@article{ref1,
title="The role of self-serving cognitive distortions in reactive and proactive aggression",
journal="Criminal behaviour and mental health",
year="2017",
author="Oostermeijer, Sanne and Smeets, Kirsten C. and Jansen, Lucres M. C. and Jambroes, Tijs and Rommelse, Nanda N. J. and Scheepers, Floor E. and Buitelaar, Jan K. and Popma, Arne",
volume="27",
number="5",
pages="395-408",
abstract="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'. <br><br>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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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. <br><br>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. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0957-9664",
doi="10.1002/cbm.2039",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cbm.2039"
}