RESEARCH ARTICLE
Emotion processing associated with aggression in early adolescents: A focus on affective theory of mind
Meghan E. Clifford,
Amanda J. Nguyen,
Catherine P. Bradshaw,
Corresponding Author
Meghan E. Clifford
School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Correspondence Meghan E. Clifford, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Meghan Clifford, 500 McIntire Rd., Apt. 19, Charlottesville, VA 22902, USA.
Email: mec9he@virginia.edu
Search for more papers by this authorAmanda J. Nguyen
School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCatherine P. Bradshaw
School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMeghan E. Clifford,
Amanda J. Nguyen,
Catherine P. Bradshaw,
Corresponding Author
Meghan E. Clifford
School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Correspondence Meghan E. Clifford, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Meghan Clifford, 500 McIntire Rd., Apt. 19, Charlottesville, VA 22902, USA.
Email: mec9he@virginia.edu
Search for more papers by this authorAmanda J. Nguyen
School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCatherine P. Bradshaw
School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Social–emotional factors associated with youth aggression have largely been studied in the context of social information-processing models. The ability to accurately encode and appropriately interpret others' emotions has yet to be fully examined in the context of aggressive behavior, particularly during adolescence. Using cross-sectional data from a sample of 282 at-risk early adolescents, the present study examined associations between teacher-reported aggression and youth performance on a task assessing two components of affective theory of mind: emotion recognition and situational attribution. Results indicated that emotion recognition, but not situational attribution accuracy, was significantly associated with teacher-reported aggressive behavior. Over-recognizing anger and under-recognizing sadness were unique error patterns associated with aggression, and these associations remained significant after controlling for demographics and other key social information-processing variables. Findings suggest that difficulties with emotion processing play an important role in the social information-processing patterns observed in the context of youth aggression. Implications for preventive interventions for youth at risk of engaging in aggressive behavior are discussed.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.
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