Characteristics of Violent Versus Nonviolent Patients with Schizophrenia

Recent research has demonstrated an associative link between some forms of mental illness and violence. While much of this violence is committed by persons with schizophrenia, the characteristics of violent versus nonviolent schizophrenic patients has received limited attention. Two studies with small sample sizes compared these groups on psychological dimensions in acute care settings, but there appears to be no study of continuing care inpatients. This study compared a statewide sample of violent and nonviolent inpatients with schizophrenia on several domains of social interpersonal behavior. In a between-group analysis, violent patients showed evidence of serious dysfunction in community self-care and community adjustment, whereas the nonviolent were more impaired in the areas of depression, restlessness, and internal confusion. A within-group analysis of patients with interpersonal violence and those with noninterpersonal violence yielded similar findings of serious community dysfunction versus internal confusion. The implications are discussed.