Reactive and proactive aggression in children: A review of theory, findings and the relevance for child and adolescent psychiatry

Abstract

The clinical population of aggressive children diagnosed as having an oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or a conduct disorder (CD) is heterogeneous, both with respect to behaviour and aetiology. Recently, the following distinction has been proposed that might further clarify this heterogeneity: reactive aggression is an aggressive response to a perceived threat or provocation, whereas proactive aggression is defined as behaviour that anticipates a reward. In this article we examine various aspects of this distinction. We will [1] examine the evidence that reactive and proactive aggression are distinct phenomena by discussing the theories underlying the distinction between the subtypes in humans and we briefly review evidence for a similar distinction in animals; [2] we critically review the literature on the measurement in children via questionnaires and behavioural observations; we then point out that the correlation observed between the subtypes is due to the fact that many children show both types of aggression; [3] we review the literature on specific characteristics of the subtypes giving attention to social information processing, peer status, biological correlates and developmental history, and demonstrate that there is some evidence to suggest that reactive and proactive aggression are distinct dimensions; [4] we discuss the relevance of the distinction between reactive and proactive aggression for child and adolescent psychiatry.