Prevalence and clinical correlates of aggressive behavior in male inpatients with alcohol dependence during hospitalization

TL;DR

This study finds that aggressive behavior is common in hospitalized men with alcohol dependence and is linked to shorter sleep, higher suicide risk, and lower hemoglobin levels.

Contribution

The study identifies specific clinical and hematological correlates of aggressive behavior in hospitalized alcohol-dependent patients.

Findings

Aggressive behavior was observed in 37.1% of hospitalized alcohol-dependent patients.

Shorter sleep duration, higher suicide risk scores, and decreased hemoglobin were significant risk factors for aggression.

Most aggressive patients had multiple episodes of aggression during hospitalization.

Abstract

Aggressive behavior is a prevalent among hospitalized patients with alcohol dependence. However, its clinical correlates remain inadequately characterized. This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the prevalence of aggressive behavior and identify associated clinical factors in this population during hospitalization, which is not well studied.

Electronic medical records of 555 inpatients diagnosed with alcohol dependence were reviewed. Patients were stratified into aggressive (≥1 documented incident of overt interpersonal aggression during hospitalization) and non-aggressive behavior groups. Data collected included sociodemographics, suicide risk assessed using the Nurses’ Global Assessment of Suicide Risk (NGASR), and hematological parameters (blood routine test and hepatic function biomarkers).

The prevalence of aggressive behavior was 37.1% during the hospital stay in patients with alcohol dependence. In aggressive group, 45.1% demonstrated a single aggressive episode, 21.4% displayed two episodes and 33.5% experienced ≥3 episodes. Compared to the non-aggressive group, patients exhibiting aggression showed significantly shorter sleep duration, higher NGASR scores and decreased hemoglobin (all p<0.05). Logistic regression identified shorter sleep duration (p<0.001, OR = 0.749), higher NGSAR score (p = 0.004, OR = 1.146) and decreased hemoglobin (p = 0.003, OR = 0.981) as independent risk factors for aggressive behavior.

Aggressive behavior is highly prevalent among hospitalized alcohol-dependent patients. Shorter sleep duration, higher suicide risk and decreased hemoglobin are significant clinical and hematological correlates of this behavior during hospitalization. These factors warrant clinical attention for risk assessment and management.

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