Testosterone, aggressiveness, and antisocial personality

Abstract

Testosterone levels were examined in prisoners convicted of violent crimes (n = 13), in men previously convicted of violent crimes but currently not in prison (n = 15), in nonviolent alcoholics (n = 15), and in randomly selected control males (n = 16). Morning, afternoon, and evening testosterone levels were assessed after a minimum alcohol abstinence period of 24 hr. Violent and nonviolent men did not differ in plasma total testosterone level on any sampling occasion. In violent men, however, testosterone levels were significantly correlated with hostility, as measured by the Derogatis Symptom Check List. Most violent men were diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASP) [DSM-III-R; 301.70], and the unweighted ASP symptom count also correlated significantly with testosterone levels in these subjects. We suggest that individuals whose life histories involve numerous antisocial behaviors tend to have high testosterone levels even when interpersonal violence is excluded. This, however, does not eliminate the possibility that males who are characterized by high hostility may also have elevated testosterone levels. Violent predisposition and antisocial conduct beginning in early adolescence predict adult aggressive behaviors, which are augmented by power-related alcohol expectancies and alcohol abuse. Aggr. Behav. 25:113-123, 1999.

The dominance behavioral system and psychopathology: Evidence from self-report, observational, and biological studies.

“…In an item analysis to examine specific antisocial and aggressive behaviors, testosterone related most strongly to the tendency to protest or disobey commands (Olweus et al, 1988). These findings are consistent with other studies that found testosterone to be specifically related to externalizing symptoms involving aggression (Aromaki, Lindman, & Eriksson, 1999; Pajer et al, 2006). Although it may be particularly fruitful to examine testosterone in conjunction with aggressive responses to dominance challenges, the links of testosterone with symptoms such as alcohol abuse suggest the importance of an ongoing focus on a range of behaviors beyond aggression.…”

Testosterone, androgen receptor gene CAG repeat length, mood and behaviour in adolescent males

“…It is assumed that androgens, in particular testosterone, may play a role in the aetiology of aggression (6)(7)(8), non-aggressive forms of adolescent risk-taking (9,10) and, at least in hypogonadal men, mood-related variables such as depression or self-esteem (11)(12)(13). However, results have been inconsistent, with most studies finding at best small or moderate associations with androgens, often in clinical or atypical populations, e.g.…”

Hormonal background of physiological aggressiveness in psychologically healthy women

“…All together, these data do not seem to reveal cycle-related fluctuations of physiological aggressiveness, in accord with the report of Dougherthy et al (1998). This seems to contradict the data from the literature reporting relationships between sexual hormone concentrations, in particular FT and E, and aggressive behavior in women (Jnoff-Gormain et al, 1981;Simon and Whalen, 1986;Olweus et al, 1988;Gladue, 1991;Leibenluft et al, 1994;Gerra et al, 1996Gerra et al, , 1997Gerra et al, , 1998Finkelstein et al, 1997;Aromaki et al, 1999;Van Herringen et al, 2000;Grieng et al, 2001;Thiblin and Parlklo, 2002). However, these data refer to elevated or pathological or provoked aggressiveness related to hormonal secretions or administration, while we investigated the possible hormonal background of fluctuations of normal aggressiveness during the normal menstrual cycles in subjects in resting conditions.…”

“…Also, it is well known that peripherally secreted hormones, including androgens, glucocorticoids and growth hormone and centrally secreted opioids influence the development and the degree of physiological and pathological aggressiveness in experimental animals (Grieng et al, 2001) and in humans (Olweus et al, 1988;Coccaro et al, 1997;Gerra et al, 1996Gerra et al, , 1997Gerra et al, , 1998Finkelstein et al, 1997;Archer et al, 1998;Aromaki et al, 1999;Van Herringen et al, 2000;Pope et al, 2000;Grieng et al, 2001;Thiblin and Parlklo, 2002;O'Connor et al, 2002;Eriksson et al, 2003;Rowe et al, 2004). Little is known about the influence that female sexual hormones exert on this behavioral parameter, even though in experimental animals of both sexes, especially in major primates, aggressive behavior has been linked to variations of prenatal and postnatal estrogen secretions (Simon and Whalen, 1986;Finkelstein et al, 1997;Girolami et al, 1997;Palanza et al, 1999;Toda et al, 2001).…”