Violence and Psychiatric Disorder in the Community: Evidence From the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Surveys
Abstract
Data from the Epidemiologic Catchment Area survey were used to examine the relationship between violence and psychiatric disorders among adults living in the community. Psychiatric assessment of survey respondents was based on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, which also provided self-report information about violent behavior. Those who reported violent behavior within the preceding year tended to be young, male, and of low socioeconomic status, and more than half met DSM-III criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders. Subjects with alcohol or drug use disorders were more than twice as likely as those with schizophrenia to report violent behavior. In a multivariate model of the predictors of violence, a significant interaction effect was found between major mental illness and substance abuse. The risk of violent behavior increased with the number of psychiatric diagnoses for which respondents met DSM-III criteria.
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Individuals with problematic drinking patterns are markedly more likely to engage in violent behavior compared to those without such issues.
“Individuals with problematic drinking patterns are markedly more likely to engage in violent behavior compared to those without such issues (Swanson et al. 1990; Arseneault et al. 2000; Coid et al. 2006)”
From Decoding the bidirectional links between alcohol misuse and aggression: toward a unified translational framework (2026) · cites this paper as Swanson et al. 1990
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- Authors
- Swanson, J. W., Holzer, C. E., Ganju, V. K., & Jono, R. T.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (US)
- ORCID
- Swanson, Jeffrey W.
- Venue
- Psychiatric Services
- Published
- 1990-07
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 761-770
- ISSN
- 0022-1597 (ISSN-L)
- 1075-2730
- 1557-9700
- OpenAlex
- W2166157732
- Cited by
- 1,277
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 38 · 2014: 53 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 41
- FWCI
- 13.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatric Services (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5t32mh015783-25)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 34224, MH-15783)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- violence, mental illness, community-dwelling adults, alcoholism, drug use disorders, schizophrenia, substance abuse, socioeconomic status, Diagnostic Interview Schedule
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Mental Disorders, Catchment Area, Health, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, North Carolina, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Socioeconomic Factors, Violence, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Prevalence, Logistic Models
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