STUDIES OF AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - IS THERE A RESPONSEBIAS

Of 73 patients who met selection criteria to enter into a study on agg ressive behaviour in schizophrenia, 11 patients (15.1%) did not partic ipate. The participants and non-participants were similar in age, gend er ratio and proportion who had aggressive behaviour. The participants , however, had a longer duration of illness, a longer duration of curr ent admission, were more likely to suffer from residual schizophrenia, but less likely to suffer from disorganized schizophrenia and were le ss severely ill than the non-participants. These results indicate the need, in studies of aggressive behaviour in schizophrenia, to consider non-response bias as a confounding variable.