Patient Profile Study Examines Aggression and Violence

The robust database gathered in the Center's Patient Profile Study provides opportunities to examine many critical practice issues. In this study, agency clinicians completed comprehensive instruments describing a random of 876 adults, children and youth seen as outpatients by the Madeleine Borg Community Services of JBFCS. According to Principal Clinical Investigator, Dr. Robert Abramovitz and Bruce Grellong, JBFCS, and Principal Research Investigator, Dr. Mark Mattaini, CUCSSW, among the important questions examined in the study were the extent, and predictors of aggression and violence among the patients.

Verbal aggression was found to be a serious problem among the adult patient population, with some %31 of this group experiencing this problem at intake. The rate of physical violence is lower, but significant; over %3 of adult patients have a history of non-domestic violence, and 56 a history od significant homicidal ideation. Domestic violence also occurred in a substantial number of cases.

The study also identified risk and protective factors associated with aggression and violence. Important intergenerational patterns were discovered. For example, couples conflicts in the family of origin and a history of abuse or neglect as a child correlated with both domestic and non-domestic violence. Risk factors for perpetration of child abuse included a history personal abuse or neglect, couples conflicts in family of origin, illegal drug abuse, and the overall extent of negative impacting on the household, while supports from friends and neighbors and a high level of positive exchange within the family constituted protective factors.

A monograph presenting the full results of the Patient Profile Study is nearing completion, and will be available this summer.