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Schizophrenic individuals are more violent than those without such a diagnosis.

Tania Marie Lincoln, PhD, * and Sheilagh Hodgins, PhD†

Providenciales Turks and Caicos Island Community College

PSY2111 Psychology Introduction to Psychology

Miss Tinavia Arthur

December 23, 2023

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Investigation

We are analyzing a brief report study regarding about the concern “Is Lack of Insight

Associated with physically aggressive behavior among people with schizophrenia living in the

community.” This question is based on the field or discussion of “Schizophrenic individuals are

more violent than those without such a diagnosis.” “I believe that people who are diagnosed

with schizophrenia tend to be more violent and aggressive unlike those that are not

diagnosed.” This topic is important and interesting as it brights further depth and information

about schizophrenia. As humans we are constantly learning, and we haven’t discovered the full

depth of schizophrenia and how it can affect one’s mind and emotions. It is interesting as it

provides insight into one’s behavior and actions based on the individuals’ emotions.

Schizophrenia as a hole lead to delusions and hallucinations it can affect a person’s change in

body patterns and emotions and this study correlates to whether it can lead to signs of aggression

and how an individual thinks and perceives information and their thought process within a given

situation and how they would react.

Summary

This article was given and displayed online as a PDF. My resources are mainly secondary

research, researching online and selecting valid information from empirical study articles that are

based on my topics and use them as resources and evidence for my research paper. The sources I

am using are credible as this research has been conducted for months if not years through the

opinions and research of multiple trained psychiatrists providing extra credibility as it provides

expert opinion. Psychiatrist used various equipment as a control variable to keep the expert
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constant and fair for all participants using various equipment’s such as PCL-R and a Positive and

Negative Syndrome Scale to determine the research was funded by multiple institutions such as

universities, colleges as well as hospitals to help conduct the research required as they used the

patience within the facility with their consent. Colleges and universities and hospitals within

mainly Canada, Finland, Sweden, and Germany have contributed and funded the procedure.

Making the information trustworthy by the different geographical locations of these countries

coming together and conducting this experiment. This empirical study was also reviewed by

many individuals that studied the field of medicine such as Roland Freese who was a Medical

Director bei Haina Forensic Outpatient Clinic in Haina, Hesse, Germany

The Participants that contributed within this study are patients with schizophrenia.

Participants who participated within the study included 209 male and 7 female patients. As

stated, consists of 4 countries that contributed to the study hence their participants originated

from that certain area. 36% of participants are from Canda, 26% are from Germany, 26% are

from Finland and 12% are from Sweden. All participants who were meant to be discharged upon

a particular date were invited to this study as they were recruited as they provided consent as

well as they had to provide the name of a relative for example the patients parents or a family

member who was in frequent contact with that individual. The research required participants that

would be active enough to participate within interviews for the study. The participants were

studied and assessed for 2 years after their discharge to discover any signs of aggression that

could occur due to their schizophrenia as well as assess any signs of aggression due to high

scores psychopathy traits and positive symptoms. The psychiatrist who helps conduct the study

often used various methods to test for Psychopathy traits using PCL-R and to show certain

characteristics such as poor behavior, irresponsibility, and impulsive behavior. Psychiatrists use
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the PANNS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) to find the positive symptoms of

schizophrenia such as hallucinations, delusions, and superiority above one another. PANNS was

also used to determine one’s insight within the study to determine oneself surrounding and

understanding and interpretation of their surroundings. Insight was measured using the PANNS

and judgement item. PANNS is used to predict and assess the behavioral patterns and the

variables to predict the aggression behaviors within a schizophrenic individual. The insight item

assesses the degree of which the patient overall levels of insight and if one fails or acknowledges

and comprehend his or her mental disorder and the effects of others using a 3-point scale. – 0

meaning no lack of insight, 1 meaning a less serious lack of insight and 2 meaning a serious lack

of insight.

During the 24 months each 6 months the collateral who had been in contact with the

patient will provide information regarding about that patient of any noticeable changes after the

discharge and any aggressive behaviors shown such as punching, kicking, biting, choking any

physical altercations or injuring another person which will then be reported by either the patient

or the collateral as the patient is being monitored after their discharge for exactly 2 years for the

investigation study. Within the article the study examines and predicts the low insight to the

predictions of aggressive behaviors within schizophrenic individuals. Using Positive symptoms

and psychopathy scores. The results were not consistent with the predictions as many were

recommended to monitor and keep predictions for a short period of time the study was conducted

as it lasted for four six months. Although the hypothesis was the lack of insight contributed to a

much more aggressive behavior it did not contribute to the prediction that a lack of insight would

lead to more violent and aggressive habits hence made the results fluctuate and inconsistent, the

study showed low base rate of aggression within the patients. When collecting due to the lack of
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aggression showed by the patients, the forensic patients seemed to be only discharged if they had

a low aggression rate hence, they changed a lot of the results of the predictions within the study.

The surprising finding made by the empirical study found out that low insight was NOT

associated with physically aggressive behaviors. They believe it may be counterintuitive as the

use of different scales leads to different results. The high rate of attrition affects the results in

general across the 2 years of the empirical study. The strength of the studies would be the vast

amount of support being provided as many hospitals and clinics as well as other educational

institutions such as colleges and universities are contributing being able to provide the patients

for the necessary study. The limitations of the study would be. Their limitations would be

individuals not being able to fully get the entire results due to the low base rates as individuals

aggression levels are lower than usual hence not being able to get any results.

Relating to my claim, I believe that people who are diagnosed with schizophrenia tend to

be more violent and aggressive unlike those that are not diagnosed as this was inaccurate due to

the results shown within the empirical study. The study samples were low compared to the rates

found within other studies and due to the low base rates presented because patients were being

discharged as a reward of showing low signs of aggression allowing their freedom from most

clinic facilities making them showed less signs of aggression when being monitored for 2 years

“when assessing risk for aggressive behavior in persons with schizophrenia who are to be

discharged or are living in the community.” This article was published January 2008 I would

expect the following findings to still hold true as the articles provides a section that talks about

the aggressive behaviors that were still shown and the number of incidents that happened that

linked to aggressive behavior hence my previous claim has some evidence that can be used to

support my claim. The article states that there were results of aggressive behavior between who
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were within a forensic hospital and a general psychiatric hospital as once during the 2 year

period 9 incident within the first 6 months 12 within the 2 nd 6 months and 14 within the 3rd 6

months and 11 within the 4th six months as behaviors such as pushing, grabbing and shoving

were involved which concluded 19 incidents and 7 incidents of patients slapping someone as 6

incident of punching someone and other altercations such as biting, kicking, choking as there

were 2 incidents as well as throwing something at someone as there were signs of aggression

within the following periods of the 2 years. This empirical study helps me better understand

patients who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The findings mainly apply to

schizophrenic individuals who suffer the effects of schizophrenia.

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Reference

Lincoln, T. M., & Hodgins, S. (2008, January 1). Is Lack of Insight Associated with Physically

Aggressive Behavior Among People with Schizophrenia Living in the Community? The Journal

of NERVOUS AND MENTAL DISEASE.

https://journals.lww.com/jonmd/abstract/2008/01000/is_lack_of_insight_associated_with_physic

ally.10.aspx