title: Emotional intelligence and impulsive aggression in Intermittent Explosive Disorder.
abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) relates to one's ability to recognize and understand emotional information and then, to use it for planning and self-management. Given evidence of abnormalities of emotional processing in impulsively aggressive individuals, we hypothesized that EI would be reduced in subjects with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED: n = 43) compared with healthy (n = 44) and psychiatric (n = 44) controls. The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) was used to assess both Experiential EI and Strategic EI. Strategic, but not Experiential, EI was lower in IED compared with control subjects. These differences were not accounted for demographic characteristics, cognitive intelligence, or the presence of clinical syndromes or personality disorder. In contrast, the relationship between IED and Strategic EI was fully accounted for by a dimension of hostile cognition defined by hostile attribution and hostile automatic thoughts. Interventions targeted at improving Strategic EI and reducing hostile cognition will be key to reducing aggressive behavior in individuals with IED.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Emil F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Coccaro
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Solis
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Royce
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Aggression; Emotional intelligence; IED