IRRITABILITY AND IMPULSIVENESS - RELATIONSHIP TO SELF-REPORTED IMPULSIVE AGGRESSION

Impulsive aggressive behavior was assessed in a group of 214 college s tudents through self-report. All subjects completed the Anger Attack Q uestionnaire, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) and the Barratt I mpulsiveness Questionnaire (BIS-11). Fifty-one subjects (24%) were cla ssified as impulsive aggressive. Analysis of the BDHI and BIS-11 found that impulsive aggressive subjects scored significantly higher than n onaggressives on impulsiveness (BIS-11) and all subscales of the BDHI with the exception of Negativism and Suspicion. Correlation analysis d emonstrated that impulsiveness and BDHI Irritability were significantl y correlated with number of impulsive aggressive episodes in the previ ous month, while BDHI Assault was not. Impulsiveness was also found to be significantly related to BDHI Irritability but not to BDHI Assault . Irritability assesses an explosive, uncontrolled type of hostility; assault on the other hand assesses more of a provoked or retaliatory t ype of hostility which is not likely to be related to impulse control or impulsive aggression. The results of this study clearly demonstrate the usefulness of self-report data in the assessment of impulsive agg ressive behavior. BDHI Irritability and BIS-11 impulsiveness both appe ar to be measuring similar aspects of behavioral control. It is sugges ted that the BDHI Irritability and BIS-11 scales may be useful,in the identification of impulsive aggressive individuals early in their cont act with the criminal justice and/or mental health systems.