p (AFR_metric) = 0.02]. The factors hierarchy and individual showed no influence. In contrast, the day of the experiment and the associated weather conditions, despite randomized selection, influenced both the behavioral and the physiological parameters. The results of this preliminary study indicate that the investigated time-controlled hay racks must provide at least three times as many feeding places as there are horses to ensure that neighboring horses can keep their individual distance and stress-free feeding is possible. Further studies on more farms and different types as well as arrangement of hay racks are proposed.

The cognitive neural mechanism of response inhibition and error processing to fearful expressions in adolescents with high reactive aggression.

Reactive aggression in adolescents is characterized by high levels of impulsivity. This is associated with deficits in response inhibition and error processing and spontaneous emotion-driven responses to a perceived threat. However, the characteristics and cognitive neural mechanisms of response inhibition and error processing to indirect threat in adolescents with high levels of reactive aggression are unclear. This study explored the characteristics and cognitive neural mechanisms of response inhibition and error processing to fearful expressions in adolescents with high levels of reactive aggression using an emotional Go/No-Go paradigm combined with ERP recordings. Adolescents with high levels of reactive aggression (n = 31) and a control group (n = 30) took part in this study. Results showed that when presented with fearful expressions, adolescents with high levels of reactive aggression showed a smaller No-Go P3 effect and smaller ERN amplitudes following commission errors on the No-Go task than the control group. Results suggested that when presented with fearful expressions, adolescents with high levels of reactive aggression have impaired response inhibition in the later stage of actual inhibitory control of the motor system and impaired error processing in the early stage of fast and automatic initial error detection.

Диагностика и профилактика риска суицидального поведения обучающихся юношеского возраста в образовательной организации

Russia is one of the ten states with high suicidal activity of the population. Adolescence and early adolescence are traditionally considered as periods of manifestation of suicidal attempts and completed suicides, which determines the need to identify the psychological determinants of personality to prevent and correct the risk of suicidal behavior students. We carried out a psychological study of suicidal tendencies and predisposition to self-destructive behavior in early adolescence; formed an experimental group of students based on the screening of students with a high risk of suicidal behavior. The propensity for risky and suicidal behavior, as well as such qualities as aggressiveness, social dependence, anxiety, self-esteem at the ascertaining and control stages were studied. The revealed in the study data on suicidal tendencies and predisposition to destructive behavior in people of early adolescence complement the theoretical and empirical ideas about this phenomenon. A complex combination of a high level of aggressiveness, personal anxiety, social dependence and inadequacy of self-esteem in the structure of suicidal tendencies and a predisposition to destructive behavior in people of early adolescence has been reliably identified. The results obtained are important for the development of preventive measures, competent and reasonable construction of psycho-correctional and psychotherapeutic work with this category of students.

Coping with Destructive Behaviour of Learners: Teachers’ Reaction to Learners’ Aggression and Aggressiveness of Teachers

Introduction. The article presents the analysis of the ways teachers cope with situations of conflict at secondary school and destructive behavior of learners. Highly functional coping teachers’ behavior is the main problem of the study. The purpose of the article is to present the results of a study of the relationship between various parameters of teachers’ aggressiveness and priority ways of responding to situations of conflicts between learners, as well as to test the assumption that there is a relationship between the chosen method of coping with adolescents’ aggressive behavior and teachersʼ idea about the permissibility of aggression. Materials and Methods. 5 086 teachers from seven regions of the Russian Federation (five federal districts) took part in this study. The study was implemented in the form of an anonymous online questionnaire. The following statistical analysis methods were used: Student and Mann-Whitney criteria, correlation analysis (Spearman coefficient). Data processing was carried out in R Studio (R version 4.0.0) and SPSS. Results. Respondents with a high level of physical aggression, anger and hostility (compared to respondents with a low level) are significantly less likely to choose an active form of reaction and significantly more often – passive and emotional forms. Teachers who actively react to the aggression of adolescents do not consider aggression an acceptable form of behavior. Teachers who prefer a passive and emotional way of responding to aggression are more likely to consider aggressive behavior at school acceptable. Discussion and Conclusion. The results conceptualize various aspects of the teacher's attitude to adolescent aggression and, in many respects, directly indicate the risks of “normalizationˮ of adolescent aggression as a form of behavior in the minds of teachers with high rates of various aspects of aggressiveness.

About the Effect on the Environmental Efficiency of the Centralized Heat Supply Systems

The global production created by the mankind has an intensively increasing harmful effect on the environment. As a result, we are facing the problem of the saving of natural environment and now the global community tries to find solution for this environmental problem. The power generation sector is the most environmentally aggressive of all industry branches. Technical power engineering facilities differ by a high degree of complexity making it difficult to increase the level of their environmental friendliness. In particular, centralized heat supply systems are rather complicated and responsible components of the power engineering industry. These differ by a high level of environmental aggressiveness. Hence, these need to increase a degree of their environmental friendliness. The purpose of this research was to analyze the condition of the interaction of the power generating sector with the natural environment and search for harmonization solutions of available contradictions of such an interaction. An increase of the environmental friendliness of the worn-out power equipment used by centralized heat supply systems is a topical problem. The purpose of this scientific paper was to suggest a solution for the problem of the environmental interaction of the centralized heat supply systems with natural environment using an approach of their partial renewal. The most environmentally aggressive elements of these systems are the boiler plants that emit heat and harmful substances into the environment. Domestic boiler plants have completely been worn-out. Therefore, the development of the domestic boiler building industry is of vital importance. It will enable the production of modern boiler plants instead of worn-out boiler systems. This process is impeded at the moment by the insufficiency of available resources. Contemporary requirements to the technological level of the functioning efficiency of the centralized heat-supply systems are rather high, especially as for its environmental component. Available centralized heat-supply systems have low efficiency due to a high wear-out level of their elements on the whole. There is an urgent need for an increase in the efficiency of these systems. One of the available ways of such an increase in the efficiency is a partial renewal of the equipment. The program of the partial renewal of available boiler plants allows us to provide an appropriate increase in the environmental friendliness of the worn-out equipment used by centralized heat-supply systems. The coverage of the entire fleet of the equipment available for the centralized heat-supply systems by this partial renewal program will allow for an increase in the level of its ecological friendliness on the whole.

How popularity goal and popularity status are related to observed and peer-nominated aggressive and prosocial behaviors in elementary school students

Whereas previous research with secondary school students has demonstrated that popularity goals and actual popularity status are related to peer-reported aggression, it is unclear whether this is already the case in the upper grades of elementary school. The current study extends previous research by assessing elementary school students, focusing on both aggressive and prosocial behaviors, and importantly by observing aggressive and prosocial behaviors in cooperative and competitive small-group settings. Participants were 173 Dutch fifth- and sixth-grade students (58.2% girls; Mage = 11.11 years, SD = 0.72), who self-reported popularity goals and nominated peers for popularity, aggressive behavior, and prosocial behavior. Participants’ behavior in a cooperative task and a competitive task, completed in groups of 4, was observed. Results show that popularity goal was related to high levels of aggression according to peers (only for boys) and to low levels of prosocial behavior across reporters and settings. Actual popularity status was related to high levels of strategic aggression across reporters and settings and additional high levels of strategic prosocial behavior in a cooperative setting. Thus, the current study demonstrates that popularity goal is already related to social behavior in elementary school and that desired and actual popularity are not only predictive of the behavior as perceived by peers but also predictive of observed behaviors during group interactions.

The role of subclinical psychopathic traits on experimentally induced self- and other-compassion.

Psychopathic traits come with high levels of anger and aggression. Since previous studies showed that compassion can mitigate both anger and aggression, the current research puts compassion forward as a possible target to alleviate psychopathy's destructive patterns. Specifically, the present study explored the influence of subclinical psychopathic traits-as well as their three subcomponents egocentricity, callousness, and antisociality-on the efficacy of experimentally induced self-compassion (SC) and other-compassion (OC). This manuscript is part of a larger study in which student and community participants (N = 230, M age = 27.41, 65.2% female) completed a psychopathic trait questionnaire to assess their dimensional level of psychopathy, filled out state SC and OC questionnaires, and were randomized to participate in an experimental self- or other-compassion induction. It was expected that psychopathic traits would positively relate to increases in SC but negatively relate to increases in OC. Baseline levels of both SC and OC negatively related to psychopathy. Overall, as expected, the results on change scores show that subclinical psychopathic traits positively related to a stronger increase in SC, irrespective of the type of compassion induction. This positive relation between a stronger increase in SC and psychopathy total and callousness was more pronounced after the SC induction, rather than after the OC induction. Psychopathic traits did not differentially influence changes in OC. One implication of this study is that high psychopathic and callousness traits predispose to profit extra from targeting SC. Furthermore, psychopathic traits do not hinder increasing compassion for others. These findings suggest that compassion is a promising intervention to improve the wellbeing of people with elevated subclinical psychopathic traits and those around them. Although further research is needed to assess the impact of compassion on anger and aggression specifically, and on clinical psychopathy, the current study suggests that both SC and OC may be useful intervention targets in case of elevated psychopathic traits.

Development of a Marketing Strategy to Improve the Market Activities of Agricultural and Processing Enterprises on the Example of Company Policy

Marketing strategy plays a huge role in the quality functioning and development of any enterprise. Therefore, the finding of new methods for the development of marketing strategies always remains the relevant moment for both entrepreneurs and scientists. Since the agricultural and processing enterprises play the greatest role for Ukraine, it was decided to pay attention to the creation of marketing strategy specifically for these enterprises. Thus, the purpose of the work is to analyze an example of the development of a company's marketing strategy in the above-mentioned sectors, describe its advantages and disadvantages, as well as draw conclusions regarding the specifics of creating a marketing strategy in Ukraine. The analysis became the fundamental method for completing the research, considering a significant amount of data that needed interpretation, which were used for it. The features of the creation and implementation of the marketing strategy of the company “Myronivsky Hliboproduct” were analyzed. It was shown that the company focused on scaling (expansion to foreign markets), developing the company's innovativeness and achieving the goals of sustainable development. Its peculiarity is considered the special approaches to the formation of management structure, characterized by its complexity and autonomy, and a business model based on the greatest possible independence from external suppliers of goods and services (closed production cycle). It was shown that the Ukrainian approach to the creation of marketing strategy still had some differences from the European approach, since it was characterized by the higher level of aggressiveness in capturing markets and the lower level of enterprises’ innovativeness, which was offset by the lower prices for labor and raw materials. The work brings new knowledge regarding the specifics of running the marketing campaigns and creating the marketing strategies among Ukrainian companies, in particular in the agricultural sector

Investigation on the Levels of Aggression of Physical Education and Sport School Students from Demographic Variables Perspective: Istanbul Ayvansaray University

The aim of this study is to determine whether the level of aggression of the students of Physical Education and Sports School at Istanbul Ayvansaray University differs according to some demographic variables. For this purpose, 180 students from the Physical Education and Sport School participated voluntarily who got trainings from Istanbul Ayvansaray University’s Coaching Education Department, Sports Management Department, Recreation and Exercise and Sports Sciences Department. Survey data were obtained from the “personal information form” and the “Aggression Scale” developed by Buss-Perry, adapted to Turkish by Madran (2013). SPSS 21 package program was used to analyze the obtained data. In the analysis of the data, T-Test and One Way analysis of variance analysis were used. The difference between the variables was interpreted on the basis of p < 0.05 significance level. As a result of the study, although there were significant differences between the aggression levels of the students according to age and sex, the differences between the sections they studied and the level of aggression according to the field they were doing were meaningless. Students with alcohol and cigarette addictions were found to have higher levels of aggression. It was found that the mean score of male students was higher than that of female students.

Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2 Knockout Male Rats Exhibit a Strengthened Oxytocin System, Are Aggressive, and Are Less Anxious.

The central serotoninergic system is critical for stress responsivity and social behavior, and its dysregulations have been centrally implicated in virtually all neuropsychiatric disorders. Genetic serotonin depletion animal models could provide a tool to elucidate the causes and mechanisms of diseases and to develop new treatment approaches. Previously, mice lacking tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2) have been developed, showing altered behaviors and neurotransmission. However, the effect of congenital serotonin deficiency on emotional and social behavior in rats is still largely unknown, as are the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we used a Tph2 knockout (Tph2–/–) male rat model to study how the lack of serotonin in the rat brain affects anxiety-like and social behaviors. Since oxytocin is centrally implicated in these behaviors, we furthermore explored whether the effects of Tph2 knockout on behavior would relate to changes in the oxytocin system. We show that Tph2–/– rats display reduced anxiety-like behavior and a high level of aggression in social interactions. In addition, oxytocin receptor expression was increased in the infralimbic and prelimbic cortices, paraventricular nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, and some subregions of the hippocampus, which was paralleled by increased levels of oxytocin in the medial frontal cortex and paraventricular nucleus but not the dorsal raphe nucleus, central amygdala, and hippocampus. In conclusion, our study demonstrated reduced anxiety but exaggerated aggression in Tph2–/– male rats and reveals for the first time a potential involvement of altered oxytocin system function. Meanwhile, the research of oxytocin could be distinguished in almost any psychiatric disorder including anxiety and mental disorders. This research potentially proposes a new target for the treatment of such disorders, from a genetic serotonin deficiency aspect.

Features of aggressive behavior in adolescent age

The problem of aggression and aggressive behavior in science becomes relevant when society is going through critical periods of development. The article examines problems and peculiarities in the school environment, namely in adolescence. The causes of aggression among teenagers are considered. The study of adolescent aggression has been described. The characteristic influence of relatives on the development of aggression in adolescent children has been analyzed. It has been revealed how an adult's aggression at home can affect a child's life. The topic of the social context that generates aggression has been problematized. The problem of aggression between teenagers has been studied more deeply. The study was aimed at the relationship between reducing the already high level of aggressiveness in the behavior of adolescents, the level of self-esteem and the type of upbringing in the family. In the course of the study, conclusions were drawn, and it turned out that in adolescence, the high level of aggression characteristic of children with emotional vulnerability is directly related to their fragile self-image.

Inhibition of the medial amygdala disrupts escalated aggression in lactating female mice after repeated exposure to male intruders

Virgin female laboratory mice readily express pup care when co-housed with dams and pups. However, pup-sensitized virgins fail to express intruder-directed aggression on a single session of testing. To study whether repeated testing would affect the onset and dynamics of maternal or intruder-directed aggression, we tested dams and their accompanying virgins from postpartum day 4 to 6. Repeated testing led to escalated aggression towards male intruders in dams, but virgins never developed aggression. In dams, inhibition of the medial amygdala using DREADD (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) vectors carrying the hM4Di receptor blocked the expected increase in maternal aggression on the second testing day. Our data support that the onset of maternal aggression is linked to physiological changes occurring during motherhood, and that medial amygdala, a key centre integrating vomeronasal, olfactory and hormonal information, enables the expression of escalated aggression induced by repeated testing. Future studies selectively targeting specific neuronal populations of the medial amygdala are needed to allow a deeper understanding of the control of experience-dependent aggression increase, a phenomenon leading to the high aggression levels found in violent behaviours.

Plasma Testosterone and Androstenedione Levels Follow the Same Sex-Specific Patterns in the Two Pan Species.

Simple SummaryGenerally male mammals are more aggressive than their female peers. In these males, aggressive behavior is linked to levels of androgens; higher levels of testosterone are predictive of higher aggression rates or more severe aggression. There are some species where the pattern of sex-specific aggression is reversed, and it was hypothesized that high levels of androgens may be responsible for social dominance and aggressiveness in these females. Studies so far found that females of species with sex-reversed aggression patterns (e.g., spotted hyenas and ring-tailed lemurs) had lower plasma testosterone levels than their male peers, but a precursor of testosterone, androstenedione, was comparable or even higher in females than in males. This supported the idea that selection for female aggressiveness may be facilitated through augmented androgen secretion. Here we show that in two sister species, bonobos and chimpanzees, that differ in terms of sex-specific aggression patterns, females have lower plasma testosterone levels and higher plasma androstenedione levels than their male peers. Thus, our data do not support a theory of a role of female androgen levels on the expression of sex-specific patterns of aggression.In most animals, males are considered more aggressive, in terms of frequency and intensity of aggressive behaviors, than their female peers. However, in several species this widespread male-biased aggression pattern is either extenuated, absent, or even sex-reversed. Studies investigating potential neuro-physiological mechanisms driving the selection for female aggression in these species have revealed an important, but not exclusive role of androgens in the expression of the observed sex-specific behavioral patterns. Two very closely related mammalian species that markedly differ in the expression and degree of sex-specific aggression are the two Pan species, where the chimpanzee societies are male-dominated while in bonobos sex-biased aggression patterns are alleviated. Using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods, we measured levels of plasma testosterone and androstenedione levels in male and female zoo-housed bonobos (N = 21; 12 females, 9 males) and chimpanzees (N = 41; 27 females, 14 males). Our results show comparable absolute and relative intersexual patterns of blood androgen levels in both species of Pan. Plasma testosterone levels were higher in males (bonobos: females: average 0.53 ± 0.30 ng/mL; males 6.70 ± 2.93 ng/mL; chimpanzees: females: average 0.40 ± 0.23 ng/mL; males 5.84 ± 3.63 ng/mL) and plasma androstenedione levels were higher in females of either species (bonobos: females: average 1.83 ± 0.87 ng/mL; males 1.13 ± 0.44 ng/mL; chimpanzees: females: average 1.84 ± 0.92 ng/mL; males 1.22 ± 0.55 ng/mL). The latter result speaks against a role of androstenedione in the mediation of heightened female aggression, as had been suggested based on studies in other mammal species where females are dominant and show high levels of female aggressiveness.

Structural and functional characteristics of stress resistance in sports amid coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

The aim of this study was to carry out a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of coping strategies among female track-and-field students of the first-third study years with different aggressiveness levels on the back of the coronavirus disease 2019-provoked self-isolation. The total sample of respondents comprised 360 female students majoring in Physical Education and Sports. All of them were enrolled in an online survey using the Anxiety, Frustration, Aggressiveness, and Rigidity methodology and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory. The study revealed that first-year students with high levels of aggressiveness focused on emotions and their expression under stress more often than first-years with moderate aggressiveness levels. Similarly, an increased concentration on negative emotions display was inherent to respondents of the second study year. The transition from the first to the third study year was marked with consolidation and strengthening of negative coping strategies used by female track-and-field athletes. This represents one of the central reasons for the deterioration of their psycho-emotional state during the quarantine. The most widely applied stress response tactics of female students of all 3 study years were associated with positive thinking, active coping, and planning (P≤0.05 with other coping strategies). Resort to psychoactive substances was noted less frequently (P≤0.01 with other strategies). As for the emotional component, increased attention to emotions’ expression and seeking of instrumental and emotional support were also chosen relatively often. The problematic issue needs further investigation in order to analyze whether stressful conditions persist or have decreased.

Sex and Aggression Characteristics in a Cohort of Patients with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome.

Objective:This study describes for the first time the characteristics by sex of patients with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), including clinical phenotype, treatment, and psychosocial aspects of disease.Methods:This cross-sectional study included 205 consecutive community patients evaluated between January 1, 2012 and March 30, 2019 and compared 87 females with 118 males. Our primary hypothesis was that males would display more aggression, as measured by the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) and would be treated with immunotherapy earlier than females. The MOAS began to be administered 5 years into the study period, and 57 of the 205 families completed the MOAS for this study.Results:Our analysis revealed that males had a higher median MOAS score in the first year of clinic when compared with females (median 11, interquartile range [IQR] [4–24] vs. median 3, IQR [1–9]; p = 0.03) and a higher median subscore for physical aggression (median 4, IQR [0–12] vs. median 0, IQR [0–8]; p = 0.05). The median time from PANS symptom onset to first administration of immunotherapy, which did not include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or short bursts of oral steroids, was 6.9 years for females and 3.7 years for males (p = 0.20). The two groups did not differ significantly in age of PANS onset, time from onset to clinic entry, other psychiatric symptom measures, or laboratory markers of inflammation.Conclusion:Among patients with PANS, males exhibit more aggressive behavior when compared with females, which may advance the decision to treat with immunotherapy. Scores that capture a more global level of functioning show that despite there being a higher level of aggression in males, female patients with PANS have similar levels of overall impairment.