A study of aggression among referrals to a community-based psychiatry of old age service.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of the study were to examine the prevalence of aggressive behaviour in a non-selected community-based population, to identify clinical and sociodemographic variables associated with aggression and to examine the relationship between aggression and outcome at 2-year follow-up.


METHODS
Case series, using the Ryden Aggression Scale as a retrospective measure of aggression.


METHODS
A community-based specialist psychiatry of old age service.


METHODS
All referrals to the service over a 3-month period.


RESULTS
Of the 42 subjects included in the study, 25-patients had a diagnosis of dementia. Aggressive behaviour was reported in 18 patients, this being verbal only in nine cases and both verbal and physical in nine cases. Sexual aggression and self-injurious behaviour were each reported in one case only. Aggression was found to be positively associated with a diagnosis of dementia and high physical dependency but was not found to be associated with age, sex, physical illness or the use of psychotropic medication. At 2-year follow-up, aggressive patients were found to have a higher rate of admission to psychiatric inpatient or residential care and tended to have a higher use of neuroleptic drugs.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that aggression is a significant problem for community-based elderly people and their carers, may increase the likelihood of admission into long-term care and that a reliable instrument to measure aggression would be useful in the clinical assessment of this population.
Gibbons
P
P
Kilcock Day Hospital, Ireland.
Gannon
M
M
Wrigley
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013038:Specialization