Alcohol and Human Behavior

Mello, Nancy K.; Mendelson, Jack H.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-3186-5_5

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 227 publications

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“…Deterioration in health can insidiously lead to strains, loss of employment, and malaise in day-to-day social functioning and, in the long term, can lead to dysphoric mood in general (cf. Mello & Mendelson, 1978). The effects of alcohol and drugs on sexual arousal and their role in sexual offences, however, are also not undisputed.…”

Section: Role Of Alcohol Drugs In Sex Offencementioning

confidence: 94%

“…The effect of alcohol and other drugs on the emotions of sex offenders has not been documented, except in case reports. Mello and Mendelson (1978) indicated that, in general, there was no consistent relationship with blood alcohol level (BAL) and emotional responsivity but the prolonged use of alcohol appears to increase feelings of dysphoria, despondency, and social isolation so that intoxication can be associated with the facilitation and perhaps the induction of violent and aggressive behavior. The individual who chronically is angry, aggressive, or dysphoric under the influence of drugs has a special problem requiring clinical attention.…”

Section: Role Of Alcohol Drugs In Sex Offencementioning

confidence: 95%

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Substance Abuse Among Sex Offenders

Langevin¹,

Lang

1990

Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment

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Section: Role Of Alcohol Drugs In Sex Offencementioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Role Of Alcohol Drugs In Sex Offencementioning

confidence: 95%

Substance Abuse Among Sex Offenders

Langevin¹,

Lang

1990

Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment

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“…Studies of testosterone levels during alcohol intoxication have produced conflicting findings, some showing a suppressive effect (e.g. Mello & Mendelson, 1978) and others an increase (Dotson, Robertson & Tuchfeld, 1975;Lindman et al, 1987).…”

Section: Limitations Of Correlational Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of testosterone on human aggression

Archer

1991

British J of Psychology

478

209

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Animal studies show clear evidence for a causal link between testosterone and aggression. This review assesses studies involving androgens, principally testosterone, and human aggression. Evidence for a possible effect of prenatal androgens is inconclusive. In adults, higher testosterone levels are found in groups selected for high levels of aggressiveness. Correlations between testosterone and aggression were low when hostility inventories were used, but higher (r = .38) when aggressiveness was rated by others. Regression analysis data and studies of boys at puberty were inconclusive. Other studies show that the outcome of aggressive and competitive encounters can alter testosterone levels, thus confounding interpretation of the correlational evidence. The design of future studies to reveal evidence of a causal link is considered. Suggestions concerning two important methodological problems, the experimental manipulation of hormone levels and the nature of the dependent variable, are made.Studies of a wide variety of vertebrate species have indicated that androgens, principally testosterone, facilitate aggressiveness between males, thus providing a mechanism for the increase in male competitive aggression at a time when the animals are reproductively active (Archer, 1988). This ethological evidence raises the question of whether testosterone also facilitates aggression in human males. Some reviews of the human evidence have concluded that it does (Donovan, 1985; Rubin, Reinisch.8~ Haskett, 1981) whereas others have urged caution in drawing this conclusion (Benton, 1983;Carlson, 1986;Rada, Kellner & Winslow, 1976).The purpose of the present paper is to provide a systematic review of current evidence on this issue, to include a limited meta-analysis where possible, and to highlight methodological issues raised by existing studies. The review begins with a brief survey of animal studies to provide a background for the human evidence. The possible involvement of neonatal androgens is then considered briefly, before examining the following types of evidence from adults : comparisons of testosterone levels in selected groups which show high and low levels of aggressiveness; correlations in both selected samples and unselected samples ; and regression analyses. Studies carried out on boys at puberty -when testosterone levels rise dramatically -are then considered. The limitations of correlational evidence are discussed, particularly in relation to the influence of the social environment on testosterone levels. Existing attempts to provide causal analyses are described, before considering how best to design future studies to reveal more clearly whether testosterone facilitates human aggression.

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“…Hormonal factors could be involved in the effects of alcohol on aggression, particularly if they were related to specific personality characteristics. The one study reporting a positive relationship between plasma testosterone and alcohol, however, found none between hormone levels and Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory scores [Dotson et al, 19751, and other studies have shown decreases of serum testosterone after alcohol [Mello and Mendelson, 1978;Ellingboe, 19871. Since most of the testosterone found in plasma is bound to protein and single samples show considerable variation [Benton,198 11, the present experiment included repeated assessments of free testosterone [Sannikka et al, 19831, which was expected to be more positively related to behaviour than serum testosterone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Verbal interactions of aggressively and nonaggressively predisposed males in a drinking situation

1987

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The effects of progressive intoxication were studied in male social drinkers classified from prior histories as either aggressively (A) or nonaggressively (NA) predisposed while intoxicated. Two groups of two A and two NA subjects engaged in videotaped group discussions that were analyzed by Bales interaction process analysis (IPA). At comparable levels of ad libitum alcohol intake in a natural drinking environment, significantly more verbal activity was displayed by the A subjects than by the NA subjects (P <.001), including IPA category D (P <.025). The A subjects tended to address the group as a whole rather than individual members (P <.001) and NA subjects rather than other A subjects (P <.01). Free testosterone levels assessed from saliva were higher among A subjects than among NA subjects (P <.05) with no significant changes related to time and progressive intoxication. The results suggest that the tendency to behave aggressively while intoxicated may be a fairly stable individual trait, possibly related to androgen levels and active or coercive modes of social communication.

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Alcohol and Human Behavior

Cited by 21 publications

References 227 publications

Substance Abuse Among Sex Offenders

Substance Abuse Among Sex Offenders

The influence of testosterone on human aggression

Verbal interactions of aggressively and nonaggressively predisposed males in a drinking situation

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