Executive function and in-patient violence in forensic patients with schizophrenia

The literature on the association between neuropsychological deficits and in-patient violence in schizophrenia is limited and the findings inconsistent.

To examine the role of executive function deficits in inpatient violence using measures of dorsolateral (DLPFC) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortical (VLPFC) function.

Thirty-three violent and forty-nine non-violent male forensic in-patients with schizophrenia were assessed using neuropsychological tasks probing DLPFC and VLPFC function and on measures of symptoms and psychopathy.

There were no significant group differences in neuropsychological task performance. Higher rates of violence were significantly associated with lower current IQ scores and higher excitement symptom scores. The 'violent' group had significantly higher interpersonal and antisocial domain psychopathy scores. In a logistic regression analysis, IQ and the interpersonal domain of psychopathy were significant discriminators of violent v. non-violent status.

Personality factors rather than symptoms and neuropsychological function may be important in understanding in-patient violence in forensic patients with schizophrenia.