title: Negative affect and parental aggression in child physical abuse.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Parental negative affect is a risk factor for child physical abuse. As negative affect contributes to aggression, and because physical abuse involves an aggressive act directed at the child, we examined the relationship between negative affect and parent-to-child aggression (PTCA) in parents reported to Child Protective Services for physical abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline assessment data were retrospectively examined on 49 participants in a treatment study for child physical abuse. The negative affects studied were depression, anxiety, and hostility on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory. PTCA was assessed using the physical aggression subscales (Minor and Severe Physical Violence) of the Conflict Tactics Scale. The contribution of these negative affects to PTCA was examined after controlling individually for the effects of parental attributions and contextual variables widely regarded as etiological factors in child physical abuse.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Contributions of negative affect to PTCA after individually controlling for other predictors were found for Minor Physical Violence but not Severe Physical Violence. Findings were strongest with depression on the Beck Depression Inventory and to a lesser extent with hostility on the Brief Symptom Inventory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Finding that negative affect contributed to PTCA in this sample suggests that it may be important to study the effects of emotion-focused treatments in physically abusive parents. These findings also suggest that PTCA may have qualities of impulsive aggression, a form of aggression that is conceptualized as driven by negative affect, occurs in response to aversive events, and is not planned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Oommen K
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Mammen
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kolko
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pilkonis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications