Citation

Plutchik R, van Praag HM. Compr. Psychiatry 1990; 31(5): 450-456.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2225805

Abstract

A brief self-report scale designed to measure the risk of violence was developed. Scale scores were found to be significantly related to a history of violence, or violence as a reason for admission, in psychiatric inpatients. Internal reliability was found to be high. A group of psychiatric inpatients could be significantly discriminated from a normal group of individuals, both on total scale score as well as on each individual item. Sensitivity and specificity were also determined. The value of the scale is in its brevity, in its focus on overt behavior as well as feelings, and in the fact that it defines a profile of characteristics that have been found to be associated with violent behavior. It thus represents a useful tool for future research on human aggression.

Language: en