Is It Bad to Be Good? An Exploration of Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior Subtypes in Adolescence

Research in aggressive behavior development has distinguished between proactive (i.e., intended to achieve an instrumental goal) and reactive (i.e., emitted as an emotional response to provocation) subtypes of aggression. A similar distinction has not been made with regard to prosocial behavior. In this study, subtypes of both aggressive and prosocial behavior and their relation to aggression-supporting social cognitions were examined in a sample of 250 early and middle adolescents. Adolescents completed behavior rating scales and a measure of their beliefs about the acceptability of responding aggressively. Principal components analysis identified 3 subtypes of aggressive and prosocial behavior: aggressive, prosocial, and proactive prosocial. Proactive prosocial behavior was positively correlated with aggression and aggression-supporting beliefs, while other prosocial behavior was negatively correlated with these constructs. Findings are discussed in the context of aggressive behavior development and with regard to traditional views of prosocial behavior as altruistic.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45296/1/10964_2004_Article_478822.pd

Hormone therapy is associated with preserved smooth muscle structure and dilation in the arterial vasculature of the leg in older women

Long-term hormone therapy (HT) is associated with reduced intima-medial thickness (IMT), an established risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, in the femoral artery of healthy older women relative to age-matched non-hormone users. However, the influence of continuous, long-term HT on the relation between age, IMT, and smooth muscle dilation has not been investigated in the popliteal artery, an artery prone to stiffening and calcification. In the present study, popliteal artery IMT and smooth muscle dilation (the increase in diameter to sublingual nitroglycerin, NTG) were assessed with Doppler ultrasound in young (Y: n=16; age 23 ± 1 [mean ± S.E.M]), older non-HT (O non-HT: n=14; age 69 ± 1), and older HT (O HT: n=8; age 67 ± 1) healthy women. The ∼0.5mm increase in resting diameter observed in older non-HT women relative to young women was absent in older HT women, as was the age-related increase in IMT (Y: 0.52 ± 0.02 mm; O non-HT: 0.63 ± 0.02 mm; O HT: 0.56 ± 0.02 mm; p < 0.05 for age and hormone comparisons). NTG dilation (percent change above rest) was similarly attenuated in older non-HT women (Y: 8.6 ± 1 %; O non-HT: 3.0 ± 0.7 %; O HT: 7.4 ± 1.7 %; p < 0.05 for age and hormone comparisons), and NTG dilation was inversely related to IMT (p < 0.01). Collectively, these results suggest that long-term, continuous HT may alleviate the detrimental effects of aging on both structural changes and smooth muscle dilation of the popliteal artery in healthy women

Cognitive distortions and self-regulatory personality traits associated with proactive and reactive aggression in early adolescence

Contains fulltext : 102379.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)This study investigated mechanisms behind proactive and reactive aggression, by examining whether four types of self-serving cognitive distortions and the personality traits agreeableness and conscientiousness differently predicted proactive and reactive aggression. Self-report questionnaires and a peer nominations method were administered to 173 sixth grade children (age 10-13) of regular elementary schools in the Netherlands. Negative binomial regression analyses showed that proactive aggression was predicted by self-centered and disagreeable tendencies, whereas reactive aggression was predicted by the misattribution of blame to others and the self-regulatory aspects of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Findings emphasize the need to differentiate proactive and reactive aggression in order to accurately predict, prevent and treat aggressive behaviors in childhood.12 p