Citation

Steinert T, Wölfle M, Gebhardt RP. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2000; 102(2): 107-112.

Affiliation

Centre of Psychiatry Weissenau, Department of Psychiatry I, University of Ulm, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10937782

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Four available instruments for the measurement of violence were compared. The association between psychopathological status at admission and violence during in-patient treatment was examined. METHOD: In 199 consecutively admitted patients (143 with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 56 with non-psychotic disorders), the PANSS was recorded at the time of admission. Violent behaviour against self and others was assessed for the total period of in-patient treatment using the scales MOAS, SDAS, SOAS and VS. RESULTS: The sumscores of the scales correlated highly (r between 0.78 and 0.91), but the scales differed in sensibility and inter-rater reliability. There was a strong association between thought disorders and violent behaviour during in-patient treatment in psychotic patients (beta = 0.34; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Although constructed to measure different aspects of violence, all investigated instruments correlated highly. The psychopathological status at admission is associated with violent behaviour during in-patient treatment.

Language: en