Title
Anger and aggression problems in veterans are associated with an increased acoustic startle reflex
Author
Heesink, L.
Kleber, R.
Häfner, M.
van Bedaf, L.
Eekhout, I.
Geuze, E.
Publication year
2017
Abstract
Anger and aggression are frequent problems in deployed military personnel. A lowered threshold of perceiving and responding to threat can trigger impulsive aggression. This can be indicated by an exaggerated startle response. Fifty-two veterans with anger and aggression problems (Anger group) and 50 control veterans were tested using a startle experiment with 10 startle probes and 10 prepulse trials, presented in a random order and with a random interval between the trials. Predictors (demographics, Trait Anger, State Anger, Harm Avoidance and Anxious Arousal) for the startle response within the Anger group were tested. Increased EMG responses were found to the startle probes in the Anger Group compared to the Control group, but not to the prepulse trials. Furthermore, Harm Avoidance and State Anger predicted the increased startle reflex within the Anger group, whereas Trait Anger was negatively related to the startle reflex. These findings indicate that threat reactivity is increased in anger and aggression problems. These problems are not only caused by an anxious predisposition, the degree of anger also predicts the startle reflex.
Subject
Life
CH - Child Health
ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
Healthy for Life
Health
Healthy Living
Anger
Aggression
Startle
Military
Veterans
Anxiety
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d41e1896-d5dc-47c6-84cd-970289fb4a5f
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.12.004
TNO identifier
574659
Source
Biological Psychology, 123, 119-125
Document type
article