This meta-analysis explores whether self-regulation in childhood relates to concurrent and subsequent levels of achievement, interpersonal behaviors, mental health, and healthy living. A ...comprehensive literature search identified 150 studies that met inclusion criteria (745 effect sizes; total n = 215,212). Data were analyzed using inverse-variance weighted random effects meta-analysis. Mean effect sizes from 55 meta-analyses provided evidence that self-regulation relates to 25 discrete outcomes. Results showed that self-regulation in preschool (∼age 4) was positively associated with social competency, school engagement, and academic performance, and negatively associated with internalizing problems, peer victimization, and externalizing problems, in early school years (∼age 8). Self-regulation in early school years was positively related to academic achievement (math and literacy), and negatively related to externalizing problems (aggressive and criminal behavior), depressive symptoms, obesity, cigarette smoking and illicit drug use, in later school years (∼age 13). Results also showed that self-regulation in early school years was negatively related to unemployment, aggressive and criminal behavior, depression and anxiety, obesity, cigarette smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, and symptoms of physical illness in adulthood (∼age 38). Random effects metaregression identified self-regulation measurement as the most important moderator of pooled mean effects, with task-based assessments and teacher-report assessments often showing stronger associations than parent-report assessments. Overall, findings from this meta-analysis provide evidence that self-regulation in childhood can predict achievement, interpersonal behaviors, mental health, and healthy living in later life.
Public Significance Statement
This study found that children's ability to self-regulate (exercise control over their dominant impulses) can predict outcomes in later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. These outcomes included academic achievement, aggressive behavior, depression, obesity, cigarette smoking, unemployment, and alcohol and substance abuse.
Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review Hirota, Tomoya; King, Bryan H
JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association,
01/2023, Volume:
329, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests, is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting ...approximately 2.3% children aged 8 years in the US and approximately 2.2% of adults. This review summarizes evidence on the diagnosis and treatment of ASD.
The estimated prevalence of ASD has been increasing in the US, from 1.1% in 2008 to 2.3% in 2018, which is likely associated with changes in diagnostic criteria, improved performance of screening and diagnostic tools, and increased public awareness. No biomarkers specific to the diagnosis of ASD have been identified. Common early signs and symptoms of ASD in a child's first 2 years of life include no response to name when called, no or limited use of gestures in communication, and lack of imaginative play. The criterion standard for the diagnosis of ASD is a comprehensive evaluation with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and is based on semistructured direct observation of the child's behavior and semistructured caregiver interview focused on the individual's development and behaviors using standardized measures, such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. These diagnostic measures have sensitivity of 91% and 80% and specificity of 76% and 72%, respectively. Compared with people without ASD, individuals with ASD have higher rates of depression (20% vs 7%), anxiety (11% vs 5%), sleep difficulties (13% vs 5%), and epilepsy (21% with co-occurring intellectual disability vs 0.8%). Intensive behavioral interventions, such as the Early Start Denver Model, are beneficial in children 5 years or younger for improvement in language, play, and social communication (small to medium effect size based on standardized mean difference). Pharmacotherapy is indicated for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as emotion dysregulation or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Risperidone and aripiprazole can improve irritability and aggression (standardized mean difference of 1.1, consistent with a large effect size) compared with placebo. Psychostimulants are effective for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (standardized mean difference of 0.6, consistent with a moderate effect size) compared with placebo. These medications are associated with adverse effects including, most commonly, changes in appetite, weight, and sleep.
ASD affects approximately 2.3% of children aged 8 years and approximately 2.2% of adults in the US. First-line therapy consists of behavioral interventions, while co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety or aggression, may be treated with specific behavioral therapy or medication.
Despite published reports of inter‐colony aggression and invasion in the laboratory, direct aggressive competition for resources has not previously been considered as a driving force for the large ...colony size in naked mole‐rats (Heterocephalus glaber). We report evidence that wild colonies of naked mole‐rats invade neighbouring colonies and thus expand their territories. Furthermore, as has been observed in laboratory colonies, invading colonies may kidnap un‐weaned pups which can subsequently be incorporated into the workforce. This is convergent with the slave‐making ants and suggests that intergroup aggression between naked mole‐rat colonies may be a strong selective pressure for group living and extreme colony size.
Intercolony aggression may be a selective force driving naked mole‐rats to live in extremely large colonies. We present evidence of invasion and kidnapping in wild colonies. This corroborates findings of such behaviour in captivity.
Inappropriate and pathological aggression plays a leading role in the suffering and death of millions of people, and further places an untenable strain on the caregivers and families of those ...afflicted. In some cases, such as addictive drugs, aggression can be highly rewarding (appetitive) and continually pursued despite short- and long-term negative consequences. Similarly, recidivism (relapse) rates for repeat violent offenders are as high as relapse rates for drug addicts. Appetitive aggression and relapse to aggression seeking can be modeled in mice studies using conditioned place preference and self-administration procedures followed by a period of abstinence and subsequent tests for relapse to aggression preference and aggression seeking. These procedures allow for the study of the mechanisms that control the appetitive versus the consummatory (attack) phases of aggressive behavior. In this review, we first discuss the behavioral procedures developed to probe appetitive aggression in mouse models, spanning from Pavlovian to operant tasks, and we also describe the recently proposed phenomenon of "aggression addiction." Next, we discuss the pharmacological and circuit mechanisms of aggression conditioned place preference and aggression self-administration, seeking, and relapse, highlighting mechanistic congruence and divergence between appetitive and consummatory phases of aggression. We conclude by discussing clinical implications of the studies reviewed.
A common pattern in tropical avifaunas is for closely related species to inhabit largely parapatric elevational distributions such that they replace one another along the elevational gradient. A ...long‐standing hypothesis for this pattern is that parapatry is maintained by interspecific interference competition mediated by interspecific aggression. However, empirical tests of this hypothesis remain scarce. We used reciprocal playback experiments to measure interspecific aggression in five species‐pairs of New Guinean passerine elevational replacements. We found evidence of interspecific aggression in three species‐pairs. In these three cases, interspecific aggression was asymmetric, with the lower elevation species more aggressive towards the upper elevation species than vice versa. Two patterns suggest that this interspecific aggression is a learned response to the presence of a heterospecific competitor rather than misdirected intraspecific aggression or an evolved response to a competitor. First, when present, interspecific aggression was always strongest at the upper elevation range margin of the lower elevation species (i.e. in the elevational zone in which the two species were found in close proximity and thus interacted with each other), and diminished over very short distances away from this zone. Secondly, the two species‐pairs that did not exhibit interspecific aggression had narrow ‘no man's land’ gaps between their elevational distributions such that heterospecifics did not encounter one another, possibly explaining the lack of interspecific aggression in these examples. Our results support the hypothesis that interspecific aggression is one factor influencing elevational limits in species‐pairs of New Guinean elevational replacements.
Poor sleep quality is closely related to aggression, but despite the promise of new therapeutic possibilities, a systematic synthesis of observational research on the association between sleep ...quality and aggression is lacking.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the association between sleep quality and aggression, using the academic databases PubMed and PsycINFO. Subjective and objective measures of sleep quality were included, as well as multiple measures of aggression, assessing aggressive and externalizing behavior, anger, hostility and irritability.
Ninety-two observational articles, containing 96 studies, encompassing a total of 58.154 children, adolescents and adults were sourced out of 7161 references identified. Methodological quality was moderate or strong in 76% of studies. Data for meta-analysis was available from 74 studies.
Poorer sleep quality was associated with higher aggression in 80.8% of studies. Pooled results showed a correlation of 0.28 (95%CI 0.25–0.31; I2 = 90.1%) and odds ratio of 3.61 (95%CI 1.13–11.51; I2 = 88.3%). Effect estimates and heterogeneity varied according to population type and measurement instruments, but not according to article quality or age group.
Our findings confirm that poor sleep quality is consistently associated with higher aggression. As most evidence is cross-sectional, more prospective and high-quality experimental evidence is required to elucidate cause-effect and optimize prevention and treatment of aggression.
Despite extensive ties between sleep disruption, anger, and aggression, it is unclear whether sleep loss plays a causal role in shaping anger. On one hand, negative affect and distress frequently ...follow curtailed sleep, suggesting increased anger responses. On the other hand, fatigue and withdrawal also follow, potentially muting anger. To examine these competing possibilities, 142 community residents were randomly assigned to either maintain or restrict their sleep over 2 days. Before and after, these participants rated their anger and affect throughout a product-rating task alongside aversive noise. Sleep restriction universally intensified anger, reversing adaptation trends in which anger diminished with repeated exposure to noise. Negative affect followed similar patterns, and subjective sleepiness mediated most of the experimental effects on anger. These findings highlight important consequences of everyday sleep loss on anger and implicate sleepiness in dysregulation of anger and hedonic adaptation.
Sexual aggression is a major problem on U.S. college and university campuses, with about 20% of college women reporting experiences of nonconsensual sexual contact during their time in college and ...one in 15 college men reporting perpetrating behaviors that would qualify as rape. To address this challenge, we examined conceptual, empirical, and practical insights from the science of social norms that can guide psychologists’ work in the prevention of U.S. college men’s sexual aggression perpetration. Although social norms—the rules and customs that communicate what people do or approve of—have been widely applied in different fields of study, their potential in preventing college men’s sexually aggressive behaviors has not been fully realized. Therefore, guided by feminist, cultural, and ecological perspectives, we explored how prevention practice on college men’s sexual aggression perpetration can benefit from examining six facets of social norms. Specifically, a comprehensive approach to preventing college men’s sexual aggression perpetration should (a) address different types of norms (e.g., descriptive, injunctive, and prescriptive norms), (b) target multiple behaviors and attitudes, (c) tackle both generic- and situation-specific norms, (d) seek to change both perceived and collective norms, (e) deploy diverse sources of normative information about antisexual aggression norms (summative information, individuals’ behaviors, and institutional signals), and (f) strengthen positive norms by increasing their prevalence and importance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)
In personal life, people tend to experience conflict, both personal and interpersonal, and often this is between groups. This conflict arises due to a tendency toward aggressive attitudes, both ...personal and social. One aspect that causes conflict is differences in customs and cultures. The students of the Periago Theological High School come from various ethnicities and cultures and cannot be separated from conflicts, especially interpersonal conflicts. Thus, this study aims to find out how the state of interpersonal conflict is related to the tendency to be aggressive due to the differences in the customs and cultures between students. The research method used was a quantitative method. While the results of this study are based on interpersonal conflicts between students that occur in circumstances where differences in customs and culture affect students, there is also tendency to behave aggressively due to a lack of understanding of Christian religious education among college students. In addition, there is a strong relationship where interpersonal conflict with tendencies toward aggressive behavior greatly affects students if the Christian religious education that students receive is well understood.
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