Boys Round Here: The Relationship Between Masculine Honor Ideology, Aggressive Behavior, Race, and Regional Affiliation.

Masculine honor ideology (MHI) refers to a set of beliefs that dictate men must respond aggressively to threat or insult to maintain their ideal masculine reputation. The current study demonstrates the robust relationship between MHI and lifetime aggression outcomes in a national sample of men from the United States. It also details the regional prevalence of MHI and compares these rates across races and regions of the country. Participants included 896 adult United States men (Mage = 35.86, SD = 1.22) recruited on Amazon's Mechanical Turk. It was expected that the odds of endorsing past aggressive behavior and lifetime maladjustment would be increased by stronger adherence to MHI. This hypothesis was supported, and individuals who reported greater MHI adherence also had higher rates of lifetime aggression and maladjustment. Contrary to expectations, White, non-Hispanic men endorsed lower rates of MHI than did other men. Black men adhered more strongly to MHI than White and Hispanic men. It was also expected that men in the Southern and Western United States would endorse greater MHI in comparison to men in the Northeast United States. The hypothesis was only partially supported for White, non-Hispanic men, and it was associated with participant birthplace and their father's birthplace. There were no regional differences in MHI adherence related to the participants' mother's birthplace or where participants lived at survey completion. These findings suggest that MHI may spread more uniformly than prior research suggests and that MHI may have more nuanced cultural considerations that deserve continued empirical investigation.

The Role of Children's PTSD Symptomatology in Non-Offending Caregivers' Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptomatology Following Disclosures of Sexual or Physical Abuse.

This research examined factors influencing levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS) in non-offending caregivers (NOCs) of children with histories of sexual or physical abuse. These factors included the nature of the abuse, NOCs' relationships with the initiators of the abuse, children's ages and genders, NOCs' trauma histories, and the elapsed time between children's disclosures of abuse and their trauma assessments. As a secondary objective, this research examined the interactions between children's self-reports of their own posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, NOCs' estimates of their children's PTSD symptomatology, and NOCs' self-reports of their own STS symptomatology. Participants from a clinical sample (N = 300, children = 150, NOCs = 150; child age M = 9.89, SD = 4.08; NOC age M = 37.87, SD = 9.23) completed structured intake interviews, the PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS; Child-Report and NOC-Report). Analytic strategies included point-biserial correlation coefficient calculations, linear regression analyses, and Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVAs). NOCs' levels of STS were impacted by their relationships with the initiators of the abuse and their own trauma histories. NOCs' self-reported STS symptomatology mirrored their estimates of their children's PTSD symptomatology. The discrepancy scores between children's self-reports of their PTSD symptomatology and NOCs' estimates of children's PTSD symptomatology were impacted by children's ages and genders. Clinical practitioners should note the importance of examining children's PTSD symptomatology and NOCs' STS symptomatology concurrently when making recommendations for trauma-informed evidence-based treatments.

PID-5 Trait Indicators of Emotional Instability and Childhood Adversity Antecedents.

Personality traits provide natural mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment may translate into psychiatric symptomatology. The PID-5 has provided a DSM-supported exemplar for canvassing traits that may contribute to the developmental trajectories of many personality and mood disorders. This general population survey (N = 2,430) examined associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACE questionnaire) and selected PID-5 trait indicators of emotional well-being (Depressivity, Anxiousness, and Emotional Lability). These associations were contrasted with others derived from traditional dimensional measures of childhood maltreatment. ACE counts and all six of the dimensional maltreatment indicators were linked to the three trait scores. Family emotional abuse and ACE counts provided equally strong correlates of Depressivity and Anxiousness. ACE counts and childhood sexual abuse were especially strong in their associations with all three traits. Graded relationships were found in these trait-adversity relationships with polyvictimized respondents generating the highest personality maladjustment. The odds of a trait score elevation (>1 SD) were raised substantially (two to five fold) by singular adversity exposures, and the co-occurrence of only two different forms of adversity maximized odds of extreme trait expression. These results contribute to an evidentiary base suggesting steeper developmental trajectories for personality maladjustment among maltreated youth.

Childhood adversity links to self-reported mood, anxiety, and stress-related disorders.

BACKGROUND: Child abuse has been identified within the DSM-5 as a putative etiologic risk for over two dozen psychiatric disorders. METHODS: This study examined associations between self-reported diagnostic histories of six Mood, Anxiety and Stress-Related Disorders and childhood adversities measured using dichotomous ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) counts and dimensional indices of child abuse. RESULTS: Adversity odds ratio were all significant (p < .001) and averaged as follows: sexual abuse, ORM = 3.16; emotional abuse, ORM = 2.62; physical abuse, ORM = 2.41; maternal battering, ORM = 2.15. An effort was made to differentiate between additive and interactive adversity risks. While significant adversity interactions were found, they tended to be modest in effect sizes and scope. The combination of sexual, physical and emotional abuse was associated with a maximal odds ratio and prevalence for Major Depression (OR = 5.13, 70.8%). The large impacts of unitary adversities limited the potential for large interactive effects. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional analysis relied on retrospective self-reports that may not generalize fully to respondents differing in ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or other factors. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood adversity in four different forms was associated with higher prevalence rates for six different mood and anxiety disorders. Childhood sexual and emotional abuse appeared to account for unshared variance in all of these lifetime diagnoses. Significant high risk adversity combinations were found for Major Depression (sexual/physical/ emotional), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (sexual/physical & physical/maternal battering), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (physical/emotion/maternal battering).

Distrustful, Conventional, Entitled, and Dysregulated: PID-5 Personality Facets Predict Hostile Masculinity and Sexual Violence in Community Men.

Psychopathy and narcissism are known predictors of sexual violence, but they are broad personality constructs with limited utility in intervention and prevention efforts. The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) assesses 25 specific personality facets residing in five higher order domains. The goal of this research was to test the PID-5 in a sexual aggression model, which also included hostile masculinity, juvenile delinquency, and five sexual assault indices. A nationwide sample of adult men (N = 512) completed the online survey. Hostile masculinity and juvenile delinquency were expected to have direct paths to sexual violence in a structural equation model. Hostile masculinity was also hypothesized as a mediator between sexual violence and PID-5 facets related to narcissism and psychopathy. These hypotheses were largely supported. Overall, 29.5% of men reported perpetrating sexual violence at least once, and 24.2% reported multiple assaults. In the sexually violent sample, 45.7% endorsed completed rape as their most severe act. PID-5 Suspiciousness, Cognitive and Perceptual Dysregulation, Grandiosity, and a lack of Eccentricity emerged as indirect predictors of sexual violence. These PID-5 facets were mediated by hostile masculinity, which had a reliable path to sexual violence. Juvenile delinquency had a direct and indirect path to sexual assault. The model accounted for 48% of the variance in latent sexual violence, and the five sexual violence index R2s ranged from .53 to .82. This research adds specificity to sexual violence models by demonstrating the underlying maladaptive personality trait structures associated with sexual assault. It also provides a more precise personality profile for clinical use and prevention programs.

Revisiting the link between childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual aggression.

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment poses a risk factor for adult sexual aggression among men. OBJECTIVE: Efforts were made to examine links between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual aggression after controlling variance associated with other forms of abuse. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This sample was comprised of men (n = 489) who completed a national survey regarding their history of possible abuse and/or sexual aggression. METHODS: Maltreatment indices included CSA, parental and sibling physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence, peer bullying, and family emotional abuse. Self-report indicators of sexual frotteurism, coercion and rape were provided by the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration. RESULTS: CSA links with the criterion indicators were relatively stronger (r = 0.36, d = 0.65, p <  .001) than those found for non-sexual forms of abuse. CSA accounted for unshared variance in sexual aggression with these effects magnified by the addition of parental physical abuse (d = 2.1) or exposure to domestic violence (d = 2.2). The relative risks of prior acts of rape were elevated by CSA (RR = 4.39, p <  .001), parental physical abuse (RR = 3.85, p < 0.001), exposure to domestic violence (RR = 3.81, p <  .001), or sibling physical abuse (RR = 2.56, p = 0.007). These risks of completed rape were higher as well among respondents polyvictimized by two (RR = 4.92, p <  .001) or more (RR = 8.94, p < 0.001) forms of abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple forms of child maltreatment, particularly CSA, were strongly associated with adult sexual aggression in this sample of men from the general population.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Lifetime Aggression.

This study of college undergraduates (N = 873) examined three hypotheses regarding associations between childhood sexual abuse and lifetime aggression: 1) childhood sexual abuse was expected to account for unshared variance in the lifetime aggression indicators after controlling for the potential effects of parental physical abuse, sibling physical abuse, exposure to intimate partner violence, peer bullying, and respondent age; 2) childhood sexual abuse associations were expected to be relatively stronger among the women than the men; 3) childhood sexual abuse links to lifetime aggression were expected to vary as a function of age of victimization (adolescent < childhood < dual-age victims). Aggression histories varied widely with over 20% reporting prior injuries inflicted on others (3.2% > five injuries). Sexual abuse links to aggression tended to be stronger (p < .001) for the women than the men, and rates of aggression were higher when sexual abuse recurred across both childhood and adolescence. Partial support was found for all three hypotheses.

Lifetime Acts of Violence Assessment (LAVA) predictors of laboratory aggression.

While self-report data warrants interpretive caution in applied settings, these indices serve an important role in exploratory research. The Lifetime Assessment of Violent Acts (LAVA) inventory is a brief, reliable, face-valid questionnaire for estimating the frequency, triggers, and consequences (including injuries to others) of prior acts of aggression. The LAVA also identifies the situational contexts in which prior violence was triggered and provides a basis for risk classifications based on past reactive, intimate partner, alcohol-related, and/or weapon-related violence. Scores on the LAVA indices have been linked to a range of developmental and maladjustment indicators. Associations were found between lab-provoked (Taylor Aggression Paradigm) responding and both dimensional and risk classification scores in this sample (N = 92) of college men. Participants "competed" with a fictional opponent using electric shock as a retaliatory measure for perceived provocation. The total LAVA dimensional score predicted mean shock intensity ( d = .87), baseline responding ( d = 0.90), and past sexual aggression ( d = 1.01). Shock intensities in response to high provocation were predicted ( M d = 0.57) by all but one LAVA index. Participants who reported inflicting one or more injuries on another showed more intense escalations of aggression ( d = 0.46) in response to provocation than normative counterparts. Prior injuries to another ( RR = 2.71), reactive acts of aggression ( RR = 3.73), or intimate-partner violence ( RR = 4.19) elevated the risk of one or more prior acts of self-reported sexual aggression. The limitations and potential value of self-report data were discussed in regard to aggression research.

Differentiating corporal punishment from physical abuse in the prediction of lifetime aggression.

Corporal punishment and parental physical abuse often co-occur during upbringing, making it difficult to differentiate their selective impacts on psychological functioning. Associations between corporal punishment and a number of lifetime aggression indicators were examined in this study after efforts to control the potential influence of various forms of co-occurring maltreatment (parental physical abuse, childhood sexual abuse, sibling abuse, peer bullying, and observed parental violence). College students (N = 1,136) provided retrospective self-reports regarding their history of aggression and levels of exposure to childhood corporal punishment and maltreatment experiences. Analyses focused on three hypotheses: 1) The odds of experiencing childhood physical abuse would be higher among respondents reporting frequent corporal punishment during upbringing; 2) Corporal punishment scores would predict the criterion aggression indices after control of variance associated with childhood maltreatment; 3) Aggression scores would be higher among respondents classified in the moderate and elevated corporal punishment risk groups. Strong support was found for the first hypothesis since the odds of childhood physical abuse recollections were higher (OR = 65.3) among respondents who experienced frequent (>60 total disciplinary acts) corporal punishment during upbringing. Partial support was found for the second and third hypotheses. Dimensional and categorical corporal punishment scores were associated significantly with half of the criterion measures. These findings support efforts to dissuade reliance on corporal punishment to manage child behavior.

Self-reported executive functioning competencies and lifetime aggression.

Neuropsychological research can be advanced through a better understanding of relationships between executive functioning (EF) behavioral competencies and the expression of aggressive behavior. While performance-based EF measures have been widely examined, links between self-report indices and practical real-life outcomes have not yet been established. Executive Functioning Index subscale scores in this sample (N = 579) were linked to trait hostility (Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire), aggression in the natural environment (Lifetime Acts of Violence Assessment), and conduct disorder symptoms prior to age 15. Significant associations were found between all of the EFI subscales (Motivational Drive, Organization, Strategic Planning, Impulse Control, and Empathy), trait aggression, and conduct disturbance. Lifetime acts of aggression were predicted by all but Organization scores. Physical injuries inflicted on other(s) were 2 to 4 times more likely to occur among respondents generating low (z < -1) EFI subscale scores. While these EFI relationships were modest in size, they are pervasive in scope. These findings provide support for the potential role of perceived EF deficits in moderating lifetime aggression.

Psychometric Properties of the Lifetime Assessment of Violent Acts.

The Lifetime Assessment of Violent Acts (LAVA) inventory provides estimates of the frequency, triggers, and consequences (including injuries to others) of historic acts of aggression. The LAVA also identifies the situational contexts in which prior violence was triggered and allows classifications based on past reactive, intimate partner, alcoholrelated, and/or weapon-related violence. Normative and psychometric data were provided from a college (N = 1,133) and general population (N = 545) sample. Around 15% of the general population sample recalled inflicting 5 or more injuries on others at some time in the past. LAVA scores were significantly higher for women than men (d = .45), and respondents from the general population were more aggressive than those in the college sample (d = .41). The potential benefits, applications, and limitations of this retrospective self-report inventory are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Violent Experiences Questionnaire.

The Violent Experiences Questionnaire-Revised (VEQ-R) is a brief retrospective self-report inventory which provides estimates of annual frequencies of childhood physical abuse, sibling physical abuse, exposure to parental violence, peer bullying, and corporal punishment as they were experienced from ages 5 to 16. The VEQ-R indices rely on a frequency metric that estimates the number of days on average per year a specified class of behavior occurred over a 12year retrospective period. All scores range from a frequency of 0 to a high of 104. Scale normative data was generated from both a college (N=1266) and national (N=1290) sample to expand the research applicability of this relatively new inventory. Subscales were added to estimate the frequency of victimization during childhood, the pre-teen years, and adolescence. Four "hostility" component indices were derived from perpetrator source (parent, sibling, peer, or domestic). Thresholds were established to for High, Moderate, Low, and No Risk classifications. Subscales dimensions were found to have both adequate internal and temporal consistency. Evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity was generated using the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale-Short-Form©, LONGSCAN Physical Abuse Self-Report scale, and Physical Punishment scale of the Assessing Environments III inventory.

Child Peer Abuse and Perceptions of Executive-Functioning Competencies.

Executive functioning (EF) research has been extended during the past decade to include self-reported estimates of perceived competency in completing routine behaviors associated with these neurological functions. Self-report measures such as the Executive Functioning Index (EFI) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A) have been found to be useful in focusing attention on potential areas of EF deficiency. Prior research has focused disproportionately on genetic and biological, rather than developmental, origins of EF. Retrospective accounts of childhood bullying were linked to adult EFI and BRIEF-A subscale scores in three independent samples in this report. Level of perceived competency in organizational skills was linked to childhood bullying experiences in all three samples. Effect sizes for these respective associations ranged from .50 to .74. Childhood bullying was not associated with deficits on any of the Continuous Performance Test subscales. Being bullied during development may alter self-perceptions of strengths and weaknesses in selected areas of EF. Systematic investigation of broader samples and testing tasks may reveal complex connections between childhood bullying and the acquisition of skills associated with EF.

Peritoneal metastases from an atypical fibroxanthoma.

Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) is a mesenchymal neoplasm usually occurring in sun-exposed skin of elderly patients. The majority have an excellent prognosis, as recurrences are uncommon and metastases are rare. We present a case of an 81-year-old man who developed widespread peritoneal metastases from an AFX on his scalp, which was completely excised 3 years earlier. Histology of the scalp lesion showed a markedly pleomorphic neoplasm characteristic of AFX. Features associated with increased risk of metastasis, namely lymphovascular space invasion, deep invasion, and substantial necrosis, were not present. An extensive immunohistochemical panel was performed. The tumor cells were negative for melanocytic, epithelial, and smooth muscle immunohistochemical stains, and positive for vimentin, CD10, CD99, and focally for CD68. Histologically, the peritoneal tumor was virtually identical to the original scalp lesion and had an identical immunohistochemical profile. Electron microscopy of the peritoneal tumor revealed pleomorphic undifferentiated cells with abundant lipid vacuoles. This is the first reported case of AFX with peritoneal metastases. Although AFXs generally have an excellent outcome, pathologists must remain cognizant of the small but real potential for metastasis and this needs to be conveyed in all reports.

Trait modulation of alcohol-induced laboratory aggression.

Modest alcohol and aggressive trait effects on laboratory-induced aggression among men have been reported with some consistency in the literature. Relationships between aggressive personality traits and laboratory-induced aggression appear to become less consistent under the influence of alcohol. Several research teams have found suggestions that the effects of alcohol on laboratory aggression may be reduced or even reversed among individuals with aggressive personality traits. This study examined the effects of alcohol on the aggressive responding on the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) of eight undergraduate men who generated evidence on the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) of sadistic-aggressive personality disorder features. This sample was compared with a group of 18 undergraduate male peers without MCMI-II elevations described in a previous study. Neither alcohol ingestion (0.8 ml/kg) nor aggressive personality traits predicted laboratory behavior in isolation, but alcohol was found to selectively attenuate (d = 0.75) PSAP responding for the sadistic-aggressive as opposed to the control subjects (i.e., a significant aggressive trait by alcohol interaction). The possible value of this counterintuitive response tendency in identifying men at elevated risk for alcohol-related aggression was discussed. Large, immediate reductions in laboratory-based aggressive responding while under the influence of alcohol might provide a paradoxical high risk indicator that has not been previously identified.

General versus gender-specific attributes of the psychology major.

In the present study, the authors extended the search for general and gender-specific factors associated with the selection of psychology as a college major by using the Family Environment Scale (FES; R. H. Moos & B. S. Moos, 1994) and Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI; F. L. Coolidge & M. M. Merwin, 1992). The findings were restricted to one general (Schizoid) and one gender-specific (Self-Defeating) set of personality traits that seemed to be associated with the selection of a college major. The intuitive role of many presumed gender-specific factors (e.g., women are more open to discussing personal problems with others) may prove difficult to establish empirically.

Alcohol elimination at low blood concentrations among women taking combined oral contraceptives.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence implicating a role of natural and synthetic estrogens and/or progestin on ethanol pharmacokinetics can be traced back to the mid-1970s when reports of large metabolic differences were found suggesting that sex hormones interfered with the efficient clearance of alcohol at the liver microsomal level. Research teams in this area manipulate sex hormone levels by either examining natural-cycling women at different phases of their menstrual cycle or others taking oral contraceptives that synthetically regulate the hormonal fluctuations. These collective studies (over a dozen to date involving over 200 participants) have all been similar in focus and outcome. With one important exception, the published laboratory research since 1976 has failed to replicate the earliest research suggesting sex hormone effects. One well-controlled study in 1987 did generate renewed interest in the area with the paradoxical finding that progesterone actually enhanced alcohol elimination at low blood concentrations (<.025%). The present study represented the most direct attempt to replicate this particular finding using 5-minute breath alcohol readings that extended below blood alcohol concentrations of .025%. METHOD: A total of 17 women taking combined oral contraceptives were tested during both menstruation and the luteal phase (Days 16-22) of their cycle in counterbalanced sequence. RESULTS: Pharmacokinetics differences were not found. CONCLUSION: These results contribute further to a literature base demonstrating the limited effects of both natural and synthetic sex hormones on alcohol metabolism in women.

A failure to replicate alcohol-induced laboratory aggression among college men without evidence of personality disturbance.

The effect of acute alcohol intoxication on laboratory-induced aggression among men has been fairly well established. The present study hypothesized that alcohol effects on Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) responding would not be replicated among "low-risk' college men distinguished by their absence of personality disorder features. Participants were assigned to either Alcohol (n=18), Placebo (n=7), or Time (n=8) comparison groups with each completing 25-min. sessions during the baseline, ascent, peak (70 mg%), and descent (40 mg%) phases of absorption and elimination process. Participants assigned to the Alcohol condition received a .80 ml/kg dose of 95% ethanol mixed with soda in a 1:5 ethanol/soda ratio. As hypothesized, alcohol was associated with stable Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm responding across the course of absorption, peak, and elimination for all three groups. Aggression Paradigm responding was least variable among the men administered alcohol. The present procedure served to identify a subset of "low-risk" college men whose Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm responding was not adversely affected by alcohol. The extent to which aggressive personality dispositions contribute to alcohol-induced laboratory aggression remains to be identified. Low-risk college drinkers warrant systematic examination to specify what factors attenuate their reactions to alcohol and other situational provocations.

Gender differences in the effects of oppositional behavior on teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms.

H. Abikoff, M. Courtney, W. E. Pelham, and H. S. Koplewicz (1993) presented elementary school teachers with a videotape of a 4th-grade male child exhibiting behavior associated with either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Comparisons with ratings generated from a control tape (same child exhibiting unremarkable behavior) suggested that oppositional tendencies inflated teacher ratings of ADHD for boys. The term "halo effect" has been used in the literature to refer to the impact of one class of behavior on the perception of another. This study replicated this procedure using identical scripts with both male and female child models. Oppositional behavior was associated with higher teacher ratings of hyperactivity and inattentiveness. Portrayals of behavior associated with ADHD generated higher teacher ratings of oppositional conduct. This bidirectional effect differed in magnitude as a function of child gender. The boy actor exhibiting oppositional behavior received teacher ratings of hyperactivity and inattention that were roughly half of those elicited by his portrayal of ADHD itself. The girl actor portraying ADHD generated oppositional defiant ratings that were roughly two thirds of those elicited from her performance as a child with ODD. These teacher rating tendencies could contribute to higher diagnostic rates of ADHD among boys and ODD among girls. Available epidemiologic data indicate a much higher rate of ADHD among boys and prevalence differentials for ODD (girls initially lower) that disappear by adolescence. Future research will be required to determine the extent to which these teacher response sets generalize to other evaluators such as parents, physicians and mental health professionals.