A sample of 87 psychiatric inpatients known to have been assaultive while in the hospital was contrasted with a matched group of nonviolent patients to identify the personal risk factors that distinguished the two groups. Data were collected using a personal history interview, a neurological examination, and an electroencephalogram. The four risk factors identified—neurological abnormality, history of violent crime, history of violent suicide attempts, and deviant family environment in childhood—were used to develop a statistical model predicting which subjects in a sample of newly admitted patients would become assaultive during the first three months after admission. The predicted classification of patients was found to be significantly related to subsequent assaultive behavior.
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