The Influence Of Patients’ Hostile Attribution Bias On Reactive Aggression And Its Mechanism

In recent years,there have been frequent incidents of violence against doctors,posing a great threat to the safety of medical workers as well as the public.When it comes to SIP theory,hostile attribution bias as a cognitive factor is a predictor of reactive aggression.And HAB has been validated in different groups,but there are still few studies exploring the mechanisms of both in general patients.Therefore,the present study sought to investigate the effects of patients’ hostile attribution biases(trait and state hostile attribution biases)on their reactive aggression,the mediating role of ruminative thinking and the role of cognitive reappraisal.The present study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of hostile attribution bias on reactive aggressive behavior through three empirical studies.Study1 explored the relationship between trait hostile attribution bias,trait ruminative thinking,and reactive aggression using a questionnaire,and 555 college students were surveyed using the Trait Hostile Attribution Bias Scale,the Ruminative Reaction Scale,and the Reactive-Active Aggression Questionnaire.The results showed that patients’ trait hostility attribution bias predicted reactive-aggressive behavior,and that trait ruminative thinking mediated this.Study 2 experimentally elicited patients’ state hostile attribution bias and continued to verify the effect of hostile attribution bias on reactive aggression,and the mediating role of state rumination thinking between hostile attribution bias and reactive aggression.The study used a one-way between-subjects experimental design with a social rejection paradigm to elicit hostile attribution bias in patients.The results found that patients’ state hostile attribution bias significantly predicted reactive aggression and that state rumination thinking mediated the relationship between the two.To explore how to reduce patients’ reactive aggression,Study 3 added a cognitive reappraisal strategy to Study 2 to investigate the effect of cognitive reappraisal on state hostile attribution bias to state ruminative thinking and reactive aggression.The study used a 2(state hostile attribution bias manipulation: elicited group/control group)×2(cognitive reappraisal: cognitive reappraisal group/control group)between-subjects design.Results found that patients’ state ruminative thinking mediated the interaction between state hostile attribution bias and reactive aggression,and the interaction between cognitive reappraisal and state hostile attribution bias was not significant.Conclusion:(1)Patients’ idiosyncratic hostility attribution bias can predict reactive aggression.(2)The attribution bias of patients’ state hostility can trigger a higher level of state ruminant thinking and reactive aggression,and state ruminant thinking plays a completely mediating role between the attribution bias of state hostility and reactive aggression.By investigating the effect of patients’ hostile attribution bias on reactive aggression and the mechanism of action in it,this study provides more empirical evidence to explain the causes of patients’ reactive aggression and provides a new idea to create a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.