Proactive Aggression Research Articles

Who Is at Risk for Problematic Video Gaming? Risk Factors in Problematic Video Gaming in Clinically Referred Canadian Children and Adolescents

Both Internet and offline video gaming have become a normal aspect of child development, with estimates of children playing video games ranging from 90% to 97%. Research on problematic video gaming (PVG) has grown substantially in the last decade. Much of that research has focused on community samples, while research on clinically referred children and youth is lacking. The present study includes 5820 clinically referred children and youth across 44 mental health agencies, assessed using the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health Assessment. Logistic regression analyses revealed that older age, male sex, extreme shyness, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and poor relational strengths are all significant predictors of problematic video gaming (PVG). Further analyses suggested that, out of the internalizing symptoms, anhedonia was predictive of PVG in both males and females, but depressive symptoms and anxiety were not predictive of PVG when controlling for other variables in the model. Moreover, proactive aggression and extreme shyness were predictive of PVG in males, but not in females. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Understanding the link between exposure to violence and aggression in justice-involved adolescents.

The current study advanced research on the link between community violence exposure and aggression by comparing the effects of violence exposure on different functions of aggression and by testing four potential (i.e., callous-unemotional traits, consideration of others, impulse control, and anxiety) mediators of this relationship. Analyses were conducted in an ethnically/racially diverse sample of 1,216 male first-time juvenile offenders (M = 15.30 years, SD = 1.29). Our results indicated that violence exposure had direct effects on both proactive and reactive aggression 18 months later. The predictive link of violence exposure to proactive aggression was no longer significant after controlling for proactive aggression at baseline and the overlap with reactive aggression. In contrast, violence exposure predicted later reactive aggression even after controlling for baseline reactive aggression and the overlap with proactive aggression. Mediation analyses of the association between violence exposure and reactive aggression indicated indirect effects through all potential mediators, but the strongest indirect effect was through impulse control. The findings help to advance knowledge on the consequences of community violence exposure on justice-involved youth.

Reactive and proactive aggression as meaningful distinctions at the variable and person level in primary school-aged children.

Reactive and proactive aggression is a dichotomous classification of aggression in adults and children. This distinction has been supported by a number of variable-based and factor analytic studies. Due to high inter-correlations, however, the reactive-proactive aggression distinction may not be entirely useful for understanding how group or individual aggressive behavior varies in children and adolescents. Drawing on a sample of primary school-aged children (N = 242) aged 7-12 years, this study sought to determine whether reactive and proactive aggression could be distinguished at the variable-level and the person-level in children. Exploratory Factor Analysis of data from an aggression instrument measuring both functions and forms of aggression, found a two-factor construct of aggression constituted by a reactive and proactive aggression factor. A person-based analysis was then conducted after classifying children according to the presence of reactive and/or proactive aggression. Discriminant function analysis was used to discern whether classifications on the basis of aggression function produced meaningful distinctions in terms of antisocial traits and emotional valence and intensity measures. Two functions were identified which distinguished children with different combinations of reactive and proactive aggression. Reactive-only aggressive children were defined primarily by high levels of impulsivity, while proactive-only children were defined primarily by higher levels of antisocial traits. Children high in both types of aggression exhibited both the presence of antisocial traits and impulsivity. Contrary to recent findings, this suggests that differences in aggression functions remain meaningful at the person level in children. Implications for interventions are discussed.

FFM facets and their relations with different forms of antisocial behavior: An expanded meta-analysis

Research examining the relation between personality and antisocial and aggressive behaviors has shown that traits related to antagonism and disinhibition are the most important correlates of such behaviors. However, much of this research has focused on personality at a higher-order level, such as the domain level within the Five Factor Model (FFM). The present meta-analysis specifically focused on the lower-order facet scales of the FFM (as measured by the NEO-PI-R and IPIP-NEO) which have been shown to add important predictive utility above the domains. Expanding on previous work, the current study examined the relations between the FFM facets and a variety of antisocial behaviors including physical aggression, relational aggression, reactive aggression, proactive aggression, and non-violent antisocial behavior. Meta-analytic results show that a subset of FFM facets, primarily those related to antagonistic and disinhibited behavior, showed the most consistent relations with antisocial behaviors. However, effect size magnitudes were influenced by what type of antisocial behavior was examined. The results are discussed within the broader context of research on personality and antisocial behavior, etiological models of aggressive behavior, and the degree to which the results match the trait profiles of constructs with robust links to antisocial behavior (i.e., psychopathy).

The Relation Between Parents’ Emotional Availability and Reactive-Proactive Aggression in Adolescents: The Intermediary Role of Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

In this research paper, we have studied the intermediary role of difficulties in emotion regulation in the relation between parents’ emotional availability and reactive-proactive aggression in adolescents. The study has been carried out with 776 high school students (423 girls, 353 boys). Their age ranges from 14 to 19, and the age average is 16.38 (Ss=1.13). The data, in this study, have been collected by using “Reactive – Proactive Aggression Scale”, “Parents’ Emotional Availability Scale” and “Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale”. The collected data was analysed through correlation analysis while regression analysis was used for the mediator effect and bootstrap analysis for the significance of indirect effect test. The findings of the study suggest that the reactive-proactive aggression has a positively meaningful relation with difficulties in emotion regulation, but it has a negatively meaningful relation with parents’ emotional availability. According to the results of correlation and regression-based bootstrapping method, it has been determined that the difficulties in emotion regulation have a partial mediating role in the relation between parents’ emotional availability and reactive-proactive aggression. We believe that the data collected during this study can be valuable sources for further studies and used for reducing the incidence of aggressive behaviours of adolescents particularly at schools.

Dual Pathways from Reactive Aggression to Depressive Symptoms in Children: Further Examination of the Failure Model

The failure model posits that peer rejection and poor academic performance are dual pathways in the association between early aggressive behavior and subsequent depressive symptoms. We examined this model using an accelerated longitudinal design while also incorporating proactive and reactive aggression and gender moderation. Children in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades (n = 912; ages 6-12; 48% female) were rated three times annually by their primary teachers on measures of proactive and reactive aggression, peer rejection, academic performance, and depressive symptoms. Using Bayesian cross-classified estimation to account for nested and planned-missingdata, path models were estimated to examine whether early reactive aggression predicted subsequent peer rejection and academic performance, and whether these, in turn, predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. From 1st to 3rd grade, reactive aggression predicted peer rejection (not academic performance), proactive aggression predicted academic performance (not peer rejection), and academic performance and peer rejection both predicted depressive symptoms. From 3rd to 5th grade, however, neither peer rejection nor academic performance predicted subsequent depressive symptoms. Results were not moderated by gender. Overall, these findings provide mixed and limited support for the failure model among school-age children. Early reactive aggression may be a key risk factor for social problems, whereas proactive aggression may be linked to improved academic functioning. The "dual pathways" of peer rejection and academic performance may operate during early but not later elementary school. Limitations and implications are discussed.

T75. Amygdala and Ventral Striatum Volume and its Association With Subtypes of Aggression

Aggressive behavior, as seen in oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD), has been associated with structural alterations in the amygdala and ventral striatum (VS). However, studies so far have been inconsistent and have not used these measures to differentiate subtypes of aggression. Here we explored the association between volume/shape of the amygdala and VS with reactive (impulsive) and proactive (instrumental) aggression. Callous Unemotional (CU) traits were also taken into account as a continuous measure.

Proactive Versus Reactive Perpetrators: Aggression and Intimate Partner Violence

The relationship between proactive and reactive aggression could have significant implications for the conceptualization of intimate partner violence. In this study, victim statements found in police reports involving 299 unique adult male perpetrators were coded for proactive or reactive aggression content and analyzed in relation to existing measures of treatment outcomes. Family-only violent perpetrators were hypothesized to be rated as having used reactive aggression, and generally violent perpetrators were expected to have used proactive aggression. It was further predicted that proactive aggression would be more strongly associated with higher recidivism rates and lower intervention completion rates. Perpetrators were coded as 73.8% reactive and 26.2% proactive contrary to the assumptions of some sociocultural models of intimate partner violence, for example, the Duluth model. Chi square analysis was used to assess the relationship between type of aggression and typology. Reactive perpetrators who completed their intervention had significantly lower recidivism rates than reactive perpetrators who did not. Intervention completion was unrelated to recidivism rates for proactive perpetrators. In fact, no statistically significant difference was found between type of aggression and recidivism when controlling for intervention completion. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between type of aggression used, intervention completion, and recidivism with no significant associations found. These findings further clarify the relevance of reactive aggression in intimate partner violence perpetrators due to its relative frequency and potential intervention effects.

Dimensions of psychopathy in relation to proactive and reactive aggression: Does intelligence matter?

Adolescents with psychopathic traits were previously thought to possess above average intelligence and display enhanced aggression. The current study analyzed the relationship between three dimensions of psychopathy (grandiose-manipulative (GM), callous-unemotional (CU), impulsive-irresponsible (II)), and both proactive aggression(PA) and reactive aggression(RA), and further assessed if these relationships were moderated by verbal-intelligence(VIQ) and performance-intelligence(PIQ). Subjects included 159 adolescents (M = 15.5 years, SD = 1.3, 49% male), recruited from a closed treatment institution. Dimensions of psychopathy were assessed with the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory, aggression with the Reactive and Proactive aggression Questionnaire and intelligence scores by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Regression analysis was performed and results were verified by an alternative, data driven generative discovery analysis. Both CU and II-dimensions were positively related with PA and RA. Adolescents with low VIQ showed stronger positive associations between II and both RA and PA, and less stronger positive association between CU and PA. This was partially consistent with results from the alternative analysis. The present study emphasizes to incorporate verbal-intelligence and sub-dimensions of psychopathy ratings in the understanding and treatment of aggression.

Longitudinal Links between Executive Function, Anger, and Aggression in Middle Childhood.

Previous research has indicated that executive function (EF) is negatively associated with aggressive behavior in childhood. However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies that have examined the effect of deficits in EF on aggression over time and taken into account different forms and functions of aggression at the same time. Furthermore, only few studies have analyzed the role of underlying variables that may explain the association between EF and aggression. The present study examined the prospective paths between EF and different forms (physical and relational) and functions (reactive and proactive) of aggression. The habitual experience of anger was examined as a potential underlying mechanism of the link between EF and aggression, because the tendency to get angry easily has been found to be both a consequence of deficits in EF and a predictor of aggression. The study included 1,652 children (between 6 and 11 years old at the first time point), who were followed over three time points (T1, T2, and T3) covering 3 years. At T1, a latent factor of EF comprised measures of planning, rated via teacher reports, as well as inhibition, set shifting, and working-memory updating, assessed experimentally. Habitual anger experience was assessed via parent reports at T1 and T2. The forms and functions of aggression were measured via teacher reports at all three time points. Structural equation modeling revealed that EF at T1 predicted physical, relational, and reactive aggression at T3, but was unrelated to proactive aggression at T3. Furthermore, EF at T1 was indirectly linked to physical aggression at T3, mediated through habitual anger experience at T2. The results indicate that deficits in EF influence the later occurrence of aggression in middle childhood, and the tendency to get angry easily mediates this relation.

Pathological Dissociation and Its Relationships with Aggression and Delinquency in a College Student Sample in Hong Kong

ABSTRACTPathological dissociation is widely regarded as a cross-culturally occurring condition related to trauma and adversity and is an important construct in the mental health field. Yet, the frequency of pathological dissociation in both clinical and nonclinical populations in Hong Kong remains unknown. In addition, the relationship of pathological dissociation with aggression and delinquency requires further investigation. To investigate these relationships, we administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon (DES-T), the 5-item Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-5), selected sections from the Self-Report Version of the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (SR-DDIS), the Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ), and a delinquent behaviors checklist to 177 college students in Hong Kong. The findings suggest that pathological dissociation is not as rare as it is traditionally believed to be in Hong Kong. In our sample, 4.52% of the participants may have a DSM-5 dissociative disorder (including other specified dissociative disorder) while 9.60% met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Our findings indicate that the RPQ total score and delinquency may be more characteristic of BPD than of pathological dissociation. In addition, while reactive aggression was related to pathological dissociation and BPD symptoms in both genders, proactive aggression was related to pathological dissociation and BPD symptoms only in females. Although the findings of this study are preliminary and the results should be interpreted with caution, the study provides the first data regarding pathological dissociation and its relationship with aggression and delinquency in Hong Kong. Some implications for research and practice are highlighted. Further investigation of pathological dissociation in Hong Kong is necessary. In addition, more studies are essential to further examine the relationships between pathological dissociation, aggression, and delinquency in both clinical and nonclinical populations.

Hostile attribution bias and aggression in children and adolescents: A systematic literature review on the influence of aggression subtype and gender

Abstract Hostile attributions of intention have been discussed in relation to the development and maintenance of aggressive behavior in children for over thirty years. In this time, factors such as subtypes in the function (reactive versus proactive) and form (relational versus physical) of aggression as well moderators of aggression, such as gender, have been studied in increasing detail in relation to attributions of intention. The present article reviews the literature on hostile attributions and aggressive behavior in children and adolescents under consideration of aggression subtypes and the influence of gender. Results of 27 empirical research articles show that hostile attribution biases (1) are more consistently related to reactive rather than proactive aggression, (2) show evidence for separate pathways between relational and physical aggression and the respective attribution bias, and (3) are associated with aggression in both genders, with no clear gender differences in association strength. Implications for cognitive training to reduce attribution bias in treatment of childhood aggression and an outlook on further research domains are discussed.

Testosterone and Proactive-Reactive Aggression in Youth: the Moderating Role of Harsh Discipline.

This study tests a biosocial model of the link between testosterone and proactive-reactive aggression in youth at varying levels of harsh discipline. Given that proactive aggression is used to gain power and status and the importance of social learning in its formation, we hypothesized that testosterone would be associated with proactive aggression at higher levels of harsh discipline, and that this relationship would be more pronounced in boys than girls. Participants (n = 445; 50% male; M age = 11.92years; 80% African-American) and their caregivers completed questionnaires including demographics, conflict tactics, and proactive-reactive aggression. Youth also provided a saliva sample for testosterone. Analyses revealed an interaction between testosterone and harsh discipline on proactive aggression in both boys and girls, and an interaction between testosterone and harsh discipline on reactive aggression in boys only. For those experiencing high levels of harsh discipline, testosterone was positively associated with proactive aggression, with the magnitude of the association increasing as harsh discipline increased. For below average levels of harsh discipline, there were protective effects of high testosterone for boy's reactive aggression and for girl's proactive aggression. The findings support basic tenets of the biosocial model which suggest that links between testosterone and aggressive behavior are dependent on contextual forces, highlighting the complex relationship between hormones, social context, and aggression. Novel findings include protective effects of high testosterone for those exposed to low levels of harsh discipline. Findings are discussed in light of the context-contingency effect and also within the differential susceptibility framework.

Toward Tailored Interventions: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Functioning Predicts Responses to an Intervention for Conduct Problems Delivered in Two Formats.

Coping Power is an evidence-based preventive intervention for youth with aggressive behavior problems that has traditionally been delivered in small group formats, but because of concerns about potentially diminished effects secondary to aggregation of high-risk youth, an individual format of Coping Power has been developed. The current study examined whether physiological characteristics of the child may provide information about which intervention delivery format works best for that individual. Indicators of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functioning were examined in 360 fourth-grade children (65% male; 76.4% self-reported African-American) who were randomly assigned to Group Coping Power (GCP) or Individual Coping Power (ICP) (Lochman et al. 2015). Longitudinal assessments of teacher- and parent-reported proactive and reactive aggression were collected through a 1-year follow-up. For children with higher initial levels of aggression, those with lower parasympathetic functioning at pre-intervention showed greater reductions in teacher-rated proactive aggression in the ICP condition than the GCP condition. For children with high parasympathetic functioning, there was no differential effect of intervention format. Regardless of intervention format, youth with lower levels of sympathetic functioning at pre-intervention demonstrated greater reductions in teacher-rated proactive aggression. These findings suggest that physiological indicators may be worth considering in future studies examining which youth respond best to specific types of interventions.

Proactive aggression in early school-aged children with externalizing behavior problems: A longitudinal study on the influence of empathy in response to distress.

The course of proactive aggressive behavior may be affected by empathy in response to sadness and distress of others. The aim of the current study is to examine empathy in response to sadness and distress and its relation to proactive and reactive aggression in a clinical sample of children with externalizing behavior problems. At baseline (T1) and 12 months later (T2), parents and teachers of 104 six- and seven-year-old children completed the Instrument for Reactive and Proactive Aggression. At T1, parents and teachers also reported empathy in response to sadness and distress on the Griffith Empathy Measure. Findings show that low levels of parent-reported empathy at baseline were specifically associated with high parent-reported proactive aggression but not with reactive aggression. Similarly, low teacher-reported empathy was specifically related to high teacher-reported proactive aggression. Furthermore, high parent-reported but not teacher-reported empathy at baseline was associated with low proactive aggression at 12 months after controlling for proactive aggression at baseline. The conclusions support the notion that in the study of the course of aggression in clinical groups, the distinction between proactive and reactive aggression as well as the study of empathy in response to distress is relevant for a better understanding and might be taken into account in the development of future interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record

Aggressiveness in the HEXACO personality model

The a im of this research was to examine the relations between the HEXACO facets and aggressiveness components (anger, vengefulness, domination, hostility, reactive aggression, proactive aggression, and indirect aggression). On a sample of 654 participants from general population, HEXACO?60, Aggressiveness Questionnaire AVDH, Reactive?Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ), and Indirect Aggression Scale (IAS) were applied. The results of the community structure network analysis provided the most informative insight into these relations and showed that all aggressiveness components formed a single community with the Agreeableness facets. Thereby, facet Patience was the strongest correlate of anger, and hostility had the highest clustering coefficient, which brings together the Agreeableness facets and aggressiveness components. Although Honesty?Humility formed a separate community, some of its facets had strong isolated connections with indirect aggression and dominance. The results revealed that Agreeableness is a dominant correlate of aggressiveness and captures all aggressiveness components, while Honesty? Humility is related to specific components, referring to a manifestation of aggressiveness in a more subtle and indirect way.

Phenotyping Ex-Combatants From EEG Scalp Connectivity

Being involved in war experiences may have severe consequences in mental health. This exposure has been associated in Colombian ex-combatants with risk of proactive aggression modulating emotional processing. However, the extent of the cognitive processes underlying aggressive behavior is still an open issue. In this paper, we propose a support vector machine-based processing pipeline to identify different cognitive phenotypes associated with atypical emotional processing, based on canonical correlation analysis of EEG network features, and cognitive and behavioral evaluations. Results show the existence of cognitive phenotypes associated with differences in the mean value of leaf fraction and diameter of EEG networks across groups. The ability of identifying phenotypes in these otherwise healthy subjects opens up the possibility to aid in the development of specific interventions aimed to reduce expression of proactive aggression in ex-combatants and assessing the efficacy of such interventions.

Two types of aggression in human evolution

Two major types of aggression, proactive and reactive, are associated with contrasting expression, eliciting factors, neural pathways, development, and function. The distinction is useful for understanding the nature and evolution of human aggression. Compared with many primates, humans have a high propensity for proactive aggression, a trait shared with chimpanzees but not bonobos. By contrast, humans have a low propensity for reactive aggression compared with chimpanzees, and in this respect humans are more bonobo-like. The bimodal classification of human aggression helps solve two important puzzles. First, a long-standing debate about the significance of aggression in human nature is misconceived, because both positions are partly correct. The Hobbes–Huxley position rightly recognizes the high potential for proactive violence, while the Rousseau–Kropotkin position correctly notes the low frequency of reactive aggression. Second, the occurrence of two major types of human aggression solves the execution paradox, concerned with the hypothesized effects of capital punishment on self-domestication in the Pleistocene. The puzzle is that the propensity for aggressive behavior was supposedly reduced as a result of being selected against by capital punishment, but capital punishment is itself an aggressive behavior. Since the aggression used by executioners is proactive, the execution paradox is solved to the extent that the aggressive behavior of which victims were accused was frequently reactive, as has been reported. Both types of killing are important in humans, although proactive killing appears to be typically more frequent in war. The biology of proactive aggression is less well known and merits increased attention.

Treatment Responsivity of Aggressive Forensic Psychiatric Outpatients.

Aggression replacement training (ART) is widely used to reduce aggression. Results regarding its effectiveness, however, are inconclusive regarding adults and specific populations displaying severe aggression. The current open uncontrolled treatment study aimed at assessing the social skills and anger control modules of the ART to reduce aggression in forensic psychiatric outpatients (FPOs). Furthermore, characteristics associated with treatment outcome and dropout were examined. The results suggested that aggression changed during the ART. In addition, higher baseline levels of trait aggression were associated with greater reductions of aggression, whereas more cognitive distortions were associated with less reduction. Treatment dropouts were characterized by higher levels of psychopathic traits, proactive aggression, and more weekly substance use. As there was a considerable amount of dropout; it is important to assess risk of dropping out of treatment and, subsequently, improve treatment motivation. This might enhance treatment adherence which may lead to a more successful reduction of aggression.

Heterogeneity in the development of proactive and reactive aggression in childhood: Common and specific genetic - environmental factors.

BackgroundFew studies are grounded in a developmental framework to study proactive and reactive aggression. Furthermore, although distinctive correlates, predictors and outcomes have been highlighted, proactive and reactive aggression are substantially correlated. To our knowledge, no empirical study has examined the communality of genetic and environmental underpinning of the development of both subtypes of aggression. The current study investigated the communality and specificity of genetic-environmental factors related to heterogeneity in proactive and reactive aggression’s development throughout childhood.MethodsParticipants were 223 monozygotic and 332 dizygotic pairs. Teacher reports of aggression were obtained at 6, 7, 9, 10 and 12 years of age. Joint development of both phenotypes were analyzed through a multivariate latent growth curve model. Set point, differentiation, and genetic maturation/environmental modulation hypotheses were tested using a biometric decomposition of intercepts and slopes.ResultsCommon genetic factors accounted for 64% of the total variation of proactive and reactive aggression’s intercepts. Two other sets of uncorrelated genetic factors accounted for reactive aggression’s intercept (17%) on the one hand, and for proactive (43%) and reactive (13%) aggression’s slopes on the other. Common shared environmental factors were associated with proactive aggression’s intercept (21%) and slope (26%) and uncorrelated shared environmental factors were also associated with reactive aggression’s slope (14%). Common nonshared environmental factors explained most of the remaining variability of proactive and reactive aggression slopes.ConclusionsA genetic differentiation hypothesis common to both phenotypes was supported by common genetic factors associated with the developmental heterogeneity of proactive and reactive aggression in childhood. A genetic maturation hypothesis common to both phenotypes, albeit stronger for proactive aggression, was supported by common genetic factors associated with proactive and reactive aggression slopes. A shared environment set point hypothesis for proactive aggression was supported by shared environmental factors associated with proactive aggression baseline and slope. Although there are many common features to proactive and reactive aggression, the current research underscores the advantages of differentiating them when studying aggression.