Citation

Peterson ZD, Janssen E, Goodrich D, Heiman JR. Aggressive Behav. 2014; 40(2): 152-164.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.21512

PMID

24310818

Abstract

Men's sexually aggressive behavior potentially could relate to either physiological hyporeactivity or hyperreactivity, and these two different physiological profiles could be associated with different underlying causes of sexual aggression. Thus, measurement of physiological reactivity could provide insight into mechanisms relevant to the etiology of sexual aggression. The relationship between sexual aggression and physiological reactivity was investigated in 78 community men (38 sexually aggressive and 40 non-aggressive men). In a laboratory protocol, the men were exposed to neutral, negative-affect-inducing, and positive-affect-inducing stimuli. Men's salivary cortisol concentrations and electrodermal activity (EDA) were measured throughout the laboratory procedure. Sexually aggressive men demonstrated (1) lower overall cortisol levels and (2) lower EDA reactivity in some conditions as compared to non-aggressive men. Results of this study were consistent with the idea that men's sexual aggression is associated with physiological hyporeactivity, a physiological profile that has been found to be associated with externalizing behaviors and psychopathic traits. Aggr. Behav. 9999:XX-XX, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en