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Physical aggression in dementia patients and its relationship to depression
Lyketsos CG, Steele C, Galik E, Rosenblatt A, Steinberg M, Warren A, Sheppard JM.. The American journal of psychiatry, 1999-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of physically aggressive behavior in community-residing patients with dementia and its relationship to depression. Method A consecutive series of 541 patients with DSM-IV-defined dementia underwent comprehensive neuropsychiatric evaluation and were rated on the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, the Mini-Mental State, the Psychogeriatric Dependency Rating Scale, and the General Medical Health Rating. Results Physically aggressive behavior was exhibited by 79 patients in the 2 weeks before evaluation. Aggressive behavior was closely associated with moderate to severe depression, male gender, and greater impairment in activities of daily living, even after adjustment for delusions, hallucinations, sleep disturbance, and severity of cognitive impairment. After adjustment for depression, gender, and impairment in activities of daily living, there was no association between physically aggressive behavior and the presence of either delusions or hallucinations. Conclusions A substantial minority of patients with dementia exhibit physically aggressive behavior, and this aggression is strongly linked with the presence of depressive symptoms. It is possible that the identification and treatment of depression in dementia may be a means of preventing and managing physically aggressive behavior.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Lyketsos, C. G., Steele, C., Galik, E., Rosenblatt, A., Steinberg, M., Warren, A., et al. (1999). Physical aggression in dementia patients and its relationship to depression. The American journal of psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.156.1.66
Vancouver
Lyketsos CG, Steele C, Galik E, Rosenblatt A, Steinberg M, Warren A, et al. Physical aggression in dementia patients and its relationship to depression. The American journal of psychiatry. 1999. doi:10.1176/ajp.156.1.66. PMID: 9892299.
BibTeX
@article{lyketsos1999-9892299,
author = {Lyketsos, C. G. and Steele, C. and Galik, E. and Rosenblatt, A. and Steinberg, M. and Warren, A. and Sheppard, J. M.},
title = {{Physical aggression in dementia patients and its relationship to depression}},
journal = {The American journal of psychiatry},
year = {1999},
doi = {10.1176/ajp.156.1.66},
pmid = {9892299},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.156.1.66}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Physically aggressive behavior was exhibited by 79 patients in the 2 weeks before evaluation.
- Aggressive behavior was closely associated with moderate to severe depression, male gender, and greater impairment in activities of daily living, even after adjustment for delusions, hallucinations, sleep disturbance, and severity of cognitive impairment.
Why it matters
This study found that physically aggressive behavior in community-residing patients with dementia was strongly linked with the presence of depressive symptoms. The authors suggest that identifying and treating depression in dementia may be a means of preventing and managing physically aggressive behavior, but this was not directly tested.
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Study details
- Participants541
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | American Journal of Psychiatry: journal h-index 549 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1999 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 541 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 201 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.9 citations a year over 29 year(s) since 1999 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jeannie‐Marie Leoutsakos: h-index 57 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 9892299) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
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