The development of an observer-scale for measuring social dysfunction and aggression.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Existing scales for aggression measurement often rely on self-ratings or nursing staff administration.
• There is a need for a reliable observer-scale to assess aggression, similar to established scales for other conditions like depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale (SDAS) as an observer-rated instrument for measuring aggressive cognitions and behavior.
• To assess the inter-observer reliability and validity of the newly developed SDAS.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale (SDAS), comprising 9 items for outward aggression (SDAS-9) and 2 items for inward aggression (SDAS-2).
• Assessment of inter-observer reliability using intra-class coefficients.
• A pilot study involving 82 inpatients across Danish and Swedish centers, comparing SDAS with existing scales for outward and inward aggression.

Main Results:

• The SDAS demonstrated adequate inter-observer reliability.
• The SDAS-9 showed positive correlations with other observer-scales for outward aggression, and SDAS-2 correlated with inward aggression scales.
• Divergent validity was observed between outward and inward aggression scales, highlighting the importance of measuring both dimensions.

Conclusions:

• The Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale (SDAS) is a reliable and valid observer-rated tool for assessing both outward and inward aggression.
• The findings underscore the necessity of differentiating and measuring both outward and inward aggression dimensions independently.
• Preliminary frequency analysis of outward aggression items identified irritability as the most common, followed by dysphoric mood and social disturbances.