Citation

Jalil R, Huber J, Sixsmith J, Dickens G. Int. J. Forensic Ment. Health 2019; 18(4): 365-375.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Simon Fraser University - Mental Health, Law and Policy Institute, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/14999013.2019.1588432

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Mental health inpatients' self-reported violence risk predicts actual aggressive outcomes. Anger, for which there are well-evidenced interventions, commonly precedes inpatient aggression. We aimed to determine whether patients' self-reported anger added incremental validity to violence prediction beyond routinely completed violence risk assessments. A correlational, pseudo-prospective study design was employed. N = 76 inpatients in secure hospitals completed self-report validated anger measures; routinely collected clinicians' ratings on structured professional judgment tools, and aggressive incident data for a 3-month follow-up period were extracted from clinical records. Thirty four (45%) participants were violent; self-reported anger and clinician-risk ratings were significantly positively correlated. Self-reported anger predicted aggressive outcomes but not incrementally beyond relevant risk assessment subscale and item scores. It may not be beneficial for all patients to self-report anger as part of continuous violence risk assessments, but those who score highly on anger-relevant items of risk assessment tools could be considered for further assessment to support risk-management interventions.

Language: en

Keywords

Anger; inpatient aggression; patients' self-report; risk assessment