Prevalence and correlates of aggression among psychiatric in-patients at Jos University Teaching Hospital

Objective: The study was designed to determine the prevalence of aggression and clinical factors associated with aggression among psychiatric in-patients at Jos University Teaching Hospital. This will help create a good knowledge base about management of these patients.Materials and Methods: All admitted psychiatric patients between December, 2005, and February, 2007, that met the ICD-10 criteria for a specific clinical diagnosis were included. The modified overt aggression scale was subsequently used to assess the type and severity of aggression. Additional information was obtained through a self-designed questionnaire containing sociodemographic and psychiatric illness variables.Results: A total of 300 subjects satisfied the inclusion criteria, but only 298 were assessed because two patients absconded from the wards during the study period. The prevalence of aggression in this study was 19.5%. Of the 58 aggressive patients, 35 (21.7%) and 23 (16.8%) were male and female, respectively. Schizophrenic patients (31%) exhibited aggression more than any other diagnostic category. Most of the aggressive behavior occurred without provocation (63.3%). Aggression among psychiatric patients was associated with a history of previous acts of aggression and delusion of persecution.Conclusions: Aggression is a significant clinical problem in psychiatric facilities. Consequences of aggression among psychiatric patients can be far reaching for the mental health worker. More longitudinal studies should be carried out among specific diagnostic categories of psychiatric patients to determine factors associated with aggression in each

Trans Fat Consumption and Aggression

Background: Dietary trans fatty acids (dTFA) are primarily synthetic compounds that have been introduced only recently; little is known about their behavioral effects. dTFA inhibit production of omega-3 fatty acids, which experimentally have been shown to reduce aggression. Potential behavioral effects of dTFA merit investigation. We sought to determine whether dTFA are associated with aggression/irritability. Methodolgy/Prinicpal Findings: We capitalized on baseline dietary and behavioral assessments in an existing clinical trial to analyze the relationship of dTFA to aggression. Of 1,018 broadly sampled baseline subjects, the 945 adult men and women who brought a completed dietary survey to their baseline visit are the target of this analysis. Subjects (seen 1999– 2004) were not on lipid medications, and were without LDL-cholesterol extremes, diabetes, HIV, cancer or heart disease. Outcomes assessed adverse behaviors with impact on others: Overt Aggression Scale Modified-aggression subscale (primary behavioral endpoint); Life History of Aggression; Conflict Tactics Scale; and self-rated impatience and irritability. The association of dTFA to aggression was analyzed via regression and ordinal logit, unadjusted and adjusted for potential confounders (sex, age, education, alcohol, and smoking). Additional analyses stratified on sex, age, and ethnicity, and examined the prospective association. Greater dTFA were strongly significantly associated with greater aggression, with dTFA more consistently predictive than other assessed aggression predictors. The relationship was upheld wit

The Modified Overt Aggression Scale: How Valid in this Environment?

Background:The Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) has been validated for use in the study of aggression in the developed world; unlike in the undeveloped world. The aim of this study therefore is to ascertain the discriminant validity of the MOAS for use in this part of the world using psychiatric in-patients at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Methodology: Forty aggressive psychiatric patients and 40 non-aggressive healthy subjects were randomly selected for this study. The psychiatric patients were enlisted after fulfilling the ICD-10 (World Health Organization, 1993) criteria for a specific clinical diagnosis. The 40 non-aggressive subjects were mainly medical students and hospital staff. The MOAS was subsequently used to assess aggression in the entire cohort. Results: The males had higher mean global weighted score than the females in both the aggressive and nonaggressive categories. The mean global weighted scores of the aggressive and non-aggressive categories were 13.70+ 7.25 and 0.65 + 1.01 respectively. The difference in means is statistically significant; hence the MOAS has discriminant validity. Conclusion: Therefore, the modified overt aggression scale is a valid instrument in this environment for the study of aggression. Keywords: Overt aggression, psychiatric, weighted, validityNigerian Journal of Medicine Vol. 17 (2) 2008: pp. 153-15