(PS8-89) The Associations Between Aggression, Impulsivity, and Suicide

Aggression (i.e., behaviors intended to cause harm to objects or people (DeWall et al., 2012) is a widespread public health concern, resulting in 19,000 homicides and over 1.5 million hospitalizations in the United States each year (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2021). Furthermore, aggression can lead to serious negative consequences for both the victims of aggression (Holland et al., 2021) and the aggressors themselves (Kulper et al., 2015), as chronic engagement in aggression is associated with the intergenerational transmission of aggression (Conger et al., 2003) and aggression results in some 1.4 million annual emergency room visits in the United States (CDC, 2021). Trait impulsivity, the general tendency to act rashly (Whiteside et al., 2005), has been shown to be associated with aggression (Bresin et al., 2022). Additionally, impulsivity is included in three of the principal theoretical models of suicide, although some have disputed the conceptualization of suicide as an impulsive behavior (e.g., Anestis et al., 2014). Despite evidence for their association, there is a dearth of research examining the relationships between aggression, impulsivity, and suicide, as others have noted (Moore et al., 2022), even though identifying individuals at risk of suicide is paramount to reducing one of the leading causes of death in the United States (CDC, 2022). Although theory suggests that aggression, impulsivity, and suicide would be inter-related, findings are mixed. A recent meta-analysis of 77 peer-reviewed studies found weak positive relationships between aggression and suicidality, and impulsivity and suicidality (Moore et al., 2022). The present study examined the relationships between lifetime history of engagement in aggression, trait impulsivity, and history of suicide attempt in a treatment-seeking/clinical sample. Participants were adults (N = 156) participating in an RCT of a cognitive behavioral intervention for aggression. The participants experienced problematic aggression (n =  87) or other psychopathology (n = 23) or were healthy controls (n = 51). At baseline (i.e., before initiating treatment) all participants completed the assessment of Life History of Aggression (LHA; Coccaro et al., 1997), the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale (Whiteside & Lynam, 2001), and the Suicide Behavior History Form (SBHF; Spitzer & Endicott, 1978), among other measures. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted, controlling for participant demographic factors (age, race, gender, education). We did not find a significant association between either lifetime aggression and history of suicide attempt (β = .003, SE = .003, p</em> = .26) or trait impulsivity and history of suicide attempt (β = -0.00006, SE = 0.009, p = .95). These null results call into question models of suicide that rely heavily on impulsivity.