Past violence and substance use disorder and subsequent violence towards others: six year analysis of the Assaulted...

Recent research has begun to document evidence of associations between past violence toward others, untreated personal victimization, and substance use disorder and later acts of violence toward others. This appears true for many types of individuals, including psychiatric patients who have been victims of violence. This six-year retrospective study sought to evaluate these possible associations in assaultive psychiatric patients. Data were gathered in the context of the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP), a crisis intervention program for staff victims of patient assault. Both histories of violence (violence toward others and/or personal victimization) and substance use disorder in assaultive psychiatric patients were individually and jointly examined and found to be associated with subsequent assaults by these patients. Increased levels of both past violence toward others, personal victimization, and substance use disorder were associated with the largest increased frequency of subsequent assault. The implications and possible links to emergency mental health services are discussed [International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 2(4), 241-247].