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Assaultiveness Among Institutionalised Adults with Mental Retardation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Olav M. Linaker*
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Trondheim, PO Box 1803 Lade, N-7002 Trondheim, Norway

Abstract

In an institution, 57 people with mental retardation who had shown assaultive behaviour during the last year were compared with a control group of 57 people in the same institution, matched by sex, level of retardation and age. The study group were younger and had more people with a moderate level of mental retardation than the total population of the institution. Compared with the controls, the assaultive group had more resources available, had more psychopathology, consumed more psychotropic drugs, and had a higher frequency of other problem behaviour. We found no group differences in personal skills, including communication. Generally, the observed covariates of assaultive behaviour resembled that seen in other populations with assaultive behaviour.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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