Psychological Predictors of Aggressive Behavior Among Men and Women

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among attitude toward violence, self-esteem, emotion dysregulation, anger, and aggression in community men and women and male inmates. Overall, 166 community men, 197 community women, and 100 male inmates completed a battery of questionnaires containing self-reported measures. Self-esteem and attitude toward violence were significant predictors of aggressive behavior, with emotion dysregulation mediating the relationship between self-esteem and the criterion variable. Anger mediated the relationship between emotion dysregulation and aggressive behavior only among community people. Among men, inmates reported a more favorable attitude toward violence, lower self-esteem, higher emotion dysregulation, more aggressive behaviors, and a lower tendency to get angry. Women showed a less favorable attitude toward violence, lower self-esteem, higher emotion dysregulation, and a higher tendency for anger than men, while no differences emerged for aggressive behavior. These findings suggest that self-related constructs and emotion regulation strategies represent key processes associated with aggressive behavior among all participants, while the role of anger is more prominent in community people. To reduce aggressive tendencies, treatment and prevention interventions might increase self-esteem, emotion regulation skills, and one's ability to direct anger toward other goals. Moreover, programs aimed at changing attitudes toward violence could be useful.

User violence in mental health services: Adaptation of an instrument. Healthcare-workers’ Aggressive Behavior Scale-Users-Mental Health Version (HABS-U-MH)

“…The group of clinical psychologists recorded the lowest rates, both of physical violence and non-physical violence. This may be due, on the one hand, to the fact that they are generally less exposed than the nursing staff and the non-medical staff, because they do not require close physical contact, like the nursing staff [7, 16, 40, 44], or bureaucratic procedures, like the administrative staff, which can provoke users’ impatience and discontent [43]. On the other hand, the psychologist’s work implies the need to establish a good therapeutic alliance as part of the intervention, for which an empathic attitude and unconditional acceptance of the patient are essential, which could explain the low frequency of aggressive behaviors [45].…”

Aggressive behavior and metacognitive functions: a longitudinal study on patients with mental disorders

“…The anger dimension was also found to be a predictor of aggressive and violent behavior. A recent meta-analytic review confirmed a robust relationship between anger and violent behavior [19]; other authors have demonstrated the fundamental role played by anger in the risk of violence [59] and, in this direction, a recent review suggested that anger treatments are moderately effective to reduce aggression [37].…”

Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy of Students' Attending Online Courses Through MBKM Program

“…A person's sense of self-worth is mostly derived from their professional and social networks. Self-esteem can also be thought of as a global selfassessment indicator that includes both cognitive assessments of general self-worth and emotional self-experiences that come from these assessments (Stefanile et al, 2021). In line with Lyu et al (2019), Self-esteem is defined as a self-evaluation followed by an emotional reaction to oneself.…”