Attributional and emotional determinants of aggression in people with mild intellectual disabilities

This study investigated links between anger, hostility, and aggressive behaviour in people with mild intellectual disabilities. The study aimed to determine (a) whether relationships between anger, hostility, and aggressive behaviour in a sample of people with mild intellectual disabilities were similar to those found in the general population, and (b) whether hostility was linked to aggressive behaviour by the mediating influence of anger. One hundred and three participants responded to the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (Spielberger, 1988), the Cook and Medley (1954) Hostility Scale, the Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992), and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Lie Scale (Hathaway & McKinley, 1951). Results suggest that the effect of hostility on aggression is mediated by anger. An implication of these findings is that people with mild intellectual disabilities may benefit from training programs aimed at the cognitive and affective components of aggression.