NCJ Number
53123
Date Published
1978
Length
12 pages
Annotation
IT IS ARGUED THAT DATA CULLED FROM A STUDY OF 93 INMATES AT MARYLAND'S PATUXENT INSTITUTION ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THE MONROE DYSCONTROL SCALE AS AN ADEQUATE MEASURE OF THE CORRELATES OF VIOLENT ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR.
Abstract
A PRODUCT-MOMENT CORRELATION WAS PERFORMED ON THE MONROE DYSCONTROL SCALE WITH 250 VARIABLES CONSISTING OF BOTH GLOBAL AND SPECIFIC RATINGS, NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATIONS, MENTAL STATUS MATERIAL (CURRENT AND PAST PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCALES, ABBREVIATED CAPPS), CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSCONTROL BEHAVIOR (CAPPS ADDENDA), AND PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY (PAST CAPPS). THE CORRELATIONS SEEM TO CONFIRM THAT THE DYSCONTROL SCALE REFLECTED EPILEPTOID IMPULSIVE ACTION BECAUSE A POSITIVE RELATION EXISTED WITH PRIMARY DYSCONTROL (I.E., PRIMITIVE AGGRESSIVE ACTS), WITH THE GLOBAL ESTIMATION OF AN EPILEPTOID MECHANISM BY THE PSYCHIATRIST, AND WITH SUSPICION OF POSSIBLE EPILEPSY BY THE NEUROLOGIST. ALSO, A NUMBER OF SYMPTOMS SUCH AS SOMATIC CONCERNS AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC REACTIONS, AS WELL AS PRODROMAL RESTLESSNESS, HYPOCHONDRIASIS, AND INSOMNIA ALL SUGGEST A POSSIBLE PREICTAL OR ICTAL AUTONOMIC INSTABILITY. IN ADDITION, INDIVIDUALS WHO RATED HIGH ON THE SCALE ALSO RATED HIGH IN ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, BELLIGERENCE-NEGATIVISM, AGITATION-EXCITEMENT, AND AMNESIA-FUGUE-DISSOCIATIVE STATES. WHILE THERE WAS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SCALE AND ACTIVATION RATINGS, THERE WAS A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE SCALE AND MACHINE-ANALYZED ALPHA CHLORALOSE-ACTIVATED THETA FREQUENCY COUNTS DURING THE 5-MINUTES PERIODS, PRE-, DURING, AND POSTHYPERVENTILATION. REFERENCES AND TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)