Citation

Hecker T, Fetz S, Ainamani H, Elbert T. J. Trauma. Stress 2015; 28(5): 448-455.

Affiliation

vivo international, www.vivo.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.22046

PMID

26467328

Abstract

War-related trauma exposure has been linked to aggression and enhanced levels of community and family violence, suggesting a cycle of violence. Reactive aggression-an aggressive reaction to a perceived threat-has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In contrast, appetitive aggression-a hedonic, intrinsically motivated form of aggression-seems to be negatively related to PTSD in offender and military populations. This study examined the associations between exposure to violence, trauma-related symptoms and aggression in a civilian population. In semistructured interviews, 290 Congolese refugees were questioned about trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, and aggression. War-related trauma exposure correlated positively with exposure to family and community violence in the past month (r =.31, p <.001), and appetitive (r =.18, p =.002) and reactive aggression (r =.29, p <.001). The relationship between war-related trauma exposure and reactive aggressive behavior was mediated by PTSD symptoms and appetitive aggression. In a multiple sequential regression analysis, trauma exposure (β =.43, p <.001) and reactive aggression (β =.36, p <.001) were positively associated with PTSD symptoms, whereas appetitive aggression was negatively associated (β = -.13, p =.007) with PTSD symptoms. Our findings were congruent with the cycle of violence hypothesis and indicate a differential relation between distinct subtypes of aggression and PTSD.

Language: en