The Reactive
Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) is a self-report tool for assessing
reactive aggression (RA) and proactive aggression (PA). This study contributes
to the literature by testing the psychometric properties of the RPQ across
detained boys from various ethnicities whilst using data that were gathered
during clinical assessments. The factorial, convergent, and criterion validity,
and the internal consistency of the RPQ scores received strong support in
the total sample and across four ethnicity groups. Also, three groups of boys
were identified, with the group including boys with high levels of both RA and
PA including the most severe boys in terms of anger, delinquency, alcohol/drug
use, and psychopathic traits, and having the highest prevalence rate of conduct
disorder and substance use disorder. Together, these findings suggest that the
RPQ may hold promise for assessing RA and PA in detained boys, even when
confidentiality and anonymity of the information is not guaranteed.
… Results from confirmatory factor
analyses (CFA) supported the two-factor structure over the one-factor structure of the RPQ, and showed that a significant distinction can be made between reactive
aggression and proactive aggression in detained adolescent males. Specifically,
all model fit indices were indicative of an acceptable or good model fit in the
total sample and in youths from various ethnicities, except for the χ2/df ratio for the total
sample. However, with increasing sample size and a constant number of degrees
of freedom, the χ2 value
increases, and theχ2/df ratio,
therefore, may suggest to reject a plausible model [38]. Because the χ2/df ratio was below the
cut-off value in three subgroups and because all the other fit indices
supported the two-factor model of the RPQ, this model can be considered to be
acceptable in the total sample as well.
Our findings also provide support for the convergent
validity of the RPQ scores. At the zero-order level, RPQ total, RA and PA
scores, were positively related to other indices of aggressive behavior and
features of anger-irritability. Also, after controlling for the PA score, only
the RA score remained significantly related to anger and irritability, but was
no longer related to aggressive CD symptoms. These results support the view
that reactive, but not proactive aggression, is often accompanied with anger
and a loss of impulse control [4,5]. Although some of the aggressive CD
symptoms can occur as an uncontrolled response to frustration or anger (e.g.,
forcing someone into sexual activity, initiating fights, using a weapon that
can cause serious physical harm), the RA score was never significantly related
to aggressive CD symptoms after controlling for the PA score. Yet, after
controlling for the RA score, the PA score remained significantly related to
aggressive CD symptoms (Table 3) in the total sample and
Dutch and Moroccan boys. This suggests that the aggression displayed by
detained youths with a CD diagnosis is likely to be premeditated and planned, a
notion that is supported by the finding that only the PA score was positively related
to aggressive conduct disorder (Tables 4, ,55).
The results also supported the criterion validity of the RPQ
score in detained male youths. As hypothesized, only the RA score was
positively related to depressive feelings, anxiety, and suicide ideation after
controlling for the other RPQ scale score. Although there were no clear
expectations about the relationship between the RPQ and social problems, the RA
score was positively associated with this outcome in the total sample and some
ethnicity groups. Overall, our findings are in accordance with recent work,
including studies that scrutinized relations with suicide risk, social problems
and peer rejection [41, 42], and support the claim that reactive
aggression is an indicator of overall poor psychosocial adjustment [13]. However, the results do not support the
suggestion that reactive aggression is primarily related to low prosocial
behavior, and that proactive aggression has little or no association with
prosocial behavior independent of reactive aggression [13]. In contrast, the present study showed
that only the PA score was significantly negatively related to prosocial
behavior after controlling for the RA score. Given that few studies addressed
the relationship between self-reported reactive and proactive aggression and
prosocial behavior, future studies are warranted. The finding that a higher PA
score was associated with a lower level of prosocial behavior, nevertheless,
corresponds with the finding that only PA was positively related to
self-reported offenses (Tables 4, ,55)…
Full article at: http://goo.gl/O5mjWE
Department of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center,
Endegeesterstraatweg 27, 2342 AK Oegstgeest, The Netherlands
Academic
Workplace Forensic Care for Youth (Academische Werkplaats Forensische Zorg voor
Jeugd), Zutphen, The Netherlands
Olivier F. Colins, Email: ln.muiruc@sniloc.o.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv insight
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