AshEse Journal of Medicine and Medical Researches
Vol. 1(3), pp. 009-015, April, 2015
ISSN: 2059-1233
© 2015 AshEse Visionary Limited
Full Length Research
Vitor Crestani Calegaro¹*, Christina Chitolina Schetinger², José Antônio Reis Ferreira de Lima², Luma Manfio Canzian3 and Ângelo Batista Miralha da Cunha1
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Centre of Health Sciences, Federal University of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
2Centre of Health Sciences, Federal University of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
3Psychiatry Medical Resident, Federal University of Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
*Corresponding author. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Tel: +55 55 32208148. Fax: +55 55 30257596
Received 31 March, 2015; Accepted 7 April, 2015
Aggression is an important problem that leads the patients to Psychiatric Emergency Services. Despite of the hospitalization, it may still happen inside the hospital, and cause physical and psychological problems to the staff and other patients. This research aimed to study the prevalence and the factors associated with aggression in the first 24 h of psychiatric hospitalization. A cross-sectional study conducted in the Psychiatric Service of the University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM) with 137 psychiatric inpatients, using the Overt Aggression Scale, comparing aggressive to non-aggressive patients was used. The prevalence of general aggression was 41.6%, and physical aggression was highlighted with 8.8%. The main associated factors were involuntary hospitalization, aggression of any kind within the week before admission, compulsive use of cannabis and cocaine in the past, smoking, diagnostic hypothesis of multiple substance use, bipolar disorder during a manic episode and psychotic disorder (for physical aggression only). Aggression within the first 24 h of admission is considerably prevalent. The associated factors are consistent with international literature. However, we suggest that nation-wide studies about aggression prevalence are necessary, due to local specificities.
Key words:Aggression, psychopathology, psychiatric emergency services, self-injurious behavior, inpatients.