TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of self-serving cognitive distortions in reactive and proactive aggression
AU - Oostermeijer, Sanne
AU - Smeets, Kirsten C.
AU - Jansen, Lucres M.C.
AU - Jambroes, Tijs
AU - Rommelse, Nanda N.J.
AU - Scheepers, Floor E.
AU - Buitelaar, Jan K.
AU - Popma, Arne
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Background: Aggression is often divided into reactive and proactive forms. Reactive aggression is typically thought to encompass ‘blaming others’ and ‘assuming the worst’, while proactive aggression relates to ‘self-centeredness’ and ‘minimising/mislabelling’. Aim: Our aim was to evaluate relationships between reactive and proactive aggression and cognitive distortions and to test whether changes in these cognitions relate to changes in aggression. Methods: A total of 151 adolescents (60% boys; mean age 15.05 years, standard deviation 1.28) were enrolled in an evidence-based intervention to reduce aggression. Due to attrition and anomalous responses, the post-intervention sample involved 80 adolescents. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between cognitive distortions and aggression. Results: Blaming others was related to reactive aggression before the intervention, while all cognitive distortions were related to proactive aggression both pre- and post-intervention. Changes in reactive aggression were uniquely predicted by blaming others, while changes in proactive aggression were predicted by changes in cognitive distortions overall. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study is the first to show a relationship between changes in cognitive distortions and changes in aggression. Treatment of reactive aggression may benefit from focusing primarily on reducing cognitive distortions involving misattribution of blame to others.
AB - Background: Aggression is often divided into reactive and proactive forms. Reactive aggression is typically thought to encompass ‘blaming others’ and ‘assuming the worst’, while proactive aggression relates to ‘self-centeredness’ and ‘minimising/mislabelling’. Aim: Our aim was to evaluate relationships between reactive and proactive aggression and cognitive distortions and to test whether changes in these cognitions relate to changes in aggression. Methods: A total of 151 adolescents (60% boys; mean age 15.05 years, standard deviation 1.28) were enrolled in an evidence-based intervention to reduce aggression. Due to attrition and anomalous responses, the post-intervention sample involved 80 adolescents. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between cognitive distortions and aggression. Results: Blaming others was related to reactive aggression before the intervention, while all cognitive distortions were related to proactive aggression both pre- and post-intervention. Changes in reactive aggression were uniquely predicted by blaming others, while changes in proactive aggression were predicted by changes in cognitive distortions overall. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study is the first to show a relationship between changes in cognitive distortions and changes in aggression. Treatment of reactive aggression may benefit from focusing primarily on reducing cognitive distortions involving misattribution of blame to others.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85037546934&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.2039
DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.2039
M3 - Article
C2 - 28543719
SN - 0957-9664
VL - 27
SP - 395
EP - 408
JO - Criminal behaviour and mental health
JF - Criminal behaviour and mental health
IS - 5
ER -