Nature and frequency of aggressive behaviours among long-term inpatients with schizophrenia: a 6-month report using the modified overt aggression scale.
OBJECTIVE
Previous reports of violence rates in psychiatric settings varied substantially. The main goal of this preliminary study was to prospectively record all violent incidents committed by chronic inpatients with schizophrenia (Sz) using a validated instrument. A secondary objective was to confirm that a majority of violent inward incidents were not commonly serious and committed by a minority of recidivistic individuals suffering from neurological damage (ND).


METHODS
The French version of the Modified Overt Aggression Scale was introduced in all wards of a maximum security hospital to describe every violent incident committed by patients (n = 116) with diagnoses of Sz, Sz and ND, or Sz and mental retardation (MR) during a 6-month period (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).


RESULTS
Fifty-seven percent of aggressive acts were committed by 15% of patients who were more likely to receive additional diagnoses of ND or MR. Violent patients with Sz and ND were involved in 6 incidents for each individual on average, although most of the incidents were verbal in nature (68%). A high rate (28%) of patients with Sz, without evidence of ND or MR, had assaulted someone at least once during the study period.


CONCLUSIONS
These results explain in part the high diversity of previous violent rate reviews and support the notion that inward repetitive violence might be more closely related with ND and impulsivity than psychopathology.
Joyal
Christian C
CC
Department of Psychology, University of Quebec-Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec. christian.joyal@uqtr.ca
Gendron
Catherine
C
Côté
Gilles
G
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires