title: The Quantification of Violence Scale: a simple method of recording significant violence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although there are many rating scales recording the incidence and intensity of violence there are none that are specifically concerned with the measurement and assessment of severe violence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop a scale sensitive to variation centred on severe violence, establish its normative values, test its feasibility, and assess its reliability and validity in different populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Quantification of Violence Scale (QOVS) was developed in two stages. First, a list of 30 commonly experienced violent episodes in clinical psychiatric practice were evaluated and tested by weighting each episode by severity. Second, a numerical scale used to record the severity of the episode according to its degree of planning, intent and consequences. Violent episodes in two clinical populations were compared using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) and the preliminary version of the QOVS over periods up to 18 months, following which the numerical scale was developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Good (0.60-0.74) to Excellent (> 0.75) test-retest and inter-rater reliability agreement was obtained with both forms of the scale (intra-class correlations of 0.75 and 0.69 respectively), and similar agreement with MOAS scores was reached (0.67) in clinical populations. The scale was quick and easy to use in practice, and a score defining severe violence (9 on the numerical scale and 16 on the matched scale) was determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The QOVS, in its two forms, is a useful measure of recording significant violence in clinical and forensic practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College, Charing Cross Campus, London. p.tyrer@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tyrer
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: Conor
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rutter
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seivewright
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Bharti
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Domenic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cicchetti
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maden
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data