Aggression is a phenomenon which is seen more and more in society. Therefore, it is important to research this phenomenon more actively. Aggression has a big influence on the future prospects of a...Show moreAggression is a phenomenon which is seen more and more in society. Therefore, it is important to research this phenomenon more actively. Aggression has a big influence on the future prospects of a child. It has been suggested that less developed executive functions are related to more aggressive behavior. This study examines whether there is a difference in executive functioning in children with a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) compared to typically developing children. In addition, it is examined if there is a relation between executive functions and proactive aggression and reactive aggression. The DBD group consisted of 37 boys aged 8 to 12 years (M =9.57) and the control group consisted of 42 boys aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.64). Two questionnaires were used, the BRIEF (Smidts, & Huizinga, 2009) for executive functioning and the IRPA (Polman & Orobio de Castro, 2008) for proactive and reactive aggression. The DBD-group scored significantly lower on all the executive functions than the control group. Correlation analyses on the parental questionnaires indicated a positive relationship within the DBD group between inhibition skills and reactive aggression. An explanation for these results is that children with DBD struggle to resist their impulses and emotion regulation, tend to respons aggressively to frustrations. Moreover, a negative correlation was found within the DBD-group between emotion regulation and proactive aggression. By examining these relationships further treatment can be aimed at specific executive functioning deficits for the different forms of aggression. This could help negate future behavioral problems with these children.Show less
The aim of this study was to investigate whether cognitive factors, aspects of personality and social factors were associated with reactive and proactive aggression and the influence of these...Show moreThe aim of this study was to investigate whether cognitive factors, aspects of personality and social factors were associated with reactive and proactive aggression and the influence of these factors on the two types of aggression in young adults between 12 – 17 years of age (n =84, M = 13.5, SD = .919). The studied variables were Behavioral Regulation and Metacognition, Sensitivity to Punishment, Reward responsiveness, Impulsivity/fun-seeking and Drive, Callous-unemotional traits and Social skills. The instruments used were ‘Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire’ (RPQ), ‘Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function’ (BRIEF), ‘Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire’ (SPSRQ), ‘Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits’ (ICU) and ‘Social Skills Rating System’ (SSRS). The questionnaires were distributed among participating adolescents and their parents with the help of schools. In the current study Behavioral Regulation, Impulsivity/fun-seeking, Drive and Callous-unemotional traits were associated with Reactive aggression, although these did not remain significant predictors in regression analyses when proactive aggression and callous-unemotional traits were included. Proactive aggression was associated with Drive and Callous-unemotional traits. Reactive aggression and Callous-unemotional traits were the only significant predictors of proactive aggression in regression analysis, with Callous-unemotional traits as the strongest predictor.Show less
Onderhavig onderzoek beoogde meer inzicht te verkrijgen in de invloed van het executief functioneren van jongeren op (de verschillende subtypen van) agressie. De voorspellende waarde van acht...Show moreOnderhavig onderzoek beoogde meer inzicht te verkrijgen in de invloed van het executief functioneren van jongeren op (de verschillende subtypen van) agressie. De voorspellende waarde van acht verschillende executieve functies afzonderlijk, gecombineerd en tezamen is voor reactieve en proactieve agressie bestudeerd. Mannelijke vmbo-leerlingen tussen 12 en 17 jaar van tien middelbare scholen in Nederland (regulier onderwijs) zijn onderzocht (N = 339). Zij vulden een agressievragenlijst (RPQ) in en hun ouders/verzorgers een executieve functies gedragsvragenlijst (BRIEF). Gebleken is dat executief disfunctioneren agressief gedrag voorspelt. De invloed van het executief functioneren is echter verschillend voor de subtypen van agressie. Tekortkomingen in het executief functioneren, met name in de emotieregulatie, spelen duidelijk een rol in de mate waarin reactieve agressie voorkomt bij jongeren. Dit geldt niet voor proactieve agressie. Enkel inhibitie is van belang bij proactieve agressie. Uit dit resultaat blijkt dat inhibitie de enige executieve functie is die bij beide subtypen van agressie bepalend is. Huidig onderzoek ondersteunt eerder gevonden bewijs omtrent de samenhang tussen executief functioneren en (reactieve) agressie. De gevonden verschillen in neuropsychologisch functioneren voor beide subtypen van agressie bieden aanknopingspunten voor het ontwikkelen van effectieve preventie- en interventiestrategieën. Onderhavig onderzoek toont aan dat het onderscheid tussen reactieve en proactieve agressie een waardevolle, valide subtypering blijkt te zijn.Show less
