Risk Factors for Aggressive Behavior and Violence among patients with Schizophrenia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Demonstrator of psychiatric and mental health nursing Benha University

2 Assistant professor of psychiatric Nursing Menoufia University

3 Lecturer Of psychiatric and mental health nursing Benha University

Abstract

Acts of violence and aggression committed by patients with schizophrenia are a major concern for psychiatric nurses because they affect patients, families, nurses at clinics. The purpose of this study was to assess risk factors for aggressive behavior and violence among hospitalized schizophrenic patients. A descriptive correlational design was used. The study were conducted in a Psychiatric Mental Health Hospital at Benha City. A convenient sample of 80 patients who were hospitalized at the above mentioned setting was selected. A structured interview questionnaire was developed by the researcher for data collection. It   consisted of three parts.  Part one was to assess socio-demographic characteristics. Part two was used to assess clinical characteristics of patients with schizophrenia. Part three was for the assessment of risk factors for aggressive behavior and violence. The main findings of the study demonstrated that the mean age of studied patients was 38.875±8.189 years. Verbal aggression was the most common form of aggression in hospital. More than one quarter of them (30%) had high static related risk factors. More than one third of the studied patients (37.50%) had high risk for clinical and dynamic related factors. More than three quarters of patients   (80.00%) had moderate risk of the staff related factors and 83.75% had high risk for the unit and environmental related factors for aggression. Conclusion: Staff, unit and environmental factors were the major related risk factors for aggression among hospitalized patients having schizophrenia. Recommendations: The study recommended that a system for accurate monitoring of inpatients' aggression and violence should be established in the psychiatric hospitals. Maintaining suitable therapeutic hospital environment and therapeutic nurse-patient relationship could help to decrease the potential for aggressive behavior and violence.

Keywords

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics