J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1990; 2:189-192
Copyright © 1990 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Subtyping aggression in children and adolescents
B Vitiello, D Behar, J Hunt, D Stoff and A Ricciuti
Medical College of Pennsylvania, Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Philadelphia.
To document the existence of "predatory" (goal-oriented, planned, hidden,
or controlled) and "affective" (impulsive, unplanned, overt, or
uncontrolled) subtypes of aggression, this study assessed 73 aggressive
child and adolescent psychiatric patients for the presence of theoretically
predatory and affective behaviors. Cluster analysis, using the reliable
items, confirmed the predicted partition, yielding a "predatory" and an
"affective" cluster. The scale, with a total score from +5 (fully
predatory) to -5 (fully affective), had good internal consistency (alpha =
.73). The score distribution tended to be bimodal, with peaks at -3
(predominantly affective) and 1 (mixed). Patients with "affective"
aggression were more likely to have lower IQ, to receive neuroleptics or
lithium, and to have a chart diagnosis of schizophrenia. History of drug
abuse was more frequent among the "predatory" patients.
