Assessment of life history of aggression: development and psychometric characteristics

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 73; no. 3; pp. 147 - 157
• Main Authors: Coccaro, Emil F., Berman, Mitchell E., Kavoussi, Richard J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 05.12.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Aggression - psychology; Aggressive behaviour; Antisocial personality disorder; Antisocial Personality Disorder - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Borderline personality disorder; Borderline Personality Disorder - psychology; Female; Hostility; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Observer Variation; Personality Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Techniques and methods; Antisocial personality disorder; Borderline personality disorder; Aggressive behaviour; Human; Test validation; Convergent validity; Antisocial personality; Psychometrics; Test reliability; Social behavior disorder; Aggressiveness
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/S0165-1781(97)00119-4

The Life History of Aggression (LHA) assessment was administered to up to 252 subjects. In addition to a total LHA score, subscale scores for Aggression, Social Consequences and Antisocial Behavior, and Self-directed Aggression were calculated. Test-retest stability, interrater agreement, and internal consistency reliability were excellent both for the LHA Total score and the LHA Aggression subscore. There were moderately strong correlations between these scores and both self-reports of aggressive tendency (Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory: n = 214) and recent overt aggression (Overt Aggression Scale-Modified for Out-patients: n = 61). LHA Total scores were highest among subjects with Antisocial or Borderline Personality Disorder. These results support the use of the LHA assessment, and especially the LHA Aggression subscore, as a measure of life history of aggressive behavior.