title: [Impulsivity - aggression - depression: study of adolescents' problem behavior in light of their personality traits].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impulsivity is a personality trait that may determine our everyday living, quality of life, decisions. Impulsivity in particular has a great significance during adolescence as a part of the adolescent neuroanatomical and neuropsychiatric developmental processes. The main goal of the present study was to examine correlations among depressive symptomatology, types of aggressive behaviors (verbal, physical, psychic), impulsivity and other personality traits (risk-taking, empathy and self-efficacy) in adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collection was going on in Debrecen during the first semester of the year 2012 using classes from three high schools (N = 413), 237 (57,4%) boys and 176 (42,6%) girls. The self-administered questionnaire contained items on mental health and personality traits beyond sociodemographics. After descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were applied to detect correlations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls reported more depressive symptoms and their level of empathy was also higher. In terms of aggression, significant gender difference was detected only in case of physical aggression with a surplus of boys. Based on multiple regression analyses, we may conclude that impulsivity acted as a risk factor both for mean levels of depressive symptomatology and aggression scales. Besides, lack of empathy proved to be related to physical aggression. In both sexes, self-efficacy was positively associated with verbal and physical aggression. Among girls, self-efficacy was a negative predictor of psychic aggression, that is, it seems to act as a protective factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In summary, we may conclude that there are strong correlations among depressive symptomatology, aggressive behaviors and impulsivity, and this association may be colored by further personality traits, such as risk-taking, empathy, and self-efficacy. There is a need for learning some basic effective techniques for aggression management and self control as early as adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Szegedi Tudomanyegyetem, Altalanos Orvostudomanyi Kar, Magatartastudomanyi Intezet, Szeged, Hungary, E-mail: pikobettina@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pikó
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pinczés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000374:Aggression; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D020377:Self Efficacy; D057566:Self Report; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult