Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
Issues regarding the clinical use of the Classification of Violence Risk (COVR) assessment instrument
1Department of Veterans A fairs, Cumberland, MD 21502, USA. paul.mccusker@va.gov
Abstract:
The MacArthur Study of Mental Disorder and Violence produced an instrument for classifying hospitalized psychiatric patients according to their risk of behaving violently following discharge. The instrument, Classification of Violence Risk (COVR) has been computerized and is now commercially available to clinicians. A validation study performed by the original researchers showed that when the instrument was applied to a new sample of patients, it demonstrated a considerable reduction in positive predictive power. Potential factors affecting the instrument's accuracy in applied settings are reviewed. It is concluded that, until additional research clarifies uncertainty about the instrument, clinicians would do well to be very cautious in utilizing COVR results to make judgments as to violence risk, particularly when the test results suggest a high risk of future violence.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Strategies for Assessing and Addressing Confounding
Confounding can be addressed at both the design phase of a study and through analytical methods after data...
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders
Psychological therapies focus on modifying emotions, thoughts, and behaviors through talking, interpreting, listening, rewarding, challenging, and modeling. Clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers commonly practice psychotherapy. Clinical...
Relative Risk
Conduct Disorder
