Relation of Psychologic Measures of Aggression and Hostility to Testosterone Production in Man

Abstract

Plasma testosterone level and testosterone production rate were determined in a group of 18 healthy young men, 15 healthy older men and 6 hospitalized dysphoric male patients. A battery of anxiety, depression and hostility tests were administered simultaneously. Production rate of testosterone was found to be highly correlated with a measure of aggression derived from the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory in the younger men. Age, on the other hand, was the principal correlant of production rate in the older group. A multivariate regression equation was obtained between testosterone production rate and four psychologic measures of aggression and hostility which accounted for 82% of the variance in the production rate of testosterone for the younger group. This equation was not valid for the older men.Aggressive behavior has been associated with male gonadal activity in a number of mammalian species (1-3). Fighting behavior, for example, has been shown to arise in mice about the time of onset of puberty (4), to be abolished by castration (5) and restored in castrates by administration male sex hormone (6). Psychoendocrine studies concerned with testosterone metabolism in man have been extremely limited, primarily because of methodologic considerations. With the advent of adequate technics for assessment of plasma testosterone level, of urinary testosterone metabolites, and of testosterone production rate, a heightened interest in human gonadal-behavioral relationships may be predicted in the future.In the course of a preceding study (7) of affect-endocrine interrelationships, a considerable degree of specificity was obtained between dysphoric feelings (anxiety + depression) and activity of the pituitary (ACTH)-adrenocortical axis, on one hand, and feelings of hostility and activity of pituitary (LH)-testicular axis on the other. At the time of that study, it was necessary to use urinary 17-ketosteroids as a measure of gonadal function for want of more specific technics. Despite that technical deficit, the evidence in support of specific association of a single endocrine system, LH-

Testosterone and dominance in men

“…A few positive correlations have been reported between T and such measures (Persky et al 1971;Ehrenkranz et al 1974;Olweus et al 1980Olweus et al , 1988Harris et al 1996), but more typical are failures to find this relationship (Brown and Davis 1975;Doering et al 1975;Meyer-Bahlburg et al 1973;Monti et al 1977;Rada, Laws, and Kellner 1976;Huesmann et al 1984;Anderson et al 1992;Bagatell et al 1994). It seems clear that T is not related in any consistent way with aggression as measured on common personality scales.…”

Testosterone and human behavior: the role of individual and contextual variables

“…These were followed by correlational studies with humans, using a variety of measures of aggression and of testosterone. From the initial human study [3] There are three considerations that prevent the conclusion that there is a direct causal link between testosterone and aggression in humans, as there is in a range of vertebrates [6]. First, being successful in competitive situations, including those involving aggression, can lead to increased testosterone; this could accumulate over repeated successes to increase the testosterone levels of more competitive individuals.…”

Behavioural effects of androgen in men and women

“…Self-reported measures of aggression, irritability and hostility exhibit as many insignificant as significant positive correlations with testosterone in men and women (Persky et al 1971, 1977, Ehrenkranz et al 1974, Rada et al 1976, Houser 1979, Mattsson et al 1980, Olweus et al 1980, Christiansen & Knussmann 1987b, Udry & Talbert 1988, Dabbs et al 1991, Gray et al 1991, Van Goozen et al 1994a, Harris et al 1996, Campbell et al 1997, Aromäki et al 1999. Only Gladue (1991) found a significantly negative relationship between testosterone and aggressiveness in female college students.…”