Predictors of aggression in hospitalized adolescents

Client records spanning a 14-month period were examined for an adolescent unit of a large state psychiatric hospital to identify client variables predictive of acts of physical aggression in hospitalized adolescents. Forty-two percent of the 43 girls and 55% of the 57 boys were classified as aggressive because they had committed at least one act of physical aggression during the data collection period. In logistic regression analyses, client characteristics were used to predict aggression classification and 79%, 81%, and 92% of the total sample, girls, and boys, respectively, were correctly classified. Aggression in the girls was associated with having a history of family violence, being of a minority race, and being on medication; for the boys, aggression was associated with a diagnosis of a conduct disorder, being on medication, and being previously hospitalized.