Exploring the Link Between Heart Rate, Community and Parenting Styles in Reactive and Proactive Aggression in a Portuguese Sample

• In Event: Biological, biosocial and psychological drivers of criminal behaviour

Abstract

This research examines the interaction between heart rate (rHR and HRV), community adversities and parenting styles in the explanation of reactive and proactive aggression.
While previous studies have explored only the influence of environmental factors on aggressive behavior, this study focuses on how physiological markers, such as resting heart rate (rHR) and HRV, interact with social and familial contexts to shape different types of aggression. Reactive aggression is characterized by emotional and impulsive behaviors, and proactive aggression is goal-directed and planned. Based on these differences, they have distinct behavioral patterns and are influenced differently by physiological and environmental factors.
The study investigates how adverse community conditions, such as social control or exposure to violence, contribute to reactive and proactive aggression, and how different parenting styles (authoritative and authoritarian) interact with these environmental stressors to exacerbate or mitigate aggression. Additionally, the role of HRV and rHR is explored to understand how physiological responses may influence this relationship.
By combining physiological data with an understanding of family and community dynamics, this research provides a more comprehensive view of the mechanisms that underpin reactive and proactive aggression.
The findings aim to offer new insights into how early interventions can address the biological and environmental contributors to aggression, with implications for both clinical practice and community-based programs. Understanding these interactions may lead to more effective prevention strategies tailored to individual and community needs.

Authors

• Leonor Pina Freitas, Faculty of Law, University of Porto (School of Criminology); CIJ - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Justice; FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology;

• Margarida A. Santos, CIJ - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Justice; School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto

• Carla Sofia Cardoso, Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Crime Justice and Security (CJS) - School of Criminology, Faculty of Law of the University of Porto