Characteristics of Aggression and Violent Behaviour among Psychiatric Inpatients in Psychiatric Wards of A Tertiary Hospital in New Delhi

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics of aggressive and violent behaviour among inpatients in the psychiatric unit of a acute hospital in New Delhi, India. Notes of all inpatients at the psychiatric unit of RML hospital were reviewed from September 2005 to December 2007 and 246 patients aged between 18-60 years showing signs of aggression and violence were identified. Predesigned per forma were used together further information on these patients so that this could be analyzed to ascertain those characteristics which are associated with aggression and violence. Descriptive analysis has been used to characterize the demographic profile of the study population. Data analysis was done by using SPSS 13.0 programme. Chi-square test was used to analyze the association between independent and dependent variables. Results following analysis showed that aggression alone was seen in 26.4% subjects, violence alone in 42.7% and aggression and violence together in 30.9% of admitted cases. Exclusion was never used. Those factors which showed a significant association with violence were male gander, diagnosis of personality disorder, psychotic symptoms, substance and alcohol related disorders, low income, suicidal risk and increased stay in the hospital. Factors significantly associated with aggressive behaviour were female gender, diagnosis of depression and alcohol abuse. The findings of the study replicate some findings of earlier studies and also show some important differences. Some significant associations found in this study are likely to be epiphenomena, not directly related to aggressive and violent behavior but indicators of other variables more directly predictive. Thus it is important that a more comprehensive analysis be undertaken to investigate the characteristics of aggression and violence among various cultural and ethnic populations.