Köbach Anke, Elbert Thomas
Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz , Germany ; vivo international , Konstanz , Germany.
Front Psychiatry. 2015 Oct 13;6:144. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00144. eCollection 2015.
Violent behavior can be intrinsically rewarding; especially combatants fighting in current civil wars present with elevated traits of appetitive aggression. The majority of these fighters were recruited as children or adolescents. In the present study, we test whether there is a developmental period where combatants are sensitive for developing a robust trait of appetitive aggression. We investigated 95 combatants in their demobilization process that were recruited at different ages in the Kivu regions of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Using random forest with conditional inference trees, we identified recruitment at the ages from 16 and 17 years as being predictive of the level of appetitive aggression; the number of lifetime, perpetrated acts was the most important predictor. We conclude that high levels of appetitive aggression develop in ex-combatants, especially in those recruited during their middle to late teenage, which is a developmental period marked by a natural inclination to exercise physical force. Consequently, ex-combatants may remain vulnerable for aggressive behavior patterns and re-recruitment unless they are provided alternative strategies for dealing with their aggression.
暴力行为本身可能会带来奖赏；尤其是在当前内战中作战的战斗人员表现出较高的欲求性攻击特质。这些战斗人员大多数是儿童或青少年时期被招募的。在本研究中，我们测试是否存在一个发展阶段，在此阶段战斗人员对于形成强烈的欲求性攻击特质较为敏感。我们调查了刚果民主共和国东部基伍地区在不同年龄被招募的95名处于复员过程中的战斗人员。使用带有条件推理树的随机森林算法，我们确定16至17岁时被招募可预测欲求性攻击水平；终身实施的行为数量是最重要的预测因素。我们得出结论，前战斗人员中会出现高水平的欲求性攻击，尤其是那些在青少年中后期被招募的人，这是一个以自然倾向于使用武力为特征的发展阶段。因此，除非向前战斗人员提供应对其攻击性的替代策略，否则他们可能仍然容易出现攻击行为模式并再次被招募。
