Links Between Stressful Life Events and Proactive and Reactive Functions of Aggression

Abstract

Recently, more attention has been devoted to understanding how stressful life events might relate to proactive and reactive aggression. Findings suggest that stressful life events are more strongly linked to reactive, than proactive, aggression; however, it is unclear whether the impact of stressful life events on proactive and reactive aggression might vary as a function of the level of exposure to or type of stressful life event. The current study examined how level of exposure to stressful life events (i.e., witnessed, experienced, and learned about) and stressful life event types (i.e., war zone exposure, sexual victimization, interpersonal violence, and other trauma exposure) related to proactive and reactive aggression. The sample was comprised of 500 undergraduate students (M = 18.96, SD = 1.22, 49.6% male) recruited from a Midwestern university. Findings indicated that all three levels of stressful life event exposure (i.e., experienced, witnesses, and learned) were associated with reactive aggression; however, only witnessed stressful life events were associated with proactive aggression. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Prevalence, Severity and Chronicity of Corporal Punishment in Colombian Families

“…This high prevalence could be explained by the country's armed conflict or violent culture (Ember and Ember, 2005) that normalises negative interactions, such as the use of CP, as a disciplinary practice. Studies carried out in countries with a long history of armed conflict have shown that patterns of violence permeate the culture through such actions as sexual and partner violence and physical and emotional abuse in children (Brown et al, 2017; Grogan‐Kaylor et al, 2018). Likewise, Ember and Ember (2005) found that CP is related to higher societal violence, and that this violence explains CP.…”

“…This impulsive reaction by parents may be the result of a failure to control their emotions because of direct or indirect exposure to conflict or war, as suggested by Brown et al . (2017). In their study, they argued that interpersonal violent acts might have greater impacts on emotion regulatory processes, which are associated with reactive aggression.…”

“…In Colombia, it is important for parents to understand that living in a peaceful country implies changes not only at the structural level but also in daily practices related to reactive and proactive aggression, especially towards children, in order to end this cycle of violence. Second, programmes aimed at reducing parental stress are necessary, such as interventions on the negative perceptions of children's behaviour and for reducing anger, and therefore, reactive aggression towards children (Brown et al, 2017).…”

Association Between Schizoid and Aggressive Behaviors in Chinese Adolescents and the Mediating Influences of Childhood Trauma and Adverse Life Events

“…For example, Raine et al [12] observed that school children with schizotypal traits were likely to suffer from peer victimization. There is also an association between adverse life events and aggression [29] Huang et al found that stressful life events increased the odds of aggression [30]. Considering the above studies, our third hypothesis is that adverse life events may be as important as childhood trauma in mediating the association between schizoid and aggression.…”

Family conflict, stress, and coping as predictors of violence

“…The vast majority of these records are due to interpersonal violence defined as the deliberated use of human force related to the level of self-perceived thread characterized by the use of such force against oneself, other person, group of people, or community, with a high probability to cause injuries, death, psychological damages, developmental disorders, or deprivations (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2003), which is presented to the extent that the subjects value a situation as stressful and are probably inclined by a hostile attitude to deal with it (Suldo, Shaunnessy, & Hardesty, 2008), or by an aggressive reactive or proactive response when experiencing or witnessing stressful situations (Brown, Fite, DiPierro, & Bortolato, 2017); leading to the performance of aggressive behaviors associated with violent behavior models with which subjects are identified (Potocnjak, Berger, & Tomicic, 2011), the lack of impulse control (Thompson & Auslander, 2011), the social support received in the moment of confrontation, and a pessimistic feeling in which other resolution alternatives (Seiffge-Krenke, Aunola, & Nurmi, 2009).…”