Correlates of violence risk in hospitalized adolescents

Forty adolescent inpatients with histories of frequent interpersonal violent behavior were compared with 36 hospitalized adolescents without histories of overt violence using self-report questionnaires that measured violence risk, depression, impulsivity, and suicide risk. The two groups did not differ in terms of their demographic characteristics, but the violent patients had a higher prevalence of substance abuse and borderline personality disorder diagnoses. Violent adolescents were more impulsive and at higher suicide risk than nonviolent adolescents. In addition, violent adolescents had more positive histories of suicide attempts and had significantly higher family histories of attempted and completed suicide. In the total sample of adolescents, violence risk was significantly correlated with impulsivity and suicide risk, but not with depression.