Epidemiological Studies of Women Prisoners, I: Medical and Psychiatric Variables Related to Violent Behavior

Ninety-five women prison volunteers participated in an investigation of medical and psychiatric correlates of violent behavior. Violence was measured in five independent ways. Concurrence of all five measures was the criterion for establishing a relationship between violence and a given variable. The variables most highly associated with violence were maternal loss before age ten, severe parental punishment, neurological disorders in relatives, the dyscontrol syndrome, and easy access to weapons. These results underscore the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the studty of violence rather than for investigations within isolated disciplines.