Citation

Caprara GV, Paciello M, Gerbino M, Cugini C. Aggressive Behav. 2007; 33(4): 359-374.

Affiliation

Centro Interuniversitario per la Ricerca sulla Genesi e sullo Sviluppo delle Motivazioni Prosociali e Antisociali, Universita' degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.20192

PMID

17593560

Abstract

This study examined the developmental trends of Irritability and Hostile Rumination at different times over the course of adolescence in a sample of 500 youth. Participants were 12 years old at the time of the first assessment and 20 years old at the last assessment time. Three objectives were pursued: (a) investigation of the stability and change of both Irritability and Hostile Rumination; (b) identification of developmental trajectories of Irritability and Hostile Rumination; and (c) determination of whether different trajectories of Irritability and Rumination were significantly related to physical and verbal aggression and violent conduct at age 20. Results showed that Irritability and Hostile Rumination were highly correlated and stable over time. Four developmental trajectories were identified for both dimensions. Whereas most of the participants demonstrated stable mean levels of Irritability, half of the youth either increased or decreased in their level of Hostile Rumination over time. In addition, high Irritability trajectories were associated with high physical and verbal aggression while high Hostile Rumination trajectories were associated with high levels of violent behavior.

Language: en