Hostile Interpretation Bias Research Articles

Interpretation bias modification for hostility to facilitate smoking cessation in a sample with elevated trait anger: A randomized trial

Problematic anger is linked with multiple adverse smoking outcomes, including cigarette dependence, heavy smoking, and cessation failure. A smoking cessation intervention that directly targets anger and its maintenance factors may increase rates of smoking cessation. We examined the efficacy of an interpretation bias modification for hostility (IBM-H) to facilitate smoking cessation in smokers with elevated trait anger. Participants were 100 daily smokers (mean age = 38, 62% female, 55% white) with elevated anger were randomly assigned to eight computerized sessions of either IBM-H or a health and relaxation video control condition (HRVC). Participants in both conditions attempted to quit at mid-treatment. Measures of hostility, anger, and smoking were administered at pre-, mid-, post-treatment, as well as at up to three-month follow-up. Compared to HRVC, IBM-H led to greater reductions in hostile interpretation bias, both at posttreatment and follow-up. IBM-H also led to statistically significant reductions in hostility only at posttreatment, and trait anger only at three-month follow-up. Both conditions experienced reductions in smoking, although they did not differ in quit success. We discuss these findings in the context of literature on anger and smoking cessation and provide directions for future research.

The Effects of Cognitive Bias Modification on Hostile Interpretation Bias and Aggressive Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The Effects of Cognitive Bias Modification on Hostile Interpretation Bias and Aggressive Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Development and refinement of the mobile anger reduction intervention for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Problematic anger is commonly reported among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is associated with numerous psychosocial impairments. There is a clear need to develop innovative and effective anger interventions. One of the cognitive mechanisms associated with anger is the hostile interpretation bias, which is the tendency to interpret ambiguous interpersonal situations as hostile. The current study presents a successive cohort design methodology to develop and refine a mobile treatment application, entitled Mobile Anger Reduction Intervention (MARI), which uses interpretation bias modification techniques to modify hostile interpretation bias. Two cohorts (total N = 13) of veterans with PTSD and problematic anger used the MARI application for 4 weeks. After each cohort, qualitative and quantitative data were used to modify the MARI application. The intervention is described, as well as the qualitative and quantitative findings and subsequent changes made to the mobile application based on participant feedback. Treatment adherence was high (90% of participants completed all sessions). Participants reported that they found the treatment helpful and easy to use and experienced improvements in hostile interpretation bias and problematic anger. This study demonstrates the utility of a successive cohort treatment design for the development of mobile interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Do Violent Video Games Reduce Aggression? The Roles of Prosociality and Cooperation

ABSTRACT Video games have become an integral part of people’s daily life. Though detrimental outcomes of negative game factors have been demonstrated across previous studies, the effects of prevalently-exist positive game factors, for example, prosociality and cooperation, remain unclear. This study examined the effects of positive game factors in violent video games on aggressive behavior by exploring prosociality and cooperation. Based on the General Learning Model, Experiment 1 examined the effect of prosociality on aggressive behavior and the mediating role of perceived violence in the game. Experiment 2 examined the relation between cooperation in violent video games and aggressive behavior, the mediating role of hostile interpretation bias, and the moderating role of the game result. The results of Experiment 1 showed that prosociality did not influence aggressive behavior. The results of Experiment 2 showed that cooperation decreased aggressive behavior. Additionally, Experiment 2 also found that the hostile interpretation bias mediated the relation between cooperation and aggressive behavior, and win/lose results moderate the relationship between cooperation and aggressive behavior. Considering the questions raised by post hoc sensitivity analysis, future studies could investigate the effects of positive game factors in violent video games on aggressive behavior with a larger sample size.

Development and Evaluation of an Online Intervention for Reducing Hostile Interpretation Bias: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Hostility is a trait-level construct characterized by a generally suspicious and cynical view of other people that results in a tendency to interpret ambiguous social situations in hostile or threatening ways. Cognitive behavioral treatments for hostility have high dropout rates, which may be due to hostile beliefs interfering with treatment engagement. As such, there is a need for an alternative approach to prevent dropout and enhance engagement. The current study therefore developed and tested a 1-session, 40-minute online intervention targeting hostility. It was hypothesized that the hostility intervention would be rated as acceptable as indexed by self-report and completion rates. It was also hypothesized that the hostility intervention would be associated with greater reductions in hostility as compared to a control intervention. Finally, it was hypothesized there would be indirect effects of intervention condition on anger and aggression via changes in hostility.Undergraduates (N = 101) who reported elevated hostility and hazardous alcohol use were randomized to complete either the hostility intervention or a control condition targeting physical health habits. Results showed that individuals randomized to the hostility intervention found the intervention to be highly acceptable and all participants completed the intervention in its entirety. The hostility intervention was associated with significantly faster reductions in hostile interpretations than the control condition with medium to large effects. There were significant indirect effects of intervention condition on month one follow-up anger and aggression via changes in hostile cognitions. This proof-of-concept study provides initial evidence that a brief, single-session intervention may be a promising approach for reducing hostility and its correlates.

Hoću sve i hoću sada - iracionalna uverenja i osobine mračne tetrade kod muškaraca

The Dark Tetrad (DT) - an umbrella term for four socially aversive traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) gained a lot of research interest. However, little is known about how these traits are related to cognitive constructs such as hostile interpretation bias (HIB) and low frustration tolerance (LFT). In an attempt to explain what could contribute to understanding the development of DT, the present study aimed to combine two different theoretical perspectives: a theory underlying CBT and a trait-based model of personality. The study used a community sample of men (N = 612) to test whether LFT (a) predicts HIB and the expression of DT traits and (b) has an indirect, mediated by HIB, effect on DT traits. Results showed a significant direct effect of LFT on all four DT traits. Also, the indirect effect was significant in all four tested models. It might be that, by seeking schema confirmation, individuals gradually develop a stable pattern of behavioral, emotional, motivational reactions, labeled as (DT) traits. HIB seems to be an integral part of the assimilation process, by mediating the relationship between LFT and all four DT traits.

Interpretation bias modification for hostility: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: Hostility is a transdiagnostic phenomenon that can have a profound negative impact on interpersonal functioning and psychopathological severity. Evidence suggests that cognitive bias modification for interpretation bias (CBM-I) potentially reduces hostility. However, stringent efficacy studies in people with clinical levels of hostility are currently lacking. Method: The present study investigated the effects of CBM-I in two studies: one feasibility study (Study 1) in a mixed clinical-community sample of men (N = 29), and one randomized clinical study (Study 2) in a mixed-gender sample with clinical levels of hostility (N = 135), pre-registered at https://osf.io/r46jn. We expected that CBM-I would relate to a larger increase in benign interpretation bias and larger reductions in hostile interpretation bias, hostility symptoms and traits, and general psychiatric symptoms at post-intervention compared to an active control (AC) condition. We also explored the beneficial carry-over effects of CBM-I on working alliance in subsequent psychotherapy 5 weeks after finishing CBM-I (n = 17). Results: Results showed that CBM-I increased benign interpretation bias in both studies and partially reduced hostile interpretation bias in Study 2, but not in Study 1. Findings of Study 2 also showed greater reductions in behavioral (but not self-reported) aggression in CBM-I relative to control, but no condition differences were found in self-report hostility measures and general psychiatric symptoms. Conclusions: Overall, we found modest support for CBM-I as an intervention for hostility, with some evidence of its efficacy for hostile interpretation bias and aggression. We discuss study limitations as well as directions for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Modification of hostile interpretation bias and self-reported aggression in juvenile delinquents: A randomized controlled trial

Background/ObjectiveThe social information processing model holds that aggressive behavior is closely related to the hostile interpretation of ambiguous social cues, suggesting the possibility that an intervention that reduces hostile interpretations could reduce aggression. This study in Mainland China evaluated the remediating effects of cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) on the hostile interpretation bias and self-reported aggressive behaviors of male juvenile delinquents, taking into account initial hostile interpretation bias as a possible moderator of the intervention effect. MethodFifty-six male juvenile delinquents aged 16-18 were recruited and randomly assigned to the CBM-I group (n = 28) or the Waiting-List group (n = 28). Interpretation bias and self-reported aggressive behavior were assessed at pre-test and post-test. ResultsThe positive interpretations of participants in the CBM-I group were significantly increased compared with participants in the Waiting-List group. The intervention effect of CBM-I on self-reported physical aggression was significant only for juvenile delinquents with high pre-test hostile interpretation bias. ConclusionsCBM-I can significantly improve the positive interpretation bias of juvenile delinquents, and reduce the self-reported physical aggression for some male juvenile delinquents. The results have implications for providing low-cost and high-efficiency intervention for juvenile delinquents’ self-reported aggression behavior.

The Relationship Between Hostile Interpretation Bias and Symptoms of Depression and Social Anxiety: a Replication Across Two Samples

Cognitive models of social anxiety and depression posit that hostile interpretation bias may be a symptom of, and act as a maintenance factor for, these disorders. Social anxiety and depression are also associated with increased experience of angry and irritable mood. To investigate whether hostile interpretation bias is related to symptoms of the disorder or to irritability, the current study investigated the degree to which state irritable mood may influence these relationships. In two samples, MTurk workers (Sample 1, n = 145) and college students (Sample 2, n = 387), we assessed depression symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, irritable mood, and hostile interpretation bias. In sample 1, depression and social anxiety symptoms were positively associated with hostile interpretation bias. When statistically controlling for irritable mood, depression symptoms no longer significantly predicted hostile interpretation bias. However, social anxiety remained a significant predictor of hostile interpretation bias even when controlling for irritable mood. The pattern of results was identical in sample 2. Results indicate that the association between depression symptoms and hostile interpretation bias may be accounted for by irritable mood, but social anxiety symptoms have a unique association with hostile interpretation bias even when including irritable mood. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Using Interpretation Bias Modification to Reduce Anger in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study.

Difficulty controlling anger is the most commonly reported reintegration concern among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of the mechanisms associated with problematic anger is a tendency to interpret ambiguous interpersonal situations as hostile, known as the hostile interpretation bias (HIB). A computer-based interpretation bias modification (IBM) intervention has been shown to successfully reduce HIB and anger but has not been tested in veterans with PTSD. The current study was a pilot trial of this IBM intervention modified to address problematic anger among veterans with PTSD. Veterans with PTSD and a high level of anger (N = 7) completed eight sessions of IBM treatment over the course of 4 weeks. Participants completed self-report questionnaires at pre- and posttreatment assessment visits, as well as a treatment acceptability interview at posttreatment. Veterans experienced large reductions in hostile interpretation bias and anger from pre- to posttreatment, ds = 1.03-1.96, although these estimates may be unstable due to the small sample size. The feasibility for recruitment, retention, and treatment completion were high. Questionnaire and interview data demonstrated that most participants were satisfied with the treatment and found it helpful and easy to use. Overall, IBM for anger was feasible and acceptable to veterans with PTSD and was associated with reductions in hostile interpretations and self-reported anger outcomes. Further research examining this approach is warranted.

Hostile interpretation bias and aggression

Hostile interpretation bias and aggression

Neurophysiological evidence for distinct biases in emotional face processing associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children

Attentional bias to threat has been implicated in both internalizing and externalizing disorders. This study utilizes event-related potentials to examine early stages of perceptual attention to threatening (angry or fearful) versus neutral faces among a sample of 200 children ages 6–8 years from a low-income, urban community. Although both internalizing and externalizing symptoms were associated with processing biases, the nature of the bias differed between these two symptom domains. Internalizing symptoms were associated with heightened early attentional selection (P1) and later perceptual processing (P2) of fearful faces. In contrast, externalizing symptoms were associated with reduced early attentional selection (P1) of fearful faces and enhanced perceptual processing (P2) of neutral faces, possibly indicative of a hostile interpretation bias for ambiguous social cues. These results provide insight into the distinct cognitive-affective processes that may contribute to the etiology and maintenance of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology.

Association of posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury with aggressive driving in Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans.

Aggressive driving contributes to the high rates of postdeployment motor vehicle-related injury and death observed among veterans, and veterans cite problems with anger, aggressive driving, and road rage as being among their most pressing driving-related concerns. Both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been associated with driving-related deficits in treatment-seeking samples of veterans, but the relative contribution of each of these conditions to problems with aggressive driving in the broader population of combat veterans is unclear. χ2 and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relative association of PTSD, TBI, and co-occurring PTSD and TBI to self-reported problems with road rage in a sample of 1,102 veterans living in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States who had served in Afghanistan or Iraq. Results indicate that controlling for relevant demographic variables, PTSD without TBI (odds ratio = 3.44, p < .001), and PTSD with co-occurring TBI (odds ratio = 4.71, p < .001) were associated with an increased risk of road rage, but TBI without PTSD was not. Our findings suggest that PTSD, with or without comorbid TBI, may be associated with an increased risk of aggressive driving in veterans. Clinical implications for treating problems with road rage are discussed, including use of interventions targeting hostile interpretation bias and training in emotional and physiological arousal regulation skills. (PsycINFO Database Record

The effects of a novel hostile interpretation bias modification paradigm on hostile interpretations, mood, and aggressive behavior

Background and objectivesCognitive theories of aggression propose that biased information processing is causally related to aggression. To test these ideas, the current study investigated the effects of a novel cognitive bias modification paradigm (CBM-I) designed to target interpretations associated with aggressive behavior. MethodsParticipants aged 18–33 years old were randomly assigned to either a single session of positive training (n = 40) aimed at increasing prosocial interpretations or negative training (n = 40) aimed at increasing hostile interpretations. ResultsThe results revealed that the positive training resulted in an increase in prosocial interpretations while the negative training seemed to have no effect on interpretations. Importantly, in the positive condition, a positive change in interpretations was related to lower anger and verbal aggression scores after the training. In this condition, participants also reported an increase in happiness. In the negative training no such effects were found. However, the better participants performed on the negative training, the more their interpretations were changed in a negative direction and the more aggression they showed on the behavioral aggression task. LimitationsParticipants were healthy university students. Therefore, results should be confirmed within a clinical population. ConclusionsThese findings provide support for the idea that this novel CBM-I paradigm can be used to modify interpretations, and suggests that these interpretations are related to mood and aggressive behavior.

Modification of Hostile Interpretation Bias in Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Interpretation Bias Modification (IBM) is gaining attention in the literature as an intervention that alters cognitive biases and reduces associated symptoms. Forty, primarily college-aged, non-treatment-seeking adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) were randomly assigned to receive either IBM targeting hostile interpretation bias (IBM-H) or a healthy video control (HVC) condition. Compared to those in HVC, participants in IBM-H reported more benign interpretations and fewer hostile interpretations at posttreatment. No difference in depressive interpretation bias was found between groups at posttreatment. IBM-H led to improved anger control at posttreatment and follow-up compared to HVC, though no effects of condition were found on trait anger or depressive symptoms. The IBM-H group perceived their treatment as less credible than the HVC group. For individuals with high expectancy of treatment success, IBM-H led to lower posttreatment depressive symptoms compared to HVC, while findings trended in the opposite direction for those with low expectancy of success. Overall, these preliminary findings point to boundary conditions for the efficacy of IBM protocols for anger and depression and potential improvements to be made to future IBM protocols.

Pain and multiple facets of anger and hostility in a sample seeking treatment for problematic anger

A number of studies have reported associations between pain and anger in samples with chronic pain, but research has mostly overlooked associations between pain and anger in those with problematic anger. The present study explored associations between pain severity and a variety of anger and hostility constructs in a sample seeking anger treatment (n =131). Zero-order correlations and partial correlations were used to examine associations between pain, anger, and hostility, controlling for depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression models examined potential interaction effects of gender on associations between pain and these outcomes. Pain severity was positively associated with trait anger, outward anger expression, hostile interpretation bias, hostile ideation, and inability to forgive others. These associations were independent of co-occurring depressive symptoms, with some exceptions. Gender moderated the association between pain and hostile ideation such that pain was positively associated with hostile ideation in women but not men. Pain severity was uniquely associated with multiple outcomes of relevance to individuals undergoing treatment for problematic anger. Clinical implications will be discussed.

Generalized hostile interpretation bias regarding facial expressions: Characteristic of pathological aggressive behavior.

Individuals with aggression regulation disorders tend to attribute hostility to others in socially ambiguous situations. Previous research suggests that this "hostile attribution bias" is a powerful cause of aggression. Facial expressions form important cues in the appreciation of others' intentions. Furthermore, accurate processing of facial expressions is fundamental to normal socialization. However, research on interpretation biases in facial affect is limited. It is asserted that a hostile interpretation bias (HIB) is likely to be displayed by individuals with an antisocial (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) and probably also with an intermittent explosive disorder (IED). However, there is little knowledge to what extent this bias is displayed by each of these patient groups. The present study investigated whether a HIB regarding emotional facial expressions was displayed by forensic psychiatric outpatients (FPOs) and whether it was associated with ASPD and BPD in general or, more specifically, with a disposition to react with pathological aggression. Participants of five different groups were recruited: FPOs with ASPD, BPD, or IED, non-forensic patients with BPD (nFPOs-BPD), and healthy, non-aggressive controls (HCs). Results suggest that solely FPOs with ASPD, BPD, or IED exhibit a HIB regarding emotional facial expressions. Moreover, this bias was associated with type and severity of aggression, trait aggression, and cognitive distortions. The results suggest that a HIB regarding facial expressions is an important characteristic of pathological aggressive behavior. Interventions that modify the HIB might help to reduce the recurrence of aggression. Aggr. Behav. 43:386-397, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Role of Distress Tolerance in Multiple Facets of Hostility and Willingness to Forgive

Distress tolerance (DT) is a transdiagnostic construct linked to multiple psychiatric disorders. Identification of behaviors and attitudes associated with DT may provide helpful information regarding the construct and provide a clearer lens through which to view the interpersonal difficulties of individuals with low DT. Two studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between DT and hostile attitudes. In Study 1 (N = 76), lower DT was related to less forgiveness, after controlling for anxiety and depression in an unselected student sample. Study 2 examined a clinical sample seeking treatment for problematic anger (N = 131). Lower DT was related to less forgiveness and greater hostile ideation and hostile interpretation bias, independent of depression and anxiety. The observed relationships between DT and these dysfunctional interpersonal qualities provide support for the potential relevance of hostile cognitions to the study of DT.

Hostile interpretation bias in depression

BackgroundResearch suggests an important relationship between interpretation bias, hostility and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Extant literature has yet to examine hostile interpretation bias in clinically depressed samples; the current studies sought to fill this gap. MethodStudy 1 participants included undergraduates who met criteria for MDD (n=36) or no anxiety or mood diagnosis (n=35). Each participant completed a structured clinical interview along with measures of depression, hostile interpretation bias, and trait hostility. In Study 2, a sample of treatment-seeking individuals with elevated trait anger completed measures of depression, hostile interpretation bias, and trait anger. ResultsStudy 1 demonstrated that, relative to the non-depressed group, individuals with depression displayed greater hostile interpretation bias but comparable levels of trait hostility. In Study 2, greater hostile interpretation bias was associated with greater depressive symptoms, and this relationship was independent of co-occurring trait anger. LimitationsThe correlational nature of these studies precludes interpretation of causal relationships between constructs. Additionally, replication of these results should be sought in a larger, more diverse sample. ConclusionOverall, the findings suggest hostile interpretation bias may play a unique role in depression and could be a treatable feature of interpersonal mechanisms maintaining MDD.

An Open Pilot Study of Training Hostile Interpretation Bias to Treat Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder.

Irritability in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) may be associated with a biased tendency to judge ambiguous facial expressions as angry. We conducted three experiments to explore this bias as a treatment target. We tested: 1) whether youth with DMDD express this bias; 2) whether judgment of ambiguous faces can be altered in healthy youth by training; and 3) whether such training in youth with DMDD is associated with reduced irritability and associated changes in brain function. Participants in all experiments made happy versus angry judgments of faces that varied along a happy to angry continuum. These judgments were used to quantify a "balance point," the facial expression at which a participant's judgment switches from predominantly happy to predominantly angry. We first compared balance points in youth with DMDD (n = 63) versus healthy youth (n = 26). We then conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of active versus sham balance-point training in 19 healthy youth. Finally, we piloted open, active balance-point training in 14 youth with DMDD, with 10 completing an implicit functional MRI (fMRI) face-emotion processing task. Relative to healthy youth, DMDD youth manifested a shifted balance point, expressed as a tendency to classify ambiguous faces as angry rather than happy. In both healthy and DMDD youth, active training is associated with a shift in balance point toward more happy judgments. In DMDD, evidence suggests that active training may be associated with decreased irritability and changes in activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex. These results set the stage for further research on computer-based treatment targeting interpretation bias of angry faces in DMDD. Such treatment may decrease irritability and alter neural responses to subtle expressions of happiness and anger.