Measurement of violence during in-patient treatment and association with psychopathology.
OBJECTIVE
Four available instruments for the measurement of violence were compared. The association between psychopathological status at admission and violence during in-patient treatment was examined.


METHODS
In 199 consecutively admitted patients (143 with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 56 with non-psychotic disorders), the PANSS was recorded at the time of admission. Violent behaviour against self and others was assessed for the total period of in-patient treatment using the scales MOAS, SDAS, SOAS and VS.


RESULTS
The sumscores of the scales correlated highly (r between 0.78 and 0.91), but the scales differed in sensibility and inter-rater reliability. There was a strong association between thought disorders and violent behaviour during in-patient treatment in psychotic patients (beta = 0.34; P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Although constructed to measure different aspects of violence, all investigated instruments correlated highly. The psychopathological status at admission is associated with violent behaviour during in-patient treatment.
Centre of Psychiatry Weissenau, Department of Psychiatry I, University of Ulm, Germany.
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T
Steinert
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M
Wölfle
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RP
Gebhardt
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data