Anxiety, alcohol use, and aggression: Untangling the causal pathways

Abstract

Given the enormous social and economic costs of alcohol‐related violence, understanding the causal processes that give rise to the relationship between alcohol and violence is of paramount importance. McMurran provides a valuable contribution to this literature by offering a conceptually coherent, empirically grounded, and plausible model of the relationship between anxiety, alcohol intoxication, and aggression (McMurran, 2011, pp. 357–371). In this commentary, I first look more narrowly at the proposed causal relationships that link anxiety problems with aggression via alcohol use, suggesting that although they are largely consistent with McMurran's thesis there may be scope to build yet more complexity into the model. In the second part of the commentary, I consider the nature of both anxiety and aggression within the broader framework of our evolutionary history and argue that considering the adaptive functions of anxiety and aggression may contribute to our understanding of the proposed links with alcohol use. In particular, I highlight the potential value of disaggregating the links between anxiety, alcohol use, and aggression by gender, and type of violence.

Response to Dr Durrant's commentary: Making it useful

“…Finally, as Dr Durrant points out (Durrant, 2011, pp. 372–378), the relationships between antisocial traits, anxiety, alcohol, and aggression may differ according to the type of perpetrator‐victim dyad.…”

“…These include not only individual characteristics, but also parenting styles, family models, peer affiliations, and life experiences. There is evidence, as Dr Durrant points out (Durrant, 2011, pp. 372–378), that families stressed by poverty and conflict may be those that breed both anxious and antisocial children.…”

“…357–371) has stimulated a commentary. Dr Durrant's scholarly observations are informative, and he suggests that further complexity may be built into the proposed model (Durrant, 2011, pp. 372–378).…”

“…Second, we need to create environments in which young people can socialize safely. Antisocial individuals are mostly men and Dr Durrant provides an interesting evolutionary account of why there might be gender differences in aggression (Durrant, 2011, pp. 372–378).…”

“…There are gender differences in alcohol‐related aggression, in that women commit fewer alcohol‐related crimes (McMurran, Riemsma, Manning, Misso, & Kleijnen, 2011). Calling again on Dr Durrant's evolutionary perspective (Durrant, 2011, pp. 372–378), it may be that, in general, gender is differentially associated with anxiety and antisocial traits.…”