title: The relation of premorbid factors to aggressive physical behavior in dementia.
abstract: Aggressive physical behaviour (APB) is common in persons with dementia and often leads to negative consequences such as use of restraints and staff member burnout. For the past several years, a group of nurse researchers has collaborated to develop a model that views dementia behaviors as need-driven but dementia-compromised. The model posits that background variables of the demented person interact with proximal (or current situational) variables to produce APB. The purpose of this study was to test a part of that model by addressing the question: Which premorbid factors predict APB in a sample of 84 demented institutionalized elders? This was a cross-sectional descriptive study that obtained measures of the following characteristics of residents: (1) aggressive behavior as assessed by nursing home staff members using the Ryden Aggression Scale, (2) premorbid personality traits as assessed by a member of the resident's family using the NEO Five Factor Inventory and (3) history of psychosocial stress as assessed by a member of the residents' family using the modified Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Of the sample of 84 residents, 44% exhibited physical aggression. Background factors in the model were not predictive of aggressive behavior in late-stage dementia, although the relation between premorbid neuroticism and physical aggression was in the predicted direction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Nursing, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-4210, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kolanowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garr
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D004328:Drive; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010551:Personality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*