Aggressive behavior model in schizophrenic patients.

This study aimed to determine the optimal model for explaining the aggressive behavior of schizophrenic patients in relation to certain behavioral variables including anger, schizophrenic symptoms, and cognitive function. Schizophrenic patients were evaluated with the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) for aggressive behaviors, with irritability and resentment; with the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) for anger; with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Grooved Pegboard Test for cognitive function; and with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenic symptoms. The structural equation model (SEM) in AMOS 7 for the score of "aggressive behavior in the last week" in the MOAS, was used for statistical analysis. For the SEM, two factors (irritability and resentment) were selected from the BDHI and constituted the anger construct. Through factor analysis, two factors (executive function and motor function) were selected from the cognitive function measurements to constitute the cognitive function construct. Two factors (positive and negative symptoms) in the PANSS constituted the symptom construct. The best model for aggressive behavior (MOAS) with three constructs revealed a direct, significant path of "anger emotion to aggressive behavior". This result suggests that the aggressive behavior of schizophrenic patients is directly related to anger. Schizophrenic symptoms and cognitive function were indirectly related to aggressive behavior through the relationship between the emotion of anger and aggressive behavior.