The Delay Discounting and Aggression of Patients with Alcohol-Fuelled Violence

Abstract

Objective: The present study examined the difference in aggression and impulsivity between alcoholics who displayed violent behavior and those who did not. There was a popular notion for the alcohol-fuelled violence, that it was mainly the alcohol that made an individual impulsive, and therefore leading to violent acts. However, by examining the difference in impulsivity and aggression amongst violent alcoholics and non-violent alcoholics, the current study aimed to determine how much of predisposed impulsivity and aggression those who commit alcohol-fuelled violence have. Therefore, this study will examine; 1) whether there is a clear difference in aggression between those who display alcohol-fuelled violence and those who simply display alcoholic dependence, and 2) whether impulsiveness of those 2 groups can be differentiated. Methods: Each participant was given a questionnaire to complete, which included a demographic survey, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). The delay discounting task was carried out in a private room, and each participant was brought in individually. After the subjects understood the process of the experiment and completed the example, they were told to select between hypothetical money they could receive today (equivalent of $500) and hypothetical money they could receive 5 years from now (equivalent of $1000). The delayed period in which the future rewards were presented in either a descending sequence or an ascending sequence, (for example, from 1week up to 5 years). Same procedure was repeated with $3000 and $5000, and the ascending or descending order was selected randomly on each 3 procedures. Results: By comparing the Aggression Questionnaire and Barratt impulsiveness scale, the results showed that both the non-violent group and violent alcoholic group scored higher than the control group on Barratt impulsiveness scale. The results also showed that while the non-violent alcoholic group and violent alcoholic group did not show a major difference in impulsivity, violent alcoholic group showed higher level of aggression than the non-violent group. While the impulsivity measured by BIS scale did not show significant difference between the non-violent and violent alcoholics, further study examining the behavioral aspect of impulsivity could lead to a better understanding of the difference between the two. The results from the study suggested that while the non-violent alcoholic group had higher level of discounting than the control group, its difference was not significant. However, the discounting rate in which violent alcoholic group was greater than the other 2 groups in every trial. Also, the rate in which future reward is discounted is higher for smaller future outcome.