Psychological Aspects of Anger and Aggression following Brain Injury
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychological Aspects of Anger and Aggression following Brain injury
IRAS ID
197847
Contact name
Andrew Wood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lanarkshire
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Anger and aggression are known consequences of acquired brain injury. The present study explores the psychological factors associated with their presence following brain injury. A case note review of patients previously seen for anger management will be carried out, with focus on the prevalence of factors including childhood maltreatment, previous psychological trauma, current symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), self-esteem, shame and state-dependent memory loss. The case note review will be carried out at an NHS Lanarkshire facility (Law House). Data collection will take approximately 6 months to complete.
Summary of Results
This study explored psychological and background factors associated with anger and aggression in people with brain injury (PwBI) by reviewing their case files.
Aggression after brain injury is overwhelmingly verbal in nature, with aggression against people and property much less so. Sexual aggression is uncommon, but also includes the most severe forms of aggression recorded (e.g. attempted sexual assault).
Nearly a third of PwBI who display anger and aggression have a history of violent and public-order offending, with smaller number engaging in similar offences after their injuries. Pre-injury psychiatric disorders were identified in nearly half of the sample, with a fifth of patients reporting either suicidal thoughts, self-harm or suicide attempts.
Over a third of PwBI who display anger and aggression report at least one form of childhood abuse. Emotional abuse was most commonly reported, while physical and sexual abuse were less common but of similar frequency.
The most commonly identified triggers for anger and aggression were threats to self-esteem (e.g. "being talked down-to"), followed by negative feedback. Contrary to expectations, post-traumatic symptoms (e.g. flashbacks or increased vigilance) were not identified as triggers for anger or aggression.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
18/WS/0026
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion