Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire

Background

The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) is a self-report inventory designed to measure the multifaceted traits of adult aggression and hostility. It was developed by Arnold H. Buss and Mark Perry in 1992, and has become the 'gold' standard aggression assessment tool in both clinical and behavioral research.

The questionnaire consists of 29 behavior description and assesses aggression on four subscales: Physical Aggression (e.g. "Given enough provocation, I may hit another person."), Verbal Aggression (e.g. "When people annoy me, I may tell them what I think of them."), Anger (e.g. "I sometimes feel like a powder keg ready to explode."), and Hostility (e.g. "I am suspicious of overly friendly strangers.").

The statements are scored in such a way that the higher the score, the greater the reported aggression. Of the 29 original statements, two are phrased in such a way that they require reverse scoring.

Several variants of the BPAQ have been developed, including the 34-item Buss-Warren Aggression Questionnaire (BWAQ), a 34-item commercially available version that includes one extra subscale ('indirect aggression'). The following shorter variants of the BPAQ are also available in the Millisecond library:

1. Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form (BPAQ-SF): A 12-item shorter version of the BPAQ by Bryant & Smith (2001) (4 items per subscale), scored on the original 5-point Likert scale. No reversed scored items are included in the BPAQ-12.

2. Brief Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ): A newer, alternative 12-item shorter version of the BPAQ by Webster et al (2015) (4 items per subscale). The item selection overlaps with the BPAQ-SF but is not identical. The items are scored on a 7-point Likert scale and include one reversed scored item to mimic the original scale. The BAQ also removes the controversial item "I flare up quickly but get over it quickly" as it may be a better measure for self-regulation than for pure aggression.

3. Buss-Warren Aggression Questionnaire - Machine-Learning (BWAQ-ML): A publicly available, ultra short version of the BWAQ that consists of only 4 items published by Jiang et al (2023) as a screening tool for high aggression in adolescents.

Task Procedure

The BPAQ gives participants 29 statements that assess aggression on 4 subscales: Physical Aggression (9), Verbal Aggression (5), Anger (7), Hostility (8). Participants rate how well each statement (e.g. "I sometimes feel like a powder keg ready to explode.") describes them on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("extremely uncharacteristic of me") to 5 ("extremely characteristic of me"). The items are presented in a fixed, but randomized order.

What it Measures

The BPAQ is a self-report measure of aggression

Psychological domains

• Aggression: behavior/thoughts directed toward another individual or the self that is carried out with the immediate intent to cause physical or psychological harm

Main Performance Metrics

• Total Score: Sum of all individual scores on each subscale
• Subscale Scores: Sum of all individual scores on each subscale
• z-scores and p-values: Scores are compared to the Norms provided by Buss & Perry (1992) and p-values are reported (optional)

Psychiatric Conditions

The BPAQ is used across a wide spectrum of clinical, forensic, and medical patient groups.

• Schizophrenia
• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
• Substance and Alcohol Dependence
• *Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
• ipolar Disorder (BD)
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire.

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Buss, A.H. and Perry, M.P. (1992). The Aggression Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 452-459.

Bryant, Fred B, & Smith, Bruce D. (2001). Refining the Architecture of Aggression: A Measurement Model for the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 35(2), 138-167.

Archer, John, & Webb, Ian A. (2006). The relation between scores on the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire and aggressive acts, impulsiveness, competitiveness, dominance, and sexual jealousy. Aggressive Behavior, 32(5), 464-473.

Gerevich, József, Bácskai, Erika, & Czobor, Pál. (2007). The generalizability of the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 16(3), 124-136.

McPherson, Andrew, & Martin, Colin. (2010). A contemporary review of the alcohol aggression relationship and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire for use in an alcohol dependent population. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 2(1), 45-56.

Gallagher, John M, & Ashford, José B. (2016). Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(11), 1639-1652.