Appetitive Aggression and Adaptation to a Violent Environment Among Youth Offenders

Previous research has demonstrated that those who perpetrate violence and report aggression to be appetitive are less vulnerable to developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study examined the hypothesis that, among youth offenders living in a high-violence community, an attraction to violence is associated with improved psychosocial functioning and less concern about future threats. A sample of 69 male youth offenders living in two high-violence communities in Cape Town, South Africa, completed measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, appetitive aggression, reactive aggression, psychosocial functioning, and concerns about future threats. Higher PTSD symptoms predicted lower psychosocial functioning as well as more concern about future threats. However, participants high in appetitive aggression showed better functioning and fewer concerns about future threat. By contrast, reactive aggression was a significant predictor of reduced functioning and increased concerns about threat. These findings suggest that, for youth offenders living in contexts of ongoing violence exposure, appetitive aggression may serve a psychologically self-protective function. Implications for interventions with youth offenders living in high-violence communities are considered.