Validation of the Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale in Mexican psychiatric patients
Sammanfattning
Introduction: Aggression has been linked to several psychiatric disorders. None of the available
instruments validated in Mexico is able to classify aggression as impulsive or premeditated. The
Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS) is a self-report instrument designed to characterize
aggressiveness as predominately impulsive or premeditated. Objective: The aim of the study was to
determine the validity and reliability of the IPAS in a sample of Mexican psychiatric patients. Method:
A total of 163 patients diagnosed with affective, anxiety or psychotic disorder were included. A
principal-component factor analysis was performed to obtain construct validity of the IPAS impulsive
and premeditated aggression subscales; convergent validity as well as internal consistency of
subscales were also determined. Results: The rotated matrix accounted for 33.4% of the variance.
Significant values were obtained for convergent validity and reliability of the IPAS subscales.
Conclusion: The IPAS is an adequate instrument, which might be used to differentiate the type of
aggressive behavior in Mexican psychiatric patients.