An investigation of the correlations between aggression, impulsiveness, social problem-solving, and alcohol use

Impulsivity has been shown to predict aggression and heavy drinking in males, and poor social problem-solving has been identified as a potential mediating variable in this relationship. We set out to investigate the inter-relationships among impulsiveness, social problem-solving, aggression, and alcohol use in a non-offender sample of British males (N = 70). Of our proposed relationships, only two were significant: higher impulsivity was related to poorer social problem-solving, and poorer social problem-solving was related to greater aggression. Combining impulsivity and social problem-solving indicated that poor social problem-solving, not impulsivity, was what exerted the influence over aggression in this sample. Impulsivity perhaps presents an obstacle to learning in the early developmental years, and the legacy of poor problem-solving is what later contributes to aggression. (C) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.