Trait-aggressiveness and impulsivity: Role of psychological resilience and childhood trauma in a sample of male prisoners

• Published in: Nordic journal of psychiatry 2014-01, Vol.68 (1), p.8-17
• Main Authors: Carli, Vladimir, Mandelli, Laura, Zaninotto, Leonardo, Alberti, Siegfried, Roy, Alec, Serretti, Alessandro, Sarchiapone, Marco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult Survivors of Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Aggression; Aggression - psychology; Child; Comorbidity; Humans; Impulsive Behavior - complications; Impulsive Behavior - epidemiology; Impulsivity; Italy - epidemiology; Life Change Events; Logistic Models; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mental Disorders - complications; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Prisoners - psychology; Resilience; Resilience, Psychological; Self Mutilation - epidemiology; Socioeconomic Factors; Substance-Related Disorders - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trauma; Violence
• ISSN: 0803-9488; 1502-4725; 1502-4725
• DOI: 10.3109/08039488.2012.756061

Abstract Background: One of the major challenges for research in the field of human aggression is the need to define the role of personality and trait-like dimensions, such as impulsivity and aggressiveness, in predisposing to violent behavior. Aims: 1) To determine whether trait- aggressiveness and impulsivity may be associated with socio-demographic, clinical and crime history variables in a sample of male prisoners; 2) to detect any association of those traits with measures of early traumatic experiences and current resilience traits. Methods: A sample of male prisoners (n = 1356) underwent the Brown-Goodwin Assessment for Lifetime History of Aggression (BGLHA) and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). Axis I psychiatric disorders were also assessed. Early traumatic experiences and psychological resilience were detected respectively by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Two non-linear logistic regression models were performed to test for the best predictors of trait-aggressiveness and impulsivity. Results: Subjects with a history of substance use disorders and self-mutilation reported both higher BGLHA and BIS scores. Axis I disorders and suicide attempts were associated with aggressiveness, but not to impulsivity. A consistent correlation was found between BGLHA scores and early traumatic experiences. Resilience was positively correlated to impulsivity but not to aggressiveness scores. Conclusions: Our results support the view that aggressiveness and impulsivity are two different, albeit related trait-like dimensions of personality, having a different relationship with resilience, and, inferentially, a different impact over the development of psychiatric disorders.