Mindfulness decreases driving anger expression: The mediating effect of driving anger and anger rumination

Mindfulness is a state of being fully attentive to the current moment and is an experiential way of living in daily life. As a personal trait, mindfulness has been proven to enhance various negative emotions and behaviors. However, in the field of driving, there is still a lack of research on the mechanisms of mindfulness on anger expression behavior, specifically aggressive driving. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to reveal the impact of mindfulness on drivers' aggressive driving behaviors and the mediating effect of driving anger and anger rumination. A total of 350 (208 males and 142 females) participants in China voluntarily completed a series of questionnaires, including the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Driving Anger Scale (DAS), the Anger Rumination Scale (ARS) and the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX). The hierarchical multiple regression analysis and pathway analysis results showed that mindfulness negatively predicted driving anger, anger rumination and driving anger expression. Moreover, driving anger and anger rumination mediated the relationship between mindfulness and driving anger expression, accounting for 9.51% and 18.74% of the total effect, respectively. The chain-mediated effect of driving anger and anger rumination accounted for 8.00% of the total effect. This study has revealed some of the internal mechanisms through which mindfulness reduces aggressive driving. It fills a part of the gap in understanding the protective role of mindfulness in the driving domain. Furthermore, it suggests mindfulness interventions for drivers, which may have the potential to enhance overall road safety.

Predicting aggressive behaviors: Examining unique and interactive roles of PTSD and emotion dysregulation in a minority sample

Aggression is a costly public health problem with severe and multi-faceted negative consequences and thus, identifying factors that contribute to aggression, particularly in understudied populations, is necessary to develop more effective interventions to reduce the public health cost of aggression. The goal this study was to test whether difficulties regulating emotions moderated the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and aggression in a community sample of predominantly Black females with high levels of trauma exposure. Furthermore, we explored unique relations between PTSD symptom clusters and distinct subscales of difficulties regulating emotions and aggression. The sample included 601 community participants recruited from an urban public hospital. Symptoms were assessed using self-report measures including the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Behavioral Questionnaire-Short. Regression analyses were conducted using PTSD symptoms and total DERS to test their interaction as predictors for aggression (using BQ-Short). We found that higher levels of PTSD arousal symptoms and difficulty controlling impulses when upset were positively related to aggression. We also conducted an exploratory analysis to examine the association between PTSD symptom clusters using the Alternative Symptom Clusters hybrid model. The results suggest that some PTSD symptoms (externalizing behavior) and some emotion dysregulation processes (difficulties controlling impulses when upset), relate to aggression in independent, rather than multiplicative ways. These results offer insights for new directions of research that focuses on the independent association between specific emotion dysregulation processes and PTSD symptoms on aggression.

Effects of entrapment, anger, psychological flexibility, and self-compassion on the ward climate and reactive aggression in forensic psychiatric hospital patients

This study aimed to investigate the double mediation effect of entrapment and anger, as well as the moderated mediation effect of psychological flexibility and self-compassion on the relationship between the forensic psychiatric hospital ward climate and reactive aggression perceived by patients. A self-reporting method was used to measure ward climate, entrapment, anger, reactive aggression, psychological flexibility, and self-compassion in a sample of 246 participants being treated at the National Forensic Psychiatric Hospital. The relational model was verified according to the structural equation model analysis, and the double mediation effect of the conditional process model was verified using a Process macro. The results showed that both the simple mediation effect and the double mediation effect of entrapment and anger were statistically significant. Psychological flexibility significantly moderated the relationship between ward climate and entrapment, ward climate and anger-in, and significantly influenced the reduction of reactive aggression. When psychological flexibility was higher, ward climate did not cause entrapment, and the intensity of anger-in and reactive aggression was reduced. Self-compassion significantly reduced entrapment, and the higher the self-compassion, the lesser the entrapment. Finally, psychological flexibility and self-compassion moderated the indirect effect through entrapment and the indirect effect through anger-in on the relationship between the ward climate and reactive aggression. Hence, the moderated mediation effect by psychological flexibility and self-compassion was confirmed. To conclude our study, its limitations are outlined, and practical therapeutic intervention for preventing reactive aggression in forensic hospital patients is discussed.

Longitudinal relations between bullying victimization and aggression: The multiple mediation effects of anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts

Bullying victimization is widely accepted to be associated with aggression. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unknown. To examine the long-term impact of bullying victimization on aggression, the present study tested the potential mediating effects of both anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts. A total of 809 undergraduates from four universities across China (74.80% female; Mage = 19.63 years, SD = 0.82 years) completed the survey on three occasions, with a 6-month delay between Time 1 and Time 2 and a 1-year interval between Time 2 and Time 3. A cross-lagged model of anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts was developed to test whether they predicted one another, and two structural models were constructed to test their mediating roles in bullying victimization and aggression. Findings indicated that anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts are mutually predictable; the correlation between bullying victimization and aggression is mediated independently by anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts, and the chain mediation of bullying victimization predicting aggression first through anger rumination and then through hostile automatic thinking was established. In addition, an alternative mediation model is also significant, with hostile automatic thoughts as the primary mediator and anger rumination as the secondary mediator. These results highlight the significance of anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts in the long-term effects of bullying victimization on aggression. Interventions designed to reduce undergraduate students' anger rumination and hostile automatic thoughts may help reduce their aggression.

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.

A quasi-experimental study in sibling dyads: differential provocation-aggression patterns in the interactive taylor aggression paradigm

Introduction

The Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP) is a well-established tool for assessing provocation-induced reactive aggression. We introduce an interactive version, the iTAP, with real-time opponents across 60 trials, including five simulated provocation trials in the middle. In this quasi-experimental study, we evaluate the effectiveness of the paradigm to investigate reactive aggression in interacting participants. The design allows us to employ the TAP in settings of high familiarity dyads, addressing an existing gap.

Method

Twenty-eight healthy same-sex adult sibling pairs (N = 56) competed against each other in the iTAP, exemplifying high familiarity through their social and emotional co-development, and mutual knowledge. Additionally, we explore naturally arising aggression types in terms of sibling pairs' reciprocal aggression trajectories across trials. Lastly, we investigate situational and personal variables influencing reactive aggression on the iTAP within high familiarity dyads.

Results

In line with non-interactive TAP versions, siblings employed a global "tit-for-tat" strategy in response to heightened provocation: Aggression increased during manipulated trials of increasing provocation, persisted during real interaction and declined in the final block, suggesting sibling co-regulation which was underscored by the convergence in within-pair aggression level. We found no gender differences in these dynamics but a trend for higher initial aggression levels within brother pairs and higher responsiveness to increased provocation in sister pairs. Overall aggression levels were related to situational variables including trial outcome (lost, won, and tie), Further, siblings' state anger correlated positively with aggression scores on the iTAP. Aggression was not reliably related to personal variables predicting aggression. We identified subgroups of sibling pairs with distinct provocation-aggression patterns related to differences in reported behavioral motivations and emotional states. The results highlight situational over personal variables in determining aggressive behavior on the task in this sample of healthy adults. While no direct link between sibling relationship quality and aggression was found, the overall behavior was likely influenced by the familiarity between siblings and the specific context of their relationship.

Conclusion

The iTAP demonstrates promise as a tool for studying reciprocal aggressive behavior. The emergence of different interaction patterns underscores the ecological validity introduced by the interactive context, which complements the standard versions of the TAP.

The impact of patients' hostile attribution bias on aggression in doctor-patient interactions

Background

Doctor-patient conflict is trending in social attention research. However, the existing literature rarely explores whether a patient's hostile attribution bias (HAB) in the doctor-patient interaction affects the aggression level against doctors.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the relationship and mechanism between different types of HAB and aggression in patients.

Method

In Study 1, 80 patients completed the word sentence association paradigm for hostility (WSAP-Hostility), and their explicit and implicit aggression levels were measured using the hot sauce paradigm and the single-category implicit association test (SC-IAT), respectively. In Study 2, 63 patients were randomly divided into an experimental (rejection) and a control group. Their state hostile attribution bias (SHAB) was activated through social rejection materials. They completed the SHAB questionnaire and anger expression inventory, and their explicit and implicit aggression levels were measured as in Study 1.

Results

In both studies, results indicated that patients' trait and state HAB were significantly related to explicit aggression but not implicit aggression. Hostile interpretation positively predicted explicit aggression, whereas benign interpretation had a negative predictive effect on explicit aggression. Patients' anger played a mediating role between SHAB and explicit aggression.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that patients' HAB affects explicit aggression toward doctors and anger plays a mediating role.

Aggressive behaviors predict greater intraindividual reaction time variability in children: Evidence from cross-lagged panel models

Deficits in attentional control or inhibitory control are distinct features of childhood aggressive behaviors. Lower attentional control or inhibitory control is considered to predict more aggressive behaviors, while few studies have documented the possible predictive effects of aggressive behaviors on attentional control or inhibitory control. The present study examined the bidirectional relations between aggressive behaviors and both inhibitory control and attentional control in 169 Chinese primary school children (75 girls, Mage  = 7.15, SDage  = 0.33), annually for 3 years starting at age 7. The No-go accuracy on a Go/No-go task was used as the index of inhibitory control, and the intraindividual reaction time variability (IIRTV) of correct Go trials indicated attentional control. The aggressive behaviors subscale of the child behavior checklist-Chinese version was used to assess the children's aggressive behaviors. The results demonstrated a significant and stable predictive effect of previous aggressive behaviors on subsequent attentional control, with more aggressive behaviors predicting greater IIRTV at both the between-child and within-child levels. No significant effects of inhibitory control or attentional control on aggressive behaviors or sex-specific patterns were found. The findings suggest the negative impact of childhood aggressive behaviors on attentional control and underscore the importance of early prevention and intervention for childhood aggressive behaviors.

Father trait anger and associations with father-infant bonding and caregiving: The mediating role of mentalizing

Trait anger reflects a tendency to feel irritation, annoyance, and rage, and involves a narrowing of cognition and attention. This narrowed scope may impact the capacity to understand the mental states of oneself and others (mentalizing), which for fathers of infants may compromise bonding and caregiving involvement. Here, we investigated the extent to which mentalizing mediated the relationship between father trait anger and both father-infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving. Data were from 168 fathers (M = 30.04 years of age, SD = 1.36) of 190 infants (M = 7.58 months of age, SD = 5.06) in the longitudinal Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) study. We assessed fathers' preconception trait anger at Wave 1 and their mentalizing 2 years later at Wave 3. At Waves 3, 4, and/or 5, we assessed father-infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving when men had an infant younger than 18 months of age. Associations were examined using path analysis. Poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationship between preconception trait anger and father-infant bonding (total score), but not involvement in infant caregiving. Further, poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationships between trait anger and each component of the father-infant bond (i.e., patience and tolerance, affection and pride, and pleasure in interactions). Findings suggest that for men high on trait anger, targeted interventions that facilitate mentalizing capacities may help to develop a foundation for a strong father-infant bond. Interventions may be offered on becoming a father (perinatal), or prior to becoming a father (preconception) to prevent future bonding problems.

The Relationship Between Dispositional Awe and Reactive Aggression: The Serial Mediation Role of Trait Anger and Self-Control

Previous research has shown that state awe will decrease aggressive behavior in individuals and reduce implicit trait aggression. However, hardly any studies have been conducted to show the relationship between individual dispositional awe and reactive aggression as well as the underlying psychological mechanisms. Based on the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotion and the expanded model of awe, this study explored the effects of trait anger and self-control on the relationship between dispositional awe predicting reactive aggression. The trait anger, self-control, dispositional awe, and reactive aggression scales were completed by a total of 611 college students who were recruited from universities. The findings demonstrated a negative correlation between dispositional awe and reactive aggression (r = -.35, p < .01). The link between dispositional awe and reactive aggression is mediated by trait anger (β = -.201, 95% CI [-.25, -.15]) and self-control (β = -.038, 95% CI [-.07, -.01]). Additionally, a serial mediation effect of trait anger and self-control was observed between dispositional awe and reactive aggression (β = -.022, 95% CI [-.04, -.01]). This study reveals the relationship between dispositional awe and reactive aggression and its mechanism of effect which has some practical implications for the prevention and reduction of reactive aggression among college students.

Father trait anger: Associations with father–infant bonding and subsequent parenting stress

Introduction

Parent anger presents a risk to family safety and child development. Father trait anger may also compromise the early relational context of fathers and offspring, yet evidence is lacking. The aim of this study is to examine effects of father trait anger on parenting stress in the toddler years, and the mediational role of father–infant bonding.

Method

Data were from 177 Australian fathers of 205 children. Trait anger (total, angry temperament, and angry reaction), father–infant bonding subscales (patience and tolerance, affection and pride, and pleasure in interaction), and subsequent parenting stress (parental distress, difficult child, and parent–child dysfunctional interaction) were assessed. At each of the subscale levels, mediational path models examined whether father–infant bonding explained the relationship between trait anger and parenting stress. Models were presented where there was at least a small association between the mediator and both the predictor and outcome.

Results

Patience and tolerance was the only domain of father–infant bonding correlated with both trait anger and all parenting stress outcomes. Patience and tolerance partially mediated the effect of total trait anger on parental distress and fully mediated effects on difficult child and parent–child dysfunctional interaction. Patience and tolerance fully mediated relationships between angry temperament and all domains of parenting stress. Angry reactions only had a direct effect on parental distress.

Discussion

Father trait anger both directly and indirectly (through patience and tolerance in the father–infant bond) impacts their experiences of parenting stress in the toddler years. Early interventions to manage father trait anger and improve father–infant bonding may benefit fathers and children.

Cyberbullying as a Learned Behavior: Theoretical and Applied Implications

Cyberbullying perpetration has emerged as a world-wide societal issue. Interventions need to be continuously updated to help reduce cyberbullying perpetration. We believe that data derived from theory can best accomplish this objective. Here, we argue for the importance of learning theory to understand cyberbullying perpetration. The purpose of this manuscript is to firstly describe the various learning theories that are applicable to describe cyberbullying perpetration, such as social learning, operant conditioning, the general learning model, and others. Second, we delve into the Barlett Gentile Cyberbullying Model, which integrates learning postulates and distinguishes cyber from traditional bullying. Finally, we offer a learning perspective on interventions and future research.

Effects of personal relative deprivation on the relationship between anger rumination and aggression during and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: A longitudinal moderated network approach

INTRODUCTION

Several studies have demonstrated a directional link between rage rumination and aggression. However, recent research suggests that this relationship is bidirectional. The current study examined the complex relationships between anger rumination and aggression using a moderated network approach in a longitudinal design while considering personal relative deprivation.

METHOD

A total of 665 participants (59.25% female, age_mean±SD  = 19.01 ± 1.25) were enrolled at two-time points. Assessments included self-report measures of the Anger Rumination Scale, Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and Relative Deprivation Scale. A Moderated Network Model (MMN) was used to test the complex links among anger rumination, aggression, and personal relative deprivation.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed that the link between anger rumination and aggression was complex and bidirectional. Notably, as the level of personal relative deprivation increased, verbal aggression had a positive conditional effect on anger afterthoughts in Wave 2, and thoughts of revenge had a positive conditional effect on verbal aggression in Wave 2. Moreover, as the first discovery, anger afterthoughts and anger had a negative conditional effect on each other across levels of personal relative deprivation in Wave 2. In addition, network comparison indicates that the MNMs structure was significantly different across timepoints, implying that anger rumination and aggression were inextricably linked in college students during isolation and that this complicated relationship was weakened after isolation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study deepens our understanding of the bidirectional relationships between anger rumination and aggression and recognizes the moderating role of personal relative deprivation.

Trait anger and negative interpretation bias in neutral face perception

Introduction

Anger is a basic emotion helping people to achieve goals by preparing the body for action and prompting others to change their behavior but is also associated with health issues and risks. Trait anger, the disposition to experience angry feelings, goes along with an attribution of hostile traits to others. Negative distortions in the interpretation of social information have also been observed in anxiety and depression. The present study examined the associations between components of anger and negative interpretation tendencies in the perception of ambiguous and neutral schematic faces controlling for anxiety, depressed mood, and other variables.

Methods

A sample of 150 young adults performed a computer-based perception of facial expressions task and completed the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2) along with other self-report measures and tests.

Results

Trait anger and anger expression correlated with the perception of negative affects in neutral but not in ambiguous faces. More specifically, trait anger was linked to the attribution of anger, sadness, and anxiety to neutral faces. Trait anger predicted perceived negative affects in neutral faces when adjusting for anxiety, depression, and state anger.

Discussion

For neutral schematic faces, the present data support an association between trait anger and negatively biased interpretation of facial expression, which is independent of anxiety and depressed mood. The negative interpretation of neutral schematic faces in trait angry individuals seems not only to comprise the attribution of anger but also of negative emotions signaling weakness. Neutral schematic facial expressions might be useful stimuli in the future study of anger-related interpretation biases.

Emotions as computations

Emotions ubiquitously impact action, learning, and perception, yet their essence and role remain widely debated. Computational accounts of emotion aspire to answer these questions with greater conceptual precision informed by normative principles and neurobiological data. We examine recent progress in this regard and find that emotions may implement three classes of computations, which serve to evaluate states, actions, and uncertain prospects. For each of these, we use the formalism of reinforcement learning to offer a new formulation that better accounts for existing evidence. We then consider how these distinct computations may map onto distinct emotions and moods. Integrating extensive research on the causes and consequences of different emotions suggests a parsimonious one-to-one mapping, according to which emotions are integral to how we evaluate outcomes (pleasure & pain), learn to predict them (happiness & sadness), use them to inform our (frustration & content) and others' (anger & gratitude) actions, and plan in order to realize (desire & hope) or avoid (fear & anxiety) uncertain outcomes.

Hospitality and COVID-19: a willingness to choose e-consultation owing to unemployment and home isolation

Purpose

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared as a pandemic since COVID-19's widespread outbreak and the hospitality industry has been the hardest hit due to lockdown. Consequently, hospitality workers are suffering from the negative aspects of mental health. In the event of such a crisis, this study aims to explore the link between unemployment and home isolation to the willingness to choose electronic consultation (e-consultation) by exploiting psychological ill-being and behavioural intention (BI) with marital status as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative methodology is applied to primary data collected from 310 workers from the hospitality industry through an online survey.

Findings

Findings of this study suggest that the usage of the e-consultation service can be adopted using three levels. There are valid reasons to conclude unemployment and home isolation are linked to higher rates of psychological health behaviours, which can result in stigma, loss of self-worth and increased mortality. The adverse effect is higher for single individuals than for married people.

Originality/value

The study focussed on e-consultation, BI coupled with the Fishbein scale and a classification model for the prediction of willingness to choose e-consultation with the extension of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

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.

Reduced vagal tone in intimate partner violence perpetrators is partly explained by anger rumination

Polyvagal theory proposed that an autonomous nervous system imbalance might be characteristic of violent individuals, especially reduced parasympathetic or vagal tone. Accordingly, some studies concluded that when intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators deal with acute stress, they tend to present a sympathetic predominance over the parasympathetic nervous system once the stress has ended. However, less is known about cognitive mechanisms that explain this phenomenon. In fact, this functioning might be explained by inner speech and/or angry thoughts (anger rumination) in reactive aggressors. Nonetheless, there is a gap in the scientific literature assessing whether this psychophysiological functioning in IPV perpetrators is explained by anger rumination. For this reason, the first aim of this study was to assess the cardiorespiratory (heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)) and electrodermal (skin conductance level (SCL)) changes, as well as the anger state, when coping with an acute laboratory stressor, comparing a group of reactive IPV perpetrators (n = 47) and a group of non-violent men (n = 36). The second aim was two-fold. After checking whether the groups differed on their anger rumination and manifestation of aggression (reactive and/or proactive) scores, we studied whether these variables explained psychophysiological and psychological responses to a laboratory task (changes and levels during the recovery period) in each group. Our results demonstrated that, compared to the control group, IPV perpetrators presented lower RSA levels (vagal tone). Even though the groups did not differ on their anger rumination or manifestation of aggression scores (except for proactive aggression), only in the IPV perpetrators, high anger rumination and reactive aggression partly explained the lower vagal tone (RSA levels) and high levels of anger state at post-task. Consequently, this study contributes to understanding the psychobiological basis for violence proneness in IPV perpetrators, making it possible to explore new therapeutic strategies.

Trait Aggression is Reflected by a Lower Temporal Stability of EEG Resting Networks

Trait aggression can lead to catastrophic consequences for individuals and society. However, it remains unclear how aggressive people differ from others regarding basic, task-independent brain characteristics. We used EEG microstate analysis to investigate how the temporal organization of neural resting networks might help explain inter-individual differences in aggression. Microstates represent whole-brain networks, which are stable for short timeframes (40-120 ms) before quickly transitioning into other microstate types. Recent research demonstrates that the general temporal stability of microstates across types predicts higher levels of self-control and inhibitory control, and lower levels of risk-taking preferences. Given that these outcomes are inversely related to aggression, we investigated whether microstate stability at rest would predict lower levels of trait aggression. As males show higher levels of aggression than females, and males and females express aggression differently, we also tested for possible gender-differences. As hypothesized, people with higher levels of trait aggression showed lower microstate stability. This effect was moderated by gender, with men showing stronger associations compared to women. These findings support the notion that temporal dynamics of sub-second resting networks predict complex human traits. Furthermore, they provide initial indications of gender-differences in the functional significance of EEG microstates.

How is circadian preference associated with cyber-victimization? A moderated mediation model of hostile recognition and online self-disclosure in Chinese early adolescent students

Although circadian preference is widely accepted to be a risk factor in the increase of adolescents’ negative experiences, little is known about its association with cyber-victimization. The current study sought to examine whether eveningness was significantly related to adolescents’ negative experiences. We further examined in-victimization events and whether hostile recognition and online self-disclosure played a vital role in eveningness and adolescents’ cyber-victimization. Study participants included 583 adolescents from four middle schools in China who completed questionnaires regarding their circadian preference, hostile recognition, online self-disclosure, and experience with cyber-victimization. Results indicated that adolescents with a high level of eveningness were more likely to experience cyber-victimization. Hostile recognition significantly mediated the relationship between eveningness and adolescents’ cyber-victimization. Furthermore, online self-disclosure moderated the indirect relationship between eveningness and cyber-victimization. Specifically, the paths from eveningness to hostile recognition and from hostile recognition to cyber-victimization became strengthened when adolescents experienced high levels of online self-disclosure. The results imply that researchers should pay more attention to remote factors, such as adolescents’ circadian preference and their relationship with cyber-victimization, to help them adapt to school requirements and reduce the frequency of victimization.

Trait anger causes risky driving behavior by influencing executive function and hazard cognition

Drivers with a high level of trait anger feel more intensity of anger on road, contributing to more risky driving behavior and further increasing the probability of collisions. It seems that trait anger directly correlates with risky driving behavior, but how it works in detail remains unknown and previous research indicated executive function and hazard cognition may play a mediation role in it. Our research aims to explore the relationship among these variables and test if there is a multiple mediation model. We sampled 302 valid participants and used online questionnaires, containing trait anger scale (TAS), executive function index (EFI), hazard cognition scale (HCS; representing attitudes towards risky driving behavior), driver behavior questionnaire (DBQ), and self-reported traffic violations (e.g., accidents, penalty points, fines). Hierarchical multiple linear regression of DBQ results show trait anger is a medium but statistically significant predictor of risky driving behavior and drivers' attitude towards risky situations can significantly predict risky driving behavior at medium effect. But risky driving behavior cannot be predicted by executive function. Interestingly, opposing to prior research, zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis of self-reported traffic violations suggests trait anger negatively predicts accidents and fines in the zero-inflation model, and hazard cognition negatively predicts penalty points. Notably, the executive function negatively predicts penalty points and fines in the count model, which confirms our hypothetical direction. They all represent a small effect size in this nonlinear regression model. Path analysis suggested that trait anger influences risky driving behavior through executive function, and hazard cognition both separately and jointly. This study provides a theoretical framework for the transaction model of aggressive driving behavior and offers some possible interventions toward the effect of trait anger on risky driving behavior.

Longitudinal effect of self-control on reactive-proactive aggression: Mediating roles of hostile rumination and moral disengagement

Self-control is a well-known inhibitor of aggression, but the effect of self-control on different kinds of aggression (such as reactive-proactive aggression) and the underlying mediating mechanisms of these effects are unclear. We developed a mediation model to address these issues. A three-wave study was conducted with a sample of 1203 qualifying Chinese undergraduates to test the model. The results showed that self-control at Wave 1 negatively predicted reactive aggression at Wave 3 through mediating effects of hostile rumination and moral disengagement at Wave 2 at the same time, while self-control at Wave 1 negatively predicted proactive aggression at Wave 3 only through moral disengagement at Wave 2. Furthermore, the longitudinal relationship between hostile rumination and moral disengagement is mutual. The current findings support our hypotheses regarding the mediation model of self-control inhibiting reactive-proactive aggression and suggest that moral disengagement should be a common and basic variable to predict most kinds of aggression; further, hostile rumination only has a particular effect on reactive aggression. The present study used motivation theory to explain its mediation model, which develops aggressive theory regarding varied common influencing factors and underlying mediating mechanisms of reactive and proactive aggression.

How do physical and emotional abuse affect depression and problematic behaviors in adolescents? The roles of emotional regulation and anger

BACKGROUND

Rates of physical and emotional abuse are high among Chinese adolescents and elicit distinct psychopathologies. However, it remains unclear whether physical and emotional abuse relate to depression and behavior problems similarly or differently. In addition, few studies have examined if they share underlying mechanisms in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

This study used longitudinal data to examine the mechanisms underlying the effect of physical and emotional abuse on depression and problematic behaviors through emotional regulation and anger in Chinese adolescents.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS

Participants were 1689 adolescents (with age ranging from 12 to 17 years) from junior and senior high schools in Zhejiang Province, China.

METHODS

Participants completed a childhood trauma questionnaire and an emotion regulation strategies questionnaire at time 1 (T1), and they completed an anger scale, a depression scale, and a problematic behaviors questionnaire one year later (T2). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the research hypotheses.

RESULTS

Physical abuse had direct positive effects on problematic behaviors but not on depression. However, emotional abuse had direct effects on depression and problematic behaviors, and indirect effects on both psychopathologies through expressive suppression and anger.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical and emotional abuse had distinct effects and influencing mechanisms on adolescents' externalizing and internalizing problems. Compared with physical abuse, emotional abuse elicited more harms and subsequent psychopathologies.

A systematic review of neural, cognitive, and clinical studies of anger and aggression

Anger and aggression have large impact on people's safety and the society at large. In order to provide an intervention to minimise aggressive behaviours, it is important to understand the neural and cognitive aspects of anger and aggression. In this systematic review, we investigate the cognitive and neural aspects of anger-related processes, including anger-related behaviours and anger reduction. Using this information, we then review prior existing methods on the treatment of anger-related disorders as well as anger management, including mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. At the cognitive level, our review that anger is associated with excessive attention to anger-related stimuli and impulsivity. At the neural level, anger is associated with abnormal functioning of the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In conclusions, based on cognitive and neural studies, we here argue that mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy may be better at reducing anger and aggression than other behavioural treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy or mindfulness alone. We provide key information on future research work and best ways to manage anger and reduce aggression. Importantly, future research should investigate how anger related behaviours is acquired and how stress impacts the development of anger.

The effects of childhood maltreatment on cyberbullying in college students: The roles of cognitive processes

Previous studies suggested that childhood maltreatment was associated with cyberbullying. However, it's not clear the internal cognitive processes of how maltreatment causes cyberbullying. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the effect of childhood maltreatment on cyberbullying and the mediating effects of hostile attribution bias and anger rumination. A sample of 528 college students completed the measures of childhood maltreatment, cyberbullying, hostile attribution bias, and anger rumination. Multiple mediation analysis and bootstrapping showed that hostile attribution bias and anger rumination mediated the link between child maltreatment and cyberbullying. The results of this study suggested that childhood maltreatment increased the risk of cyberbullying, which was caused by a co-effect of hostile attribution bias and anger rumination, and it provides an intervention direction for effectively preventing the cyberbullying in abused individuals.

How is Trait Anger Related to Adolescents' Cyberbullying Perpetration? A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Although trait anger has been shown to play an important role in cyberbullying perpetration, little is known about mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. In the present study, we examined whether moral disengagement mediated the relationship between trait anger and cyberbullying perpetration, and whether this mediating process was moderated by empathy. Four hundred and fifty-five Chinese adolescents completed the measures of trait anger, moral disengagement, cyberbullying perpetration, and empathy. The results indicated that trait anger was significantly and positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration and this relationship was partially mediated by moral disengagement. Moderated mediation analysis further indicated that empathy moderated the relationship between moral disengagement and cyberbullying perpetration. This relationship became weaker for adolescents with higher levels of empathy. Results highlight the significance of identifying the mechanisms that moderate the mediated paths between trait anger and adolescents' cyberbullying perpetration.

Five Approaches to Understanding Interpersonal Competence: A Review and Integration

Social connectedness has been linked to beneficial outcomes across domains, ages, and cultures. However, not everyone receives these benefits, as there are large individual differences in the capacities required to create and sustain functional interpersonal relationships. A great deal of research has been devoted to assessing and understanding these differences, often focusing on how competent interpersonal behavior renders it more likely that one will succeed interpersonally. The current paper examines five relevant approaches that have emerged from personality (global traits), social (social cognition), clinical (social skills interventions), developmental (social information processing), and industrial/organizational (situation judgment) areas of psychology. A comparison of these approaches highlights important considerations related to bandwidth and fidelity, whether the focus should be on overt behavior or underlying processes, and whether to emphasize tendencies or their effectiveness. The review concludes with calls for greater integration efforts, which can capitalize on strengths inherent to different approaches.

Using citation network analysis to enhance scholarship in psychological science: A case study of the human aggression literature

Researchers cannot keep up with the volume of articles being published each year. In order to develop adequate expertise in a given field of study, students and early career scientists must be strategic in what they decide to read. Here we propose using citation network analysis to characterize the literature topology of a given area. We used the human aggression literature as our example. Our citation network analysis identified 15 research communities on aggression. The five largest communities were: “media and video games”, “stress, traits and aggression”, “rumination and displaced aggression”, “role of testosterone”, and “social aggression”. We examined the growth of these research communities over time, and we used graph theoretic approaches to identify the most influential papers within each community and the “bridging” articles that linked distinct communities to one another. Finally, we also examined whether our citation network analysis would help mitigate gender bias relative to focusing on total citation counts. The percentage of articles with women first authors doubled when identifying influential articles by community structure versus citation count. Our approach of characterizing literature topologies using citation network analysis may provide a valuable resource for psychological scientists by outlining research communities and their growth over time, identifying influential papers within each community (including bridging papers), and providing opportunities to increase gender equity in the field.

Psychosocial Correlates of Reactive and Proactive Aggression among Protesters during the Social Movement in Hong Kong

This pioneering study examined how psychosocial factors predicted reactive and proactive aggression among adolescents and young adults in Hong Kong during the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement. A total of 1027 local secondary and tertiary students (578 male, 449 female) aged from 12 to 25 years (M = 16.95, SD = 3.30) completed a questionnaire measuring political participation and attitudes, victimization experiences, aggression, life satisfaction, moral disengagement, and psychopathic traits. ANCOVA and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. The results revealed that compared with non-protesters, protestors had more negative traits and poorer well-being (higher levels of reactive aggression, moral disengagement, narcissism, and impulsivity; lower life satisfaction; more experiences of victimization by strangers related to political disputes). Nonetheless, protesters had similar psychosocial correlates of reactive and proactive aggression when compared to the non-protesters. Among the protesters, reactive aggression was positively predicted by anger towards the government, moral justification, diffusion of responsibility, impulsivity, and narcissism and negatively predicted by satisfaction with the government, advantageous comparison, and dehumanization. Furthermore, proactive aggression was positively predicted by narcissism, euphemistic language, and advantageous comparison and negatively predicted by moral justification. The implications of the findings for psychotherapy, school education, parenting, and social policies are discussed.

CBM-I Training and Its Effect on Interpretations of Intent, Facial Expressions, Attention and Aggressive Behavior

There is abundant evidence suggesting that attention and interpretation biases are powerful precursors of aggression. However, little is known how these biases may interact with one another in the development and maintenance of aggression. Using cognitive bias modification of interpretation (CBM-I), the present study examined whether training more pro-social or hostile intent attributions would affect attention bias, interpretation bias of facial expressions, aggression and mood. University students (17–48 years) were assigned to either a positive training (n = 40), negative training (n = 40), or control training (n = 40). Results showed that the positive training successfully changed measures of intent attributions in a pro-social direction compared to the control training. The negative training changed measures of intent attributions in a hostile direction but not more so than the control training. We found no generalization of the training effects to relevant other outcomes. Possible explanations underlying these findings are discussed.

Cognitive Control Processes and Defense Mechanisms That Influence Aggressive Reactions: Toward an Integration of Socio-Cognitive and Psychodynamic Models of Aggression

Research on cognitive processes has primarily focused on cognitive control and inhibitory processes to the detriment of other psychological processes, such as defense mechanisms (DMs), which can be used to modify aggressive impulses as well as self/other images during interpersonal conflicts. First, we conducted an in-depth theoretical analysis of three socio-cognitive models and three psychodynamic models and compared main propositions regarding the source of aggression and processes that influence its enactment. Second, 32 participants completed the Hostile Expectancy Violation Paradigm (HEVP) in which scenarios describe a hostile vs. non-hostile social context followed by a character's ambiguous aversive behavior. The N400 effect to critical words that violate expected hostile vs. non-hostile intent of the behavior was analyzed. Prepotent response inhibition was measured using a Stop Signal task (SST) and DMs were assessed with the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-60). Results showed that reactive aggression and HIA were not significantly correlated with response inhibition but were significantly positively and negatively correlated with image distorting defense style and adaptive defense style, respectively. The present article has highlighted the importance of integrating socio-cognitive and psychodynamic models to account for the full complexity underlying psychological processes that influence reactive aggressive behavior.

Structural and functional brain networks of individual differences in trait anger and anger control: An unsupervised machine learning study

The ability to experience, use and eventually control anger is crucial to maintain well-being and build healthy relationships. Despite its relevance, the neural mechanisms behind individual differences in experiencing and controlling anger are poorly understood. To elucidate these points, we employed an unsupervised machine learning approach based on independent component analysis to test the hypothesis that specific functional and structural networks are associated with individual differences in trait anger and anger control. Structural and functional resting state images of 71 subjects as well as their scores from the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory entered the analyses. At a structural level, the concentration of grey matter in a network including ventromedial temporal areas, posterior cingulate, fusiform gyrus and cerebellum was associated with trait anger. The higher the concentration, the higher the proneness to experience anger in daily life due to the greater tendency to orient attention towards aversive events and interpret them with higher hostility. At a functional level, the activity of the default mode network (DMN) was associated with anger control. The higher the DMN temporal frequency, the stronger the exerted control over anger, thus extending previous evidence on the role of the DMN in regulating cognitive and emotional functions in the domain of anger. Taken together, these results show, for the first time, two specialized brain networks for encoding individual differences in trait anger and anger control.

Antagonism in Daily Life: An Exploratory Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Interpersonal Antagonism is one of the major domains of maladaptive personality. Structural-based investigations of Antagonism have generally been consistent in highlighting the more specific antagonistic traits (e.g., manipulativeness, callousness) that underlie the broader domain. However, less work has attempted to merge structural and functional accounts of Antagonism to assess how specific antagonistic traits manifest in daily life. This exploratory study examined how Antagonism and its specific features relate to outcomes assessed using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods. Across four independent EMA samples (N range=297-396; total N = 1,365; observations per outcome=5,419-17,735), we investigated how antagonistic traits related to theoretically relevant, EMA-based outcomes (e.g., affect, empathy, coldness-warmth in interpersonal interactions). Results showed robust findings across samples and operationalizations of Antagonism (e.g., Antagonism's relation with negative affect), along with more mixed results (e.g., Antagonism's relation with different measures of empathy). We discuss future research directions for structural and functional accounts of Antagonism.

The Differing Roles of Cognitive Empathy and Affective Empathy in the Relationship Between Trait Anger and Aggressive Behavior: A Chinese College Students Survey

Empathy is essential for effective social interaction. People often express the belief that empathy is closely related to aggressive behavior, but empirical data has challenged this assumption. However, there is a lack of research that focuses on the role of empathy in the relationship between trait anger and aggressive behavior. The current research focuses on the roles that different components of empathy have performed in the combinations of trait anger-hostile cognition-aggressive behavior link and attempt to identify, with reference to Integrated Model of Emotion Processes and Cognition in Social Information Processing, at which step this may occur. Participants included 663 undergraduate students who completed self-report measures of Trait Anger Scale, Aggressive Behavior Questionnaire, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Results from correlation analysis show that there is no significant correlation between cognitive empathy and aggressive behavior (r = -.06) but do however suggest a significant correlation between affective empathy and aggressive behavior (r = -.19). Results from structural equation modeling reveal that different components of empathy perform different roles in relation to aggressive behavior. The moderated mediating model analysis results show that cognitive empathy played a moderating role in both the direct effect and the first stage of the mediating model of trait anger-hostile cognition-aggression behavior. The results of multiple mediation model analysis demonstrate that affective empathy only played a partial mediating role between hostile cognition and aggressive behavior. This study contributes to understanding of Social Information Processing Models (SIPMs) and provides insight into the relationship between empathy and aggressive behavior.

Abusive supervision: a content analysis of theory and methodology

Purpose

Despite recent organizational behavior studies have witnessed considerable progress in abusive supervision research; some demerits for both theory and methodology still remain in the past years. To clarify the current state of knowledge in the field, this study aims to analyze the current state of theories and methods on abusive supervision and provides a detailed future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducted a literature review for both theory and methodology of the abusive supervision research using a content analysis of 134 publications.

Findings

For the theory part, this paper summarized the theories that had been applied to explain the relationship between abusive supervision and its consequences as well as antecedents. For the methodology part, this paper outlined some critical issues regarding country of origin, research design, measurement, analysis strategy and also summarized with a discussion of the relationship between methodological issues and article impact. Finally, this paper concluded by presenting an agenda for future abusive supervision research regarding both theory and methodology.

Originality/value

First, this paper summarizes the main theories, antecedents and consequences often used in abusive supervision research to allow scholars to carry out theoretically driven research investigating abusive supervision in the future. Second, through a content analysis of the methods sections of abusive supervision research in the samples (i.e. country of origin, research design, measurement and analytical procedures), this paper identified the potential reasons underlying the inconsistency in the conclusions of abusive supervision research and provide some guidance for future empirical studies. Third, based on the qualitative review, this paper provides an agenda for future research investigating abusive supervision by developing a content-specific theoretical framework to benchmark abusive supervision research against other research related to leadership and offers an accurate response to scholars’ criticisms of abusive supervision research.

Online violent video games and online aggressive behavior among Chinese college students: The role of anger rumination and self-control

Online aggressive behavior (OAB) has received increasing attention in recent years, and that playing online violent video games (OVVG) is an important predictor of OAB. However, little is known of the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study aims to investigate (a) the mediating role of anger rumination in the association between OVVG and OAB and (b) the moderating role of self-control in the relationship between anger rumination and OAB. A total of 595 Chinese college students (M age = 19.59 years, SD age = 1.40) completed measurements regarding OVVG, anger rumination, self-control, and OAB. The correlation analyses showed that OVVG was significantly positively associated with anger rumination and OAB. Mediation analyses revealed anger rumination partially mediated the link between OVVG and OAB. Moderated mediation further indicated that anger rumination was not associated with OAB for individuals with high levels of self-control. However, for those with low levels of self-control, anger rumination was significantly associated with OAB. These findings suggest that the improvement of self-control and the decline of anger rumination could be a practicable way to address the issue of OAB effectively.

Effect of Implicit Prejudice on Intergroup Conflict: The Cognitive Processing Bias Perspective

Principles of intergroup conflict are a core issue in social psychology fields. Studies have found that social prejudice has a significant correlation with intergroup conflict, apart from the personal characteristics and the contextual factors. However, none of those studies concentrated on the triggering role of the prejudice to the social phenomena in Eastern culture. Accordingly, the dependent variable detection paradigms used in three experiments were the Emotional Stroop Task, the Lexical Decision Task (LDT), and the Story Completion Protocol (SCP), the present research took the patient-physician conflict in domestic China as the example to detect the effect of social prejudice on the attention selective bias, memory accessibility, and the explanation of attribution bias of the aggressive information processing during the triggering of patient-physician intergroup conflict. The result showed that there was social patient-physician prejudice dissociation, which means that implicit patient-physician prejudice was observed but explicit social prejudice was not. In addition, the implicit patient-physician prejudice priming had a significant effect on patients' reaction times of Emotional Stroop task and SCP, but no effect of LDT. It indicated that the implicit prejudice did not improve memory accessibility in the later stages of information processing, but rather triggered selective attention bias and hostile attribution bias in preceding stages. Such a conclusion supported the Interpretation-First Model of aggressive information processing.

A Single-Session Combined Cognitive Bias Modification Training Targeting Attention and Interpretation Biases in Aggression

Experimental studies applying cognitive bias modification of attention (CBM-A) and interpretation (CBM-I) to reduce aggression have examined the effect of modifying each cognitive bias in isolation. In order to maximise the potential impact on both biases and symptom reduction, we examined whether a combined bias training procedure targeting both attention and interpretation biases (CBM-AI) in combination would be more effective than targeting interpretation bias (CBM-I) alone. University students (17–35 years) were randomly assigned to either a single session of CBM-AI training (n = 40), CBM-I training (n = 40), or a control condition (n = 40). Contrary to our expectations, participants showed an increase in adaptive attention and pro-social interpretation bias in all training conditions. Additionally, in none of the conditions, we found a significant change on self-reported or behavioural aggression. These findings suggest: (1) that the combined training did not have added effect over single interpretation bias training, (2) that training interpretation bias may lead to changes in attention bias, (3) that elements of the control condition unexpectedly, but interestingly, also affected attention and interpretation biases, and (4) single-session CBM procedures do not produce robust effects on self-report or behavioural measures of aggression in unselected samples.

Effects of cognitive bias modification for interpretation on hostile interpretation bias and self-reported aggression in juvenile delinquents

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

The 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.

METHOD

Fifty-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.

RESULTS

The 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.

CONCLUSIONS

CBM-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.

Relating Reactive and Proactive Aggression to Trait Driving Anger in Young and Adult Males: A Pilot Study Using Explicit and Implicit Measures

Driving anger and aggressive driving are main contributors to crashes, especially among young males. Trait driving anger is context-specific and unique from other forms of anger. It is necessary to understand the mechanisms of trait driving anger to develop targeted interventions. Although literature conceptually distinguished reactive and proactive aggression, this distinction is uncommon in driving research. Similar, cognitive biases related to driving anger, measured by a combination of explicit and implicit measures, received little attention. This pilot study related explicit and implicit measures associated with reactive and proactive aggression to trait driving anger, while considering age. The sample consisted of 42 male drivers. The implicit measures included a self-aggression association (i.e., Single-Target Implicit Association Test) and an attentional aggression bias (i.e., Emotional Stroop Task). Reactive aggression related positively with trait driving anger. Moreover, a self-aggression association negatively related to trait driving anger. Finally, an interaction effect for age suggested that only in young male drivers, higher proactive aggression related to lower trait driving anger. These preliminary results motivate further attention to the combination of explicit and implicit measures related to reactive and proactive aggression in trait driving anger research.

How to Be Aggressive from Virtual to Reality? Revisiting the Violent Video Games Exposure-Aggression Association and the Mediating Mechanisms

Few studies have simultaneously examined the underlying mechanisms of the link between violent video games exposure (VVGE) and aggression (as proposed by different theories) to examine how they explain the relationship between the concepts as independent-dependent variables. This study used a multi-informant design to examine the relationship between VVGE and the functions (proactive and reactive) of aggressive behaviors by comparing three mediating mechanisms: anger, moral disengagement, and cognitive impulsivity. The sample consisted of 2,095 Chinese children and adolescences (48.9 percent girls; M_age = 11.12 years, SD = 1.70) and their mothers. After controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, child maltreatment, and problematic traits, structural equation modeling indicated that anger and moral disengagement play mediating roles between VVGE and proactive and reactive aggression, but cognitive impulsivity only plays a mediating role between VVGE and reactive aggression. The discussion emphasizes the importance of creating prevention programs for anger, moral disengagement, and cognitive impulsivity to break the VVGE-to-aggression cycle, and provides suggestions for future research.

The longitudinal relationship between angry rumination and reactive-proactive aggression and the moderation effect of consideration of future consequences-immediate

The idea that influential factors for two subtypes of aggression (reactive and proactive aggression) should be different is popular, but the common influential factors have not been examined. Such an examination could help understand the influential factors of aggression from the perspective of multiple motivations affecting the development of aggressive motivations over time. The present study argued that angry rumination would be a common influential factor for both reactive and proactive aggression. In addition, consideration of future consequences (CFC) may moderate the longitudinal effect of angry rumination on proactive aggression. Two studies were conducted to test these hypotheses. In Study 1, a cross-lagged analysis with a 6-month interval was employed. A total of 505 undergraduate students (46% males) completed the questionnaires twice. Results indicated that after a 6-month period, angry rumination predicted reactive aggression but not proactive aggression. Furthermore, reactive aggression predicted angry rumination over time. In Study 2, a moderation analysis was performed with another 437 participants (130 males). The results partly supported our hypotheses, indicating that CFC-immediate (CFC-I) moderated the longitudinal effect of angry rumination on proactive aggression. The present results extended prior research regarding the predictors of proactive and reactive aggression and may contribute to a greater understanding of the development of aggressive motivation. In addition, our research suggested that high CFC-I may be an important factor for the motivation change from reactive aggression to proactive aggression.