The role of cortisol and psychopathic traits in aggression among at-risk girls: Tests of mediating hypotheses

Aggressive Behavior

Volumn 40, Issue 3, 2014, Pages 263-272

  Stoppelbein, Laura ^a,b   Greening, Leilani ^c   Luebbe, Aaron ^d   Fite, Paula ^e   Becker, Stephen P ^d,f  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM   (United States)

^b Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI   (United States)

^d MIAMI UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^e UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS   (United States)

^f CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER   (United States)

Author keywords

Girls; HPA axis; Proactive reactive aggression; Psychopathy

Indexed keywords

HYDROCORTISONE;

AGGRESSION; ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER; BLOOD; CHILD; FEMALE; HUMAN; IMPULSIVENESS; NARCISSISM; PHYSIOLOGY; RISK;

AGGRESSION; ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER; CHILD; FEMALE; HUMANS; HYDROCORTISONE; IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR; NARCISSISM; RISK;

EID: 84897482388     PISSN: 0096140X     EISSN: 10982337     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/ab.21513     Document Type: Article

References (71)

1. Azar, R., Zoccolillo, M., Paquette, D., Quiros, E., Baltzer, F., & Tremblay, R. E. (2004). Cortisol levels and conduct disorder in adolescent mothers. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 461-468. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200404000-00012
2. Bailey, C. A., & Ostrov, J. M. (2008). Differentiating forms and functions of aggression in emerging adults: Associations with hostile attribution biases and normative beliefs. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 713-722. doi: 10.1007/s10964-007-9211-5
3. Bandura, A. (1983). Psychological mechanisms of aggression. In R. G. Green, & E. I. Donnerstein (Eds.), Aggression: Theoretical and empirical views (pp. 1-40). New York, NY: Academic.
4. Barry, T. D., Thompson, A., Barry, C. T., Lochman, J. E., Adler, K., & Hill, K. (2007). The importance of narcissism in predicting proactive and reactive aggression in moderately to highly aggressive children. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 185-197.
5. Baumeister, R. F., Bushman, B. J., & Campbell, W. K. (2000). Self-esteem, narcissism, and aggression: Does violence result from low self-esteem or from threatened egotism? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 26-29. doi: 10.1111/1467-8721.00053
6. Berkowitz, L. (1993). Aggression: Its causes, consequences, and control. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
7. Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2001). Is it time to pull the plug on hostile versus instrumental aggression dichotomy? Psychological Review, 108, 273-279. doi: 10.1037//0033-295X.108.1.273
8. Bushman, B. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2002). Does self-love or self-hate lead to violence? Journal of Research Perspectives, 36, 543-545. doi: 10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00502-0
9. Card, N. A., & Little, T. D. (2006). Proactive and reactive aggression in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis of differential relations with psychosocial adjustment. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 30, 466-480. doi: 10.1177/0165025406071904
10. Cima, M., Smeets, T., & Jelicic, M. (2008). Self-reported trauma, cortisol levels, and aggression in psychopathic and non psychopathic prison inmates. Biological Psychiatry, 78, 75-86. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2007.12.011
11. Coie, J. D., & Dodge, K. A. (1998). Aggression and antisocial behavior. In W. Damon, N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (Vol. 3, pp. 779-862). New York, NY: Wiley.
12. Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1996). Social information-processing mechanisms in reactive and proactive aggression. Child Development, 67, 993-1002. doi 10.2307/1131875
13. Dodge, K. A. (1991). The structure and function of reactive and reactive aggression. In D. J. Pepler, & K. H. Rubin (Eds.), The development and treatment of childhood aggression (pp. 201-218). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
14. Dodge, K. A., & Coie, J. D. (1987). Social-information-processing factors in reactive and proactive aggression in children's peer groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 1146-1158. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.53.6.1146
15. Dodge, K. A., Lochman, J. E., Harnish, J. D., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1997). Reactive and proactive aggression in school children and psychiatrically impaired chronically assaultive youth. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 37-51. doi: 10.1037//0021-843X.106.1.37
16. Fite, P. J., Stoppelbein, L., & Greening, L. (2009a). Proactive and reactive aggression in a child psychiatric inpatient population: Relations to psychopathic characteristics. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36, 481-493. doi: 10.1080/15374410802698461
17. Fite, P. J., Stoppelbein, L., & Greening, L. (2009b). Proactive and reactive aggression in a child psychiatric inpatient population. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 38, 199-205. doi: 10.1177/0093854809332706
18. Frick, P. J., & Hare, R. D. (2001). Antisocial process screening device (APSD). Toronto, ON, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
19. Frick, P. J., Bodin, S. D., & Barry, C. T. (2000). Psychopathic traits and conduct problems in community and clinic-referred samples of children: Further development of the Psychopathy Screening Device. Psychological Assessment, 12, 382-393. doi: 10.1037//1040-3590.12.4.382
20. Frick, P. J., Cornell, A. H., Barry, C. T., Bodin, S. D., & Dane, H. A. (2003a). Callous unemotional traits and conduct problems in the prediction of conduct problem severity, aggression, and self-report of delinquency. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 457-470.
21. Frick, P. J., Cornell, A. H., Bodin, S. D., Dane, H. A., Barry, C. T., & Loney, B. R. (2003b). Callous-unemotional traits and developmental pathways to severe conduct problems. Developmental Psychology, 39, 246-260. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.246
22. Frick, P. J., Kimonis, E. R., Dandreaux, D. M., & Farell, J. M. (2003). The 4-year stability of psychopathic traits in non-referred youth. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 21, 713-736. doi: 10.1002/bsl.568
23. Gunnar, M. R., Wewerka, S., Frenn, K., Long, J. D., & Griggs, C. (2009). Developmental changes in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal activity over the transition to adolesecence: Normative changes and associations with puberty. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 69-85. doi: 10.1017/S095457940999037X
24. Hare, R. D. (1982). Psychopathy and physiological activity during anticipation of an aversive stimulus in a distraction paradigm. Psychophysiology, 19, 266-271. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1982.tb02559.x
25. Hare, R. D., Hart, S. D., & Harpur, T. J. (1991). Psychopathy and the proposed DSM-IV criteria for antisocial personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 391-398.
26. Hoyt, S., & Scherer, D. G. (1998). Female juvenile delinquency: Misunderstood by the juvenile justice system, neglected by social science. Law and Human Behavior, 22, 81-107. doi: 10.1023/A:1025728822468
27. Hubbard, J. A., Dodge, K. A., Cillessen, A. H. N., Coie, J. D., & Schwartz, D. (2001). The dyadic nature of social information processing in boys' reactive and proactive aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 268-280. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.80.2.268
28. Hubbard, J., Smithmyer, C., Ramsden, S., Parker, E., Flanagan, K., Dearing, K. ... Simons, R. (2002). Observational, physiological, and self-report measures of children's anger: Relations to reactive versus proactive aggression. Child Development, 73, 1101-1118.
29. IBM Corp. Released. (2012). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
30. Keenan, K., Wroblewski, K., Hipwell, A., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2010). Age of onset, symptom threshold, and expansion of the nosology of conduct disorder for girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119, 689-698. doi: 10.1037/a0019346
31. Kerig, P. K., & Becker, S. P. (2012). Trauma and girls' delinquency. In S. Miller, L. D. Leve, & P. K. Kerig (Eds.), Delinquent girls: Contexts, relationships, and adaptation (pp. 119-143). New York, NY: Springer Books.
32. Kosson, D. S., Smith, S. S., & Newman, J. P. (1990). Evaluating the construct validity of psychopathy in black and white male inmates: Three preliminary studies. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 250-259. doi: 10.1037//0021-843X.99.3.250
33. Kruesi, M. J., Schmidt, M. E., Donnelly, M., Hibbs, E. D., & Hamburger, S. D. (1989). Urinary free cortisol output and disruptive behavior in children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 441-443. doi: 10.1097/00004583-198905000-00024
34. Kruh, I. P., Frick, P. J., & Clements, C. B. (2005). Historical and personality correlates to the violence patterns of juveniles tried as adults. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 32, 69-96. doi: 10.1177/0093854804270629
35. Loney, B., Butler, M., Lima, E., Counts, C., & Eckel, L. (2006). The relation between salivary cortisol, callous-unemotional traits, and conduct problems in an adolescent non-referred sample. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 30-36. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01444.x
36. Loney, B., Frick, P., Clements, C., Ellis, M., & Kerlin, K. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits, impulsivity, and emotional processiing in adolescents with antisocial behavior problems. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32, 66-80.
37. Lopez-Duran, N., Olson, S., Hajal, N., Felt, B., & Vazquez, D. (2009). Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis functioning in reactive and proactive aggression in children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37, 169-182. doi: 10.1007/s10802-008-9263-3
38. Lynam, D. R., & Gudonis, L. (2005). The development of psychopathy. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 381-407. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144019
39. MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., & Williams, J. (2004). Confidence limits for the indirect effect: Distribution of the product and resampling methods. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39, 99-128.
40. Marsee, M. A., & Frick, P. J. (2007). Exploring the cognitive and emotional correlates to proactive and reactive aggression in a sample of detained girls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 969-981. doi: 10.1007/s10802-007-9147-y
41. Marsman, R., Swinkels, S., Rosmalen, J., Oldehinkel, A., Ormel, J., & Buitelaar, J. (2008). HPA-axis activity and externalizing behavior problems in early adolescents from the general population: The role of comorbidity and gender: The TRAILS study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 33, 789-798. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.03.005
42. Miller, D., Trapani, C., Fejes-Mendoza, K., Eggleston, C., & Dwiggins, D. (1995). Adolescent female offenders: Unique considerations. Adolescence, 30, 429-435.
43. Munoz, L., Frick, P., Kimonis, E., & Aucoin, K. (2008). Types of aggression, responsiveness to provocation, and callous-unemotional traits in detained adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 15-28. doi: 10.1007/s10802-007-9137-0
44. Muthén, L. K., Muthén, B. O (1998. -2007). Mplus user's guide (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
45. Obradovic, J., Pardini, D., Long, J., & Loeber, R. (2007). Measuring interpersonal callousness in boys from childhood to adolescence: An examination of longitudinal invariance and temporal stability. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36, 276-292. doi: 10.1080/15374410701441633
46. Oosterlaan, J., Geurts, H. M., Knol, D. L., & Sergeant, J. A. (2005). Low basal salivary cortisol is associated with teacher-reported symptoms of conduct disorder. Psychiatry Research, 134, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2004.12.005
47. Pajer, K., Garder, W., Rubin, R. T., Perel, J., & Neal, S. (2001). Decreased cortisol levels in adolescent girls with conduct disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 58, 297-302. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.58.3.297
48. Pajer, K., Tabbah, R., Gardner, W., Rubin, R. T., Czambel, R., & Wang, Y. (2006). Adrenal androgen and gonadal hormone levels in adolescent girls with conduct disorder. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 31, 1245-1256. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.09.005
49. Pardini, D., & Loeber, R. (2008). Interpersonal callousness trajectories across adolescence: Early social influences and adult outcomes. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35, 173-196. doi: 10.1177/0093854807310157
50. Pardini, D., Obradovic, J., & Loeber, R. (2006). Interpersonal callousness, hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention, and conduct problems as precursors to delinquency persistence in boys: A comparison of three grade-based cohorts. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 25, 46-59. doi: 10.1207/s15374424jccp3501_5
51. Poustka, L., Maras, A., Hohm, E., Fellinger, J., Holtmann, M., Banaschewski, T., ... Laucht, M. (2010). Negative association between plasma cortisol levels and aggression in high risk community sample of adolescents. Biological Psychiatry, 117, 621-627. doi: 10.1007/s00702-010-0386-7
52. Raine, A., Dodge, K. A., Loeber, R., Gatzke-Kopp, L., Lynam, D., Reynolds, C., et al. (2006). The reactive-proactive aggression questionnaire: Differential correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescent boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 159-171. doi: 10.1002/ab.20115
53. Raskin, R. N., & Terry, H. (1988). A principal-components analysis of the narcissistic personality inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 890-902. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.54.5.890
54. Romalen, J. G. M., Oldehinkel, A. J., Ormel, J., De Winter, A. F., Buitelaar, J. K., & Verhulst, F. C. (2005). Determinants of salivary cortisol levels in 10-12 year-old children: A population-based study of individual differences. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 30, 483-495.
55. Scerbo, A. S., & Kolko, D. J. (1994). Salivary testosterone and cortisol in disruptive children: Relationship to aggressive, hyperactive, and internalizing behaviors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 1174-1184. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199410000-00013
56. Schwartz, D., Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., Hubbard, J. A., Cillessen, A. H. N., Lemerise, E. A., et al. (1998). Social-cognitive and behavioral correlates of aggression and victimization in boys' play groups. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 431-440. doi: 10.1023/A:1022695601088
57. Shoal, G. D., Giancola, P. R., & Kirillova, G. P. (2003). Salivary cortisol, personality, and aggressive behavior in adolescent boys: A 5-year longitudinal study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1101-1107. doi: 10.1097/01.CHI.0000070246.24125.6D
58. Silverthorn, P., & Frick, P. J. (1999). Developmental pathways to antisocial behavior: The delayed-onset pathway in girls. Development and Psychopathology, 11, 101-112. doi: 10.1017/S0954579499001972
59. Sondeijker, F., Ferdinand, R. F., Oldehinkel, A. J., Veenstra, R., Tiemeier, H., Ormel, J., & Verhulst, F. C. (2007). Disruptive behaviors and HPA-axis activity in young adolescent boys and girls from the general population. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 41, 570-578. doi: 10.1016/j.psychires, 2006.04002
60. Steffensmeier, D., Schwartz, J., Zhong, H., & Ackerman, J. (2005). An assessment of recent trends in girls' violence using diverse longitudinal sources: Is the gender gap closing? Criminology, 43, 355-405. doi: 10.1111/j.0011-1348.2005.00011.x
61. Stoppelbein, L., Greening, L., & Fite, P. (2009). The role of plasma cortisol in conduct problems and antisocial traits in latency-age girls. In E. C. Quin, & S. Tawse (Eds.), Handbook of aggressive behavior research (pp. 437-450). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
62. Stroud, L. R., Foster, E., Papandonatos, G. D., Handwerger, K., Granger, D. A., Kivlighan, K. T., & Niaura, R. (2009). Stress response and the adolescent transition: Performance versus peer rejection stressors. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 47-68. doi: 10.1017/S0954579409000042
63. Stucke, T. S., & Sporer, S. L. (2002). When a grandiose self-image is threatened: Narcissism and self-concept clarity as predictors of negative emotions and aggression following ego-threat. Journal of Personality, 70, 509-532.
64. Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2003). Isn't it fun to get the respect that we're going to deserve? Narcissism, social rejection, and aggression. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 261-272. doi: 10.1177/0146167202239051
65. van Bokhoven, I., van Goozen, S. H. M., van Engeland, H., Schaal, B., Arseneault, L., Seguin, J. R., ... Tremblay, R. E. (2005). Salivary cortisol and aggression in a population-based longitudinal study of adolescent males. Journal of Neural Transmission, 112, 1083-1096. doi: 10.1007/s00702-004-0253-5
66. van de Weil, N. M. H., van Goozen, S. H. M., Matthys, W., Snoek, H., & van Engeland, H. (2004). Cortisol and treatment effect in children with disruptive behavior disorders: A preliminary study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1011-1018.
67. Vitacco, M. J., Neumann, C. S., Ramos, V., & Roberts, M. K. (2003). Ineffective parenting: A precursor to psychopathic traits and delinquency in Hispanic females. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1008, 300-303. doi: 10.1196/annals.1301.037
68. Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., & Tremblay, R. E. (2002). Reactively and proactively aggressive children: Antecedent and subsequent characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 43, 495-506. doi: 10.1111/1469-7610.00040
69. Walker, E. F., Sabuwalla, Z., & Huot, R. (2004). Pubertal neuromaturation, stress sensitivity, and psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 807-824. doi: 1017/S0954579404040027
70. Waschbusch, D. A., Willoughby, M. T., & Pelham, W. E. (1998). Criterion validity and the utility of reactive and proactive aggression: Comparisons to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and other measures of functioning. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 396-405. doi: 10.1207/s15374424jccp2704_3
71. Zoccolillo, M. (1993). Gender and the development of conduct disorder. Developmental Psychopathology, 5, 65-78. doi: 10.1017/S0954579400004260