title: Assessing aggressive behavior in forensic psychiatric patients: validity and clinical utility of combining two instruments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Accurate observation of aggressive behavior among forensic psychiatric patients requires valid instruments. This study examines the validity and clinical utility of combining the social dysfunction and aggression scale (SDAS) and staff observation aggression scale revised (SOAS-R).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nurses weekly obtained SDAS scores of 127 patients, resulting in 6.124 assessments. Aggressive incidents were documented by the SOAS-R. Internal consistency, subscale structure, interobserver reliability of the SDAS, and convergent validity with SOAS-R were analyzed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A three-factor solution was found. Interobserver reliability was moderate, and good convergent validity was found. The SDAS, in conjunction with the SOAS-R, monitors changes in aggressiveness and may contribute to the prevention of aggressive behavior.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Psychiatric Hospital Pompe Foundation, Division Diagnostics Research and Education, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. m.kobes@pompestichting.nl
authors.forename: Marjolein H B M
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kobes
authors.forename: Henk H L I
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Nijman
authors.forename: Erik B H
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Bulten
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D015588:Observer Variation; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011330:Prisons; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results