title: Aggression and impulsivity as predictors of stress generation in bipolar spectrum disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some evidence suggests that individuals with bipolar spectrum disorders (BSD) generate stressful life events, contributing to a more severe course of disorder. A recent update to the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) dysregulation theory of BSD highlights the need to investigate anger as approach motivation. Although research has shown that individuals with BSD generate stress, it is unclear whether personality traits characteristic of BSD, such as aggression and impulsivity, are related to this stress generation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current longitudinal study employed multilevel modeling to examine stress generation in a sample of 104 individuals with BSD and 96 healthy controls. We examined rates of BAS-deactivating, BAS-activating, and Anger-evoking life events over a period of up to 4.5 years as a function of levels of aggression and impulsivity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with BSD reported significantly higher numbers of dependent Anger-evoking events and BAS-deactivating events, but not dependent BAS-activating events, than controls. Trait levels of hostility and impulsivity predicted all types of events, although bipolar diagnosis remained a significant predictor of BAS-deactivating and Anger-evoking events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The life events measures were not designed to assess Anger-evoking events; further research should replicate these findings and develop more finely tuned assessments of stressful anger events. In addition, the sample was not a clinical sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study adds to the literature on stress generation in BSD; trait level personality differences predict stress generation, beyond bipolar diagnosis. This also further establishes the importance of including anger-evoking events in the BAS model of BSDs and stress generation.
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th Street, Weiss Hall, 6th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. ashleigh.molz@temple.edu
authors.forename: Ashleigh R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Molz
authors.forename: Chelsea L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Benjamin G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Shapero
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Alloy
authors.forename: Lyn Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Abramson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D055815:Young Adult