Annis Lai Chu Fung

Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ)

In this study, we assessed the cross-cultural generalizability of the Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) and tested the hypotheses that boys show higher levels of proactive aggression with increasing age and that a two-factor (reactive–proactive) structure will be observed in an East Asian population. We administered the RPQ to 5,615 male and female 11- to 15-year-old schoolchildren. CFA demonstrated a good fit of the two-factor reactive–proactive model. Proactive aggression increased significantly with age in boys but not girls, whereas reactive aggression showed no gender difference and only a minimal age increase. Results suggest the presence of meaningful differences between these aggression subtypes and the generalizability of the RPQ in an East Asian population.

Low heart rate as a risk factor for child and adolescent proactive aggressive and impulsive psychopathic behavior

Although low resting heart rate has been viewed as a well-replicated biological correlate of child and adolescent antisocial behavior, little is known about how it interacts with psychosocial adversity in predisposing to both reactive-proactive aggression and psychopathy, and whether this relationship generalizes to an East Asian population. This study tests the hypothesis that low resting heart rate will be associated with aggression and psychopathic traits, and that heart rate will interact with adversity in predisposing to these antisocial traits. Resting heart rate was assessed in 334 Hong Kong male and female schoolchildren aged 11-17 years. A social adversity index was calculated from a psychosocial interview of the parent, while parents assessed their children on the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire and the Antisocial Personality Screening Device. Low resting heart rate was significantly associated with higher proactive aggression, impulsive features of psychopathy, and total child psychopathy. Low resting heart rate interacted with high psychosocial adversity in explaining higher reactive (but not proactive) aggression, as well as impulsive psychopathy. These findings provide support for a biosocial perspective of reactive aggression and impulsive psychopathy, and document low resting heart rate as a robust correlate of both childhood impulsive psychopathic behavior and proactive aggression. To our knowledge, this study is the first to document low resting heart rate as a correlate of child psychopathy and the second to establish low heart rate as a risk factor of antisocial behavior in an East Asian population. The findings provide further evidence for both low resting heart rate as a potential biomarker for childhood psychopathic and aggressive behavior, and also a biosocial perspective on childhood antisocial behavior.

The Utility of the Child and Adolescent Psychopathy Construct in Hong Kong, China

This cross-sectional study examined the nature of child and adolescent psychopathy using the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) in 3,675 schoolchildren (ages 11–16) in Hong Kong, China. A confirmatory factor analysis observed a good fit for the three-factor model (callous-unemotional, impulsivity, narcissism) of APSD, with boys scoring higher than girls on narcissism and callous-unemotional traits. Modest construct validity was found with regard to expected relationships with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The previously observed higher scores on callous-unemotional traits in boys at older ages were replicated. Findings suggest that child psychopathy may be applicable in a non-Western culture, although the callous-unemotional factor may have a different meaning in China.

Peer victimization as a risk factor for schizotypal personality in childhood and adolescence.

There has been no prior research on peer victimization and child or adolescent schizotypal personality. This study tests the hypothesis that increased peer victimization is associated with increased schizotypal personality. Schizotypy was assessed using the SPQ-C (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Child) in 3,508 male and female schoolchildren aged 8 to 16 years. All forms of peer victimization (physical, verbal, social manipulation, attack on property) were associated with schizotypal personality in both males and females across all age groups. Significant victimization more than doubled schizotypy scores. It is hypothesized that peer victimization may predispose to paranoid ideation, social anxiety, and lack of close friends, and consequently heightened schizotypal personality.

Different forms of online and face-to-face victimization among schoolchildren with pure and co-occurring dimensions of reactive and proactive aggression

This pioneer study filled up research gaps on differentiation and associations between various forms of online (general victimization, sexual victimization, individual racial discrimination, and vicarious racial discrimination) and face-to-face peer victimization (physical victimization, verbal victimization, social manipulation, and attacks on property) among schoolchildren with pure and co-occurring dimensions of reactive and proactive aggression and ordinary ones. Significant differences consistently found across four-domain online victimization between three groups of schoolchildren with pure and co-occurring dimensions of reactive and proactive aggression and ordinary schoolchildren; and the lowest mean scores were constantly found in pure reactive aggression group comparing with pure proactive and co-occurring forms of aggression. Although similar significant differences were found in four-factor multi-dimensional peer-victimization between three groups of schoolchildren with pure and co-occurring dimensions of reactive and proactive aggression and ordinary schoolchildren, the scores in pure reactive group were very comparable with pure proactive and co-occurring forms of aggression groups. Only pure reactive aggressor group of schoolchildren has no correlation between online and face-to-face peer victimization. The explanation may be based on Social Information Processing model that reactive aggressors are affected by hostile attributional bias, provocations mainly may happen in face-to-face interpersonal ambiguous situation rather than in the online world.

Anger coping method and skill training for Chinese children with physically aggressive behaviors

Aggression hinders development in the child and creates numerous problems in the family, school and community. An indigenous Anger Coping Training program for Chinese children with aggressive behavior and their parents aimed to help reactively aggressive children in increasing anger coping methods and enhancing problem‐solving abilities. This research program uses a mixed model research method based on experimental and control groups with pre‐comparison and post‐comparison. Qualitative data collection of the children’s behavior, as well as the parenting styles and behaviors, were assessed through structured interviews (children, parents and teachers) and the utilization of hypothetical scenarios. Quantitative data collection consisted of the completion of the Child Behavior Checklist and the Child Behavior Checklist Teacher’s Report Form. Two pilot studies and the main study were conducted. The program was effective in lessening children’s aggressive behavior and changing children’s cognitive characteristics, behavioral presentations and affective reactions in post‐intervention and follow‐up studies.

Reactive and proactive aggression in mainland Chinese secondary school students

Summary As there has been little research in mainland China on the distinction between reactive and proactive aggression, the country’s educators and social workers work with an oversimplified definition of aggression that fails to consider different subtypes, thereby preventing the development of effective interventions. There is a pressing need to learn more about the particular subtypes of reactive and proactive aggression that prevail among mainland Chinese students. Here we report the validation and generalization in China of a well-designed assessment tool, the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ), which is widely used in the West to measure students’ reactive and proactive aggression. Our twofold objective is to determine 1) whether reactive and proactive aggression can be distinguished; and 2) whether the two-factor structure of the reactive and proactive aggression model is appropriate in a non-Western setting. This is a pioneering study designed to develop a reliable reactive/proactive aggression assessment instrument for the mainland Chinese context. Findings Consistent with the findings of previous validation studies on the RPQ, our findings indicate that reactive and proactive aggression are distinguishable in mainland China, but the factor structure differs slightly from the prior findings. Applications With modification of its factor structure, the RPQ can be considered a valid scale to measure the two dimensions of aggression in mainland China. An understanding of the distinction between them will facilitate effective treatment for aggressive students in this region.

Parent–child parallel‐group intervention for childhood aggression in Hong Kong

This article reports the original evidence‐based outcome study on parent–child parallel group‐designed Anger Coping Training (ACT) program for children aged 8–10 with reactive aggression and their parents in Hong Kong. This research program involved experimental and control groups with pre‐ and post‐comparison. Quantitative data collection consisted of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Child Behavior Checklist Teachers Report Form (CBCL‐TRF), and Peer Observation Checklist (POC). Two pilot studies and the main study were conducted. Out of 34 applicants, 18 were selected and divided between two experimental groups and one control group in accordance with the rule of randomization. The effectiveness of the program has been consistently verified in lessening overall childhood aggression, especially for childrens physical aggression, but not verbal aggression.

Justification of emotional and instrumental aggression in Hong Kong and Spanish university students

This study reports the degrees of approval for different aggressive acts in a number of instrumental and emotional situations. A nationally-adapted version of the Lagerspetz and Westman questionnaire (1) was administered to 332 university students of both sexes in Spain and Hong Kong. Respondents had to indicate levels of justification of several aggressive acts of different quality and intensity in the context of different social justifications. Our results replicated the general findings of previous research in other cultures: in both samples, more drastic forms of aggression (e.g., killing, torture) were less accepted than non-dangerous forms of such behavior (e.g., hindering, being ironic); aggressive acts more socially justified (in terms of protection of self or other) were clearly more accepted than others with no such justification (problems of communication); and instrumental-motivated aggression was higher justified than emotional-motivated aggression. Some differences in the level of acceptance according to the sex of the participants were found: women were more prone to a higher acceptance of acts and situations more related to emotion. Although both sexes justified aggression in a higher degree for instrumentally motivated situations than for emotional ones, males showed a higher acceptance than females for instrumental situations and a lower one than females for emotional ones. There were also some minor culturally bound differences in these attitudes: Spaniards accepted less than HK students aggression in emotional situations, specially for the cases of punishment and lack of communication, but more emotional acts, such as rage and shouting. Thus, patterns of moral approval of various kinds of aggressive acts are in a large part common to both cultures. Findings also confirmed a two-factor solution and the respective predictive power of justifications for aggression in instrumental vs. emotional motivated situations. The reliability and validity of this brief self-report have been further established by the present study, paving the way for future studies to measure instrumental and emotional aggression.

The associations between parenting styles and proactive and reactive aggression in Hong Kong children and adolescents

Previous research suggests that reactive and proactive aggression may be differentially related to family contextual (e.g. parenting practices) factors. However, the existing research has focused largely on children and adolescents from Western countries, and no study has examined the parenting-aggression association using a parenting style measure sensitive to Asian culture. In this study parenting styles (i.e. warmth, control and guan/training) and proactive and reactive aggression were assessed in a large sample of school children in Hong Kong, China (N = 4,175, mean age = 11.75). We found that: (a) both low warmth (in boys only) and guan (i.e. high expectation and close supervision, in both boys and girls) were associated with elevated parent-reported proactive aggression, (b) high restrictive control (i.e. dominating and rejecting) was associated with high reactive aggression (in both boys and girls) based on parent- or child-report data, and with high proactive aggression (in boys only) based on parent-report data, and (c) guan was also positively associated with parent-reported reactive aggression. Findings provide more information about the Parenting Inventory using a large Asian sample, and extend existing research on familial correlates of different types of aggression.