Positive Association of Aggression with Ambient Temperature

Abstract

Background: Relatively little attention has been paid to the potential effects of rising temperatures on changes in human behavior that lead to health and social consequences, including aggression. This study investigated the association between ambient temperature and aggression using assault death data from Seoul, South Korea (1991-2020). Methods: We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover analysis based on conditional logistic regression to control for relevant covariates. The exposure-response curve was explored, and stratified analyses were conducted by season and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: The overall risk of assault deaths significantly increased by 1.4% per 1°C increase in ambient temperature. A positive curvilinear relationship was observed between ambient temperature and assault deaths, which flattened out at 23.6°C during the warm season. Furthermore, risk increases were higher in males, teenagers, and those with the least education. Conclusion: This study highlighted the importance of understanding the impact of rising temperatures on aggression in the context of climate change and public health.

Keywords: Climate change; aggression; ambient temperatures; assault deaths; violence.