Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2003 Apr;7(2):127-32.
doi: 10.1007/s11916-003-0022-4.

Chronic nonmalignant pain and violent behavior

Daniel Bruns  1 , John Mark Disorbio, Richard Hanks
Affiliations
Review

Chronic nonmalignant pain and violent behavior

Daniel Bruns et al. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2003 Apr.

Abstract

Research suggests that violence has entered the medical setting to a remarkable degree, causing medical professionals to be at the highest risk for becoming the victims of assaults and violent acts. This article reviews general theories of aggression and research on these theories, and uses them to assess risk factors in patients with chronic pain. There are data to suggest that pain may increase the risk of aggressiveness in some patients. However, it may decrease the risk in others paradoxically. The research available underscores the need for evaluating patients with pain for the risk of violent or aggressive behavior; specific recommendations are made in this regard.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Annu Rev Psychol. 2002;53:27-51 - PubMed
    1. J Behav Med. 2000 Feb;23(1):95-105 - PubMed
    1. Tex Med. 1994 Jul;90(7):25-7 - PubMed
    1. Child Dev. 1996 Jun;67(3):993-1002 - PubMed
    1. BMJ. 1991 Feb 9;302(6772):329-32 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources