title: Characteristics of assaultive psychiatric patients: fifteen-year analysis of the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP).
abstract: This study reports on a fifteen-year longitudinal analysis of the characteristics of assaultive patients in one public-sector mental health care system. The data were gathered within the context of the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP), a crisis intervention service for staff victims. The fifteen-year findings were consistent with previous worldwide research on assaultive patients and included both older male patients with schizophrenia and younger personality-disordered patients as high-risk assailants. Both groups had appreciable histories of violence toward others, personal victimization, and substance use disorders. The role of these three clinical variables in association with subsequent assaults, the role of trauma in female assailants, and the consistency of the fundamental characteristics of assaultive patients during several service system initiatives were examined. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Worcester State Hospital, 305 Belmont Street, Worcester, MA, 01604, USA. Raymond.Flannery@dmh.state.ma.us
authors.forename: Raymond B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Flannery
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Juliano
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cronin
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data