Trajectories Of Physical Aggression Research Articles

Trajectories of physical and relational aggression across early childhood: Relations with peer risk factors.

The goal of the current study was to examine trajectories of relational and physical aggression in early childhood and evaluate peer predictors of these trajectories (i.e., peer rejection, relational victimization, and physical victimization). The study spanned three-time points (T1 in the spring, T2 in the fall, and T3 in the spring) in early childhood (N = 300; 44.0% girls; Mage = 44.70 months, SD = 4.38; 3.0% African American/Black, 7.6% Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1.0% Hispanic/Latinx, 11.3% multiracial, 62.1% White, and 15.0% missing/unknown). Observations of peer victimization and teacher report of peer rejection were collected at T1, and teacher report of aggression was collected at all time points. Results from piecewise latent growth models demonstrated that both forms of aggression decreased from T1 to T2 as children entered a new classroom and increased from T2 to T3 as they remained in that classroom. The increase in physical aggression from T2 to T3 was only significant for boys. Peer rejection at T1 emerged as a predictor of both intercepts and slopes from T1 to T2, and physical victimization predicted the physical aggression intercept and physical aggression slope from T1 to T2. Children high on these peer risk variables had higher initial levels of aggression, followed by a greater decrease in aggression from T1 to T2. Results underscore the importance of studying incremental change in aggression in early childhood and suggest that children who experience negative peer treatment have greater fluctuations in aggression over time.

Autonomic nervous system reactivity to emotion and childhood trajectories of relational and physical aggression.

This study investigated the role of autonomic nervous system (ANS) coordination in response to emotion in girls' and boys' development of relational (e.g., ignoring, excluding) and physical (e.g., hitting, kicking) aggression. Caregivers reported on children's relational and physical aggression at ages 6, 7, 8, and 10 years (N = 232, 50.4% girls, 46.6% Latinx). Sympathetic nervous system (assessed via pre-ejection period) and parasympathetic nervous system (assessed via respiratory sinus arrhythmia) reactivity were measured in response to video clips depicting fear, happiness, and sadness at age 7. Growth curve models indicated that ANS reactivity to sadness, but not to fear or happiness, was related to trajectories of relational aggression. In contrast, ANS reactivity to all three emotions was associated with trajectories of physical aggression. Effects differed across genders, indicating that distinct patterns of ANS reactivity to emotion may be involved in girls' and boys' development of aggression. Overall, these findings contribute to a growing literature documenting the role of ANS reactivity to emotion in aggressive behavior. Moreover, this study considers ANS reactivity to specific emotions, as related to both relational and physical aggression, and as differentially expressed among girls versus boys.

Listening In: How Parent-Child Communication Relates to Social and Physical Aggression.

In this study, we investigated the relations between features of parent-child conversations (neutral talk, positive and negative in-dyad and out-dyad talk) and children's social and physical aggression from ages 9-18. Participants were 297 youth (52% girls) of about 9 years old at Time 1 and their parent. Fifty-two percent of this United States sample identified as White, 20% Black, 20% Hispanic, 8% other races/ethnicities. One hundred eighty-seven parents participated in the parent-child observation task. Ninety four percent of parent participants were mothers. Parent-child conversations were observed in the laboratory during preadolescence, and teachers reported child's aggression. Using multinomial logit analyses, we found that coded observations of communication features predicted membership in linear trajectories of social and physical aggression across nine years of adolescence; trajectories were derived via mixture modeling. Parent and child communication characteristics were related to trajectories of aggression that spanned preadolescence and adolescence; however, not all predicted associations were significant. Children's talk about neutral topics predicted being on a lower social aggression trajectory. Positive out-dyad talk from children was related to being on a lower physical aggression trajectory, as was parent in-dyad positive talk. After controlling for other factors, neither parent nor child in- or out-dyad negative talk was associated with social or physical aggression. These findings highlight the importance of positive communication by youth and toward youth in association with long-term social adjustment.

The ACE Questionnaire and Lifetime Physical Aggression

ABSTRACT Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated disproportionately with sexual rather than physical forms of aggression. Questions remain regarding the value of ACE survey research in advancing current understanding of the nexuses between various forms of adversity and physical aggression. This sample (N = 2,013) was comprised of men and women from the general public surveyed through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The original ACE questionnaire was expanded in its adversity domain, and dimensional indices for childhood neglect, exposure to domestic violence, and emotional, sexual, and physical abuse added for comparison purposes. All 18 of the ACEs examined in this study were linked to self-reported acts of lifetime aggression. Self-reported counts of injury inflicted on others during prior violent acts were significantly higher for respondents endorsing every adversity sampled with the ACE questionnaire. These results contribute to a growing evidentiary base suggesting that the developmental trajectory of physical aggression is steepened by adverse childhood experiences and maltreatment polyvictimization. These results also provided some assurance regarding the advantages of comprehensive versus dichotomized adversity indicators in the assessment of childhood maltreatment.

Physical violence by men and psychosis in a mental health setting: associations with symptom profile, treatment engagement, and psychosocial stressors

ABSTRACT Physical violence is a significant problem in forensic mental health institutions, being associated with a variety of negative outcomes for both inpatients and staff. In this study, associations between mental health symptom profile, treatment engagement, the experience of stressors and trajectories of physical aggression were examined in a sample of 3293 men institutionalized in a forensic mental health setting with an initial diagnosis of psychotic disorder. Data were collected for up to seven time points, equivalent to a roughly 18-month follow-up period. Three distinct trajectories of aggression were identified. The vast majority (approx. 90%) of inmates did not show a significant or consistent pattern of aggressive behavior. A small subgroup (approx. 1 in 43 individuals) presented with a pattern of increasing aggressive acting-out. Another group (approx. 1 in 15 individuals) exhibited a somewhat higher probability of aggression at baseline, with a moderate progressive decline over time. These groups were differentiated on the basis of symptom profile, level of insight and specific psychosocial stressors. Findings suggest that institutional aggression in men with psychosis appears to be multi-determined, with active symptoms, deficits in self-awareness and the experience of stressors all playing a role in accounting for its presence and evolution over time.

The Role of Inhibitory Control, Attention and Vocabulary in Physical Aggression Trajectories From Infancy to Toddlerhood.

Physical aggression has its origin very early in development, but no studies to date have examined physical aggression trajectories starting before the age of 1.5 years. This study examined whether cognition plays a role in the development of physical aggression from infancy onward. In a sample of 182 mother-child dyads (94 boys; 88 girls), child physical aggression was assessed by maternal report using the Physical Aggression Scale for Early Childhood at 12, 20, and 30 months. Children performed cognitive tasks measuring inhibitory control and attention, and mothers rated children’s vocabulary at 12 and 30 months. Results showed that differential development of physical aggression already starts at 12 months of age: low-stable, low-increasing, moderate-decreasing and high-stable trajectory groups were identified. Inhibitory control, attention and vocabulary at 12 months and development of these abilities from 12 to 30 months were selectively related to the likelihood of following the low-increasing and moderate-decreasing trajectories compared to the low-stable physical aggression trajectory. This study is the first to show that specific aspects of cognition and cognitive development are related to differential physical aggression development from infancy onward.

Developmental trajectories of physical aggression and prosocial behavior in early childhood: Family antecedents and psychological correlates.

Research has documented various family and individual risk factors associated with severe conduct problems, but little is known about the developmental origins of children who engage in both aggressive and prosocial interactions with others. The present study utilized growth-mixture modeling to identify distinct trajectories of physical aggression and prosocial behavior across the preschool years in a large (n = 424), diverse (42% immigrant) Canadian sample. Parent ratings of aggression and prosocial behavior were assessed at ages 3, 4.5, and 6 years. Observed mother-child interactions and mother-reported child exposure to interparental conflict were measured at 1.5 and 3 years. Children's psychological functioning (language ability, academic achievement, theory of mind understanding) was assessed at ages 3 and 4.5. Four trajectory classes emerged. Most children (74%) showed low/moderate-declining aggression and high/moderate-increasing prosocial behavior (prosocial and desisting classes), whereas a minority (7%) were highly aggressive and relatively low in prosocial behavior (chronic aggressive class). The remaining 19% of children exhibited low-increasing aggression and moderate-stable prosocial behavior (escalating class). Increased exposure to interparental conflict between 1.5 and 3 years uniquely predicted membership in the escalating compared with the prosocial group, whereas prosocial and escalating children did not differ in positive parent-child interactions in toddlerhood. Children in the escalating class demonstrated typical psychological functioning relative to prosocial children, and both outperformed chronically aggressive youth. These findings highlight the need to move beyond a singular deficit-model to consider alternative pathways by which socially skilled children may develop aggressive tendencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Developmental Trajectories of Physical Aggression and Prosocial Behavior in Early Childhood: Family Antecedents and Psychological Correlates

Supplemental Material for Developmental Trajectories of Physical Aggression and Prosocial Behavior in Early Childhood: Family Antecedents and Psychological Correlates

Risk Factors Associated With Boys’ and Girls’ Developmental Trajectories of Physical Aggression From Early Childhood Through Early Adolescence

This study used multitrajectory modeling to identify distinct trajectories of physical aggression from ages 1.5 to 13 years for boys and girls. To trace the development of boys' and girls' physical aggression problems from infancy to adolescence using mother ratings, teacher ratings, and self-ratings and to identify early family predictors of children on the high physical aggression trajectories. This cohort study used data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), a study of a representative, population-based sample of 2223 infants born in 1997 and 1998 in the Canadian province of Quebec. The dates of analysis were January 2017 to January 2018. Trained research assistants conducted 7 interviews (at child ages 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5, 6, and 8 years) with the person most knowledgeable about the child (mothers in 99.6% [2214 of 2223] of cases). Teachers assessed the child's behavior at ages 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 13 years. Self-reports of behavior problems were obtained from the child at ages 10, 12, and 13 years. The sample included 2223 participants, 51.2% of whom were boys and 91.2% of whom were of white race/ethnicity. The mean response rate for mother ratings of physical aggression during the first 8 years of life was 80.9% (range, 65.1%-91.7%). For teacher ratings of physical aggression from ages 6 to 13 years, the mean response rate was 45.7% (range, 35.4%-56.9%), while the mean response rate of physical aggression assessment from self-ratings between ages 10 and 13 years was 57.9% (range, 55.2%-60.5%). Attrition was higher among families with low socioeconomic status and single-parent families, as well as among young mothers and mothers who were not fluent in French or English. A statistical analysis to examine the consequences of attrition was included. For boys and girls, the frequency of physical aggressions increased from age 1.5 years (2039 [91.7%]) to age 3.5 years (1941 [87.3%]) and then substantially decreased until age 13 years (1228 [55.2%]). Three distinct developmental trajectories of physical aggression were observed for girls and 5 for boys. Most family characteristics measured at 5 months after the child's birth were associated with a high physical aggression trajectory for boys and girls. Family characteristics at 5 months after the child's birth could be used to target preschool interventions aimed at preventing the development of boys' and girls' chronic physical aggression problems.

Developmental Trajectories of Physical Aggression and Nonaggressive Rule-Breaking During Late Childhood and Early Adolescence

Research has consistently linked two forms of childhood antisocial behavior, physical aggression and nonaggressive rule-breaking, to adolescent delinquency. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the development of problem behavior during the latter years of childhood and early adolescence (ages 6 to 14). The current study utilized longitudinal data that followed 756 at-risk males and females from early childhood into early adolescence to identify trajectories of physical aggression and nonaggressive rule-breaking and the association between documented risk factors with class membership. The findings supported a four-class model for both physical aggression and nonaggressive rule-breaking. Both models produced high, moderately high, average, and abstaining classes. However, the physical aggression models decreased as participants aged, while the nonaggressive rule-breaking classes increased. Family adversity, protective neighborhoods, negative child temperament, premature birth, race, and gender were associated with class membership. The study findings may inform targeted, problem-specific strategies aimed at early intervention.

Poverty and behavior problems during early childhood

Poverty is a well-established risk factor for behavior problems, yet our understanding of putative family mediators during early childhood (i.e., before age 5 years) is limited. The present study investigated whether the association between poverty and behavior problems during early childhood is mediated simultaneously by perceived parenting, family dysfunction and/or maternal depression symptoms. Outcomes measures were high trajectories of physical aggression and hyperactivity between 1.5 and 5 years. Poverty was defined as living 2–4 years below the low-income thresholds defined by Statistics Canada. Using data from the first five rounds of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, logistic regressions models showed that poverty was associated with a higher likelihood of being assigned to the high trajectory of physical aggression and hyperactivity. Overprotection and maternal depression symptoms mediated observed associations. Interventions targeting maternal depression, parenting, and poverty should help reducing children’s risk for early behavior problems.

Social and physical aggression trajectories from childhood through late adolescence: Predictors of psychosocial maladjustment at age 18.

This research examined whether following social and physical aggression trajectories across Grades 3-12 predicted psychological maladjustment. Teachers rated participants' (n = 287, 138 boys) aggressive behavior at the end of each school year. Following the 12th grade, psychosocial outcomes were measured: rule-breaking behaviors, internalizing symptoms, and narcissistic and borderline personality features. Following the highest social aggression trajectory predicted rule-breaking behavior; the medium social aggression trajectory was not a significant predictor of any outcome. Following the highest physical aggression trajectory predicted rule-breaking, internalizing symptoms, and narcissism, whereas the medium physical aggression trajectory predicted rule-breaking and internalizing symptoms.

Supplemental Material for Social and Physical Aggression Trajectories From Childhood Through Late Adolescence: Predictors of Psychosocial Maladjustment at Age 18

Supplemental Material for Social and Physical Aggression Trajectories From Childhood Through Late Adolescence: Predictors of Psychosocial Maladjustment at Age 18

Costs and benefits of children's physical and relational aggression trajectories on peer rejection, acceptance, and friendships: Variations by aggression subtypes, gender, and age.

This study examined the associations between children's co-occurring relational and physical aggression trajectories and their peer relations (i.e., peer rejection, peer acceptance, and reciprocated friendships) from late childhood (Grade 4; Mage = 10.0) to early adolescence (Grade 8; Mage = 13.9). Using a sample of 477 children (240 girls), the findings indicated there were multiple heterogeneous subgroups of children who followed distinct co-occurring aggression trajectories. For each of these subgroups, multiple indices of their relational development were assessed and findings revealed notable group differences. These results have implications about the potential costs and benefits of aggression, and how its associations with children's peer relationships may vary as a function of aggression subtype, developmental timing, and gender.

Developmental origins of chronic physical aggression: An international perspective on using singletons, twins and epigenetics

This article takes an international and historical perspective to discuss the present state of knowledge on the developmental origins of physical aggression and its implications for the prevention of chronic physical aggression. An increasing number of longitudinal studies of singleton and twins initiated at birth or during the first few years of life are showing that physical aggressions are more frequent in early childhood than at any other time during the life-span. Because chronic physical aggression generally starts in early childhood, preventive interventions during this period are much more likely to be effective and substantially decrease the costs of criminal behavior during adolescence and early adulthood. Unfortunately, most criminological studies on physical aggression development and prevention target the adolescent and adulthood periods and do not take into account gene–environment contributions. Early childhood studies are needed to identify early bio-psycho-social mechanisms that put individuals on a chronic trajectory of physical aggression from early childhood to adulthood. These studies can also help identify the preventive interventions that are most effective in preventing a life-course of crime and misery. Developmental criminology needs to take a bio-psycho-social intergenerational and life-span perspective as well as focus more systematically on females as the key target for intergenerational prevention of chronic physical aggression.

Family predictors of continuity and change in social and physical aggression from ages 9 to 18.

This research examined developmental trajectories for social and physical aggression for a sample followed from age 9 to 18, and investigated possible family predictors of following different trajectory groups. Participants were 158 girls and 138 boys, their teachers, and their parents (21% African American, 5.3% Asian, 51.6% Caucasian, and 21% Hispanic). Teachers rated children's social and physical aggression yearly in grades 3-12. Participants' parent (83% mothers) reported on family income, conflict strategies, and maternal authoritarian and permissive parenting styles. The results suggested that both social and physical aggression decline slightly from middle childhood through late adolescence. Using a dual trajectory model, group-based mixture modeling revealed three trajectory groups for both social and physical aggression: low-, medium-, and high-desisting for social aggression, and stably-low, stably-medium, and high-desisting for physical aggression. Membership in higher trajectory groups was predicted by being from a single-parent family, and having a parent high on permissiveness. Being male was related to both elevated physical aggression trajectories and the medium-desisting social aggression trajectory. Negative interparental conflict strategies did not predict social or physical aggression trajectories when permissive parenting was included in the model. Permissive parenting in middle childhood predicted following higher social aggression trajectories across many years, which suggests that parents setting fewer limits on children's behaviors may have lasting consequences for their peer relations. Future research should examine transactional relations between parenting styles and practices and aggression to understand the mechanisms that may contribute to changes in involvement in social and physical aggression across childhood and adolescence.

Association of childhood chronic physical aggression with a DNA methylation signature in adult human T cells.

BackgroundChronic physical aggression (CPA) is characterized by frequent use of physical aggression from early childhood to adolescence. Observed in approximately 5% of males, CPA is associated with early childhood adverse environments and long-term negative consequences. Alterations in DNA methylation, a covalent modification of DNA that regulates genome function, have been associated with early childhood adversity.AimsTo test the hypothesis that a trajectory of chronic physical aggression during childhood is associated with a distinct DNA methylation profile during adulthood.MethodsWe analyzed genome-wide promoter DNA methylation profiles of T cells from two groups of adult males assessed annually for frequency of physical aggression between 6 and 15 years of age: a group with CPA and a control group. Methylation profiles covering the promoter regions of 20 000 genes and 400 microRNAs were generated using MeDIP followed by hybridization to microarrays.ResultsIn total, 448 distinct gene promoters were differentially methylated in CPA. Functionally, many of these genes have previously been shown to play a role in aggression and were enriched in biological pathways affected by behavior. Their locations in the genome tended to form clusters spanning millions of bases in the genome.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence of clustered and genome-wide variation in promoter DNA methylation in young adults that associates with a history of chronic physical aggression from 6 to 15 years of age. However, longitudinal studies of methylation during early childhood will be necessary to determine if and how this methylation variation in T cells DNA plays a role in early development of chronic physical aggression.

DNA Methylation Signature of Childhood Chronic Physical Aggression in T Cells of Both Men and Women

BackgroundHigh frequency of physical aggression is the central feature of severe conduct disorder and is associated with a wide range of social, mental and physical health problems. We have previously tested the hypothesis that differential DNA methylation signatures in peripheral T cells are associated with a chronic aggression trajectory in males. Despite the fact that sex differences appear to play a pivotal role in determining the development, magnitude and frequency of aggression, most of previous studies focused on males, so little is known about female chronic physical aggression. We therefore tested here whether or not there is a signature of physical aggression in female DNA methylation and, if there is, how it relates to the signature observed in males.Methodology/Principal FindingsMethylation profiles were created using the method of methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) followed by microarray hybridization and statistical and bioinformatic analyses on T cell DNA obtained from adult women who were found to be on a chronic physical aggression trajectory (CPA) between 6 and 12 years of age compared to women who followed a normal physical aggression trajectory. We confirmed the existence of a well-defined, genome-wide signature of DNA methylation associated with chronic physical aggression in the peripheral T cells of adult females that includes many of the genes similarly associated with physical aggression in the same cell types of adult males.ConclusionsThis study in a small number of women presents preliminary evidence for a genome-wide variation in promoter DNA methylation that associates with CPA in women that warrant larger studies for further verification. A significant proportion of these associations were previously observed in men with CPA supporting the hypothesis that the epigenetic signature of early life aggression in females is composed of a component specific to females and another common to both males and females.

Developmental trajectory and gender differences in Chinese adolescents' physical and relational aggression: an analysis using the latent class growth model

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the developmental trajectory and patterns of physical aggression and relational aggression over time, and also to examine the gender differences of the three-year developmental process as well as the impact of the developmental trajectory on mental health.Design/methodology/approach– Participants: the participants of this study were newly enrolled junior school students. The study spanned three years with continuous tracking performed once every other year. Measures: class play questionnaire. Aggressive behaviors were measured by an adaptive Chinese version of the revised class play assessment. Statistical analysis: to address the questions of the present study, the latent class growth model (LCGM) was used to analyze the three-year longitudinal data by Mplus 6.1.Findings– The initial level of physical aggression in boys was higher than that in girls. There were three types of developmental trajectory for boys, corresponding to a lower initial level-increasing group, a middle initial level-increasing group and a higher initial level-stable group. However, girls demonstrated different patterns, corresponding to a lower initial level-increasing group, a middle initial level-increasing group and a higher initial level-decreasing group. In contrast to the physical aggression, the initial level of relational aggression in boys was lower than that in girls. There were four types of developmental trajectory for boys, corresponding to a lower initial level-increasing group, a middle initial level-increasing group, a middle initial level-declining group and a higher initial level-declining group. Girls illustrated different patterns, corresponding to a lower initial level-stable group, a middle initial level-increasing group and a higher initial level-declining group. Different developmental trajectory of physical and relational aggression would influence the interpersonal relationship.Originality/value– This paper used a person-centered latent variable approach instead of the variable-centered approach to investigate the developmental trajectory and patterns of physical aggression and relational aggression over three year by employing the LCGM. The initial level of physical aggression in boys was higher than that in girls. In contrast, the initial level of relational aggression in boys was lower than that in girls. There were gender differences in the pattern of physical and relational aggression development trajectory. Different developmental trajectory of physical and relational aggression would influence the interpersonal relationship.

Differential DNA Methylation Regions in Cytokine and Transcription Factor Genomic Loci Associate with Childhood Physical Aggression

BackgroundAnimal and human studies suggest that inflammation is associated with behavioral disorders including aggression. We have recently shown that physical aggression of boys during childhood is strongly associated with reduced plasma levels of cytokines IL-1α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, later in early adulthood. This study tests the hypothesis that there is an association between differential DNA methylation regions in cytokine genes in T cells and monocytes DNA in adult subjects and a trajectory of physical aggression from childhood to adolescence.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe compared the methylation profiles of the entire genomic loci encompassing the IL-1α, IL-6, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-8 and three of their regulatory transcription factors (TF) NFkB1, NFAT5 and STAT6 genes in adult males on a chronic physical aggression trajectory (CPA) and males with the same background who followed a normal physical aggression trajectory (control group) from childhood to adolescence. We used the method of methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with comprehensive cytokine gene loci and TF loci microarray hybridization, statistical analysis and false discovery rate correction. We found differentially methylated regions to associate with CPA in both the cytokine loci as well as in their transcription factors loci analyzed. Some of these differentially methylated regions were located in known regulatory regions whereas others, to our knowledge, were previously unknown as regulatory areas. However, using the ENCODE database, we were able to identify key regulatory elements in many of these regions that indicate that they might be involved in the regulation of cytokine expression.ConclusionsWe provide here the first evidence for an association between differential DNA methylation in cytokines and their regulators in T cells and monocytes and male physical aggression.