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“Definition of traits predisposing to violence in schizophrenia”

‘Schizophrenia Research’ (Impact Factor: 3.958) recently published a study by Menahem I. Krakowski (New York University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New York, NY, USA) and Pal Czobor (Departments of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary).

In this article, the authors aimed at defining trait predispositions to violence in subjects with schizophrenia and in the general population. The study selected 144 subjects, i.e., 40 violent and 34 nonviolent patients with schizophrenia, 35 healthy controls, and 35 violent subjects without psychotic disorders. Subjects were tested using ‘The Psychopathy Checklist’, the ‘Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire’, and the ‘Barratt Impulsiveness Scale’. Lifetime history of aggressive behaviors, drug/alcohol misuse, and history of early conduct problems, were also assessed.

Findings showed that violent subjects (with or without schizophrenia) had higher levels of psychopathy, aggressiveness and impulsivity than the non-violent ones. These traits may thus compose a common, distinctive profile which underlies the predisposition to violence across different populations. This was particularly true in individuals with a history of early conduct problems.

The authors stated that this study allows to understand “[…] the extent of overlap and contrast in traits between subjects with schizophrenia and violent subjects in the general population”. Psychopathic and impulsive traits, as well as trait aggressiveness, seem thus to provide a differential profile for violent and non-violent individuals, independently of the presence of schizophrenia.

The article full text is available at:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920996418304237

Full reference:

Krakowski MI, Czobor P. Distinctive profiles of traits predisposing to violence in schizophrenia and in the general population. Schizophr Res. 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.07.008