JOINT OCCURRENCE OF DEPRESSION AND AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH MENTAL-RETARDATION

The relationship between aggression and depression was evaluated for 5 28 adults, adolescents and children, who were rated on either the adul t or child versions of the Reiss instruments for dual diagnosis (Reiss 1988; Reiss & Valenti-Hein 1990). Criterion levels of depression were evident in about four times as many aggressive as nonaggressive subje cts. Anger was significantly associated with both aggression and depre ssion. Although anger may play a mediational role in the correlation b etween aggression and depression, in this study there was a significan t correlation even after the effects of anger were held constant. The findings provide an initial step toward improving diagnostic specifici ty when evaluating aggressive behaviour in people with mental retardat ion.