Psychogenic factors and aggressive behavior in patients with multi-infarct dementia

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the relationship between psychogenic factors and aggressive behavior in patients with multi-infarct dementia in order to develop methods of psychocorrection, improve the quality of lives of patients and those caring for them, as well as to increase the effectiveness of treatment. Material and methods: 49 patients (n=49) with a diagnosis of multi-infarct dementia (F01.1) and accompanying aggressive behavior took part in the study. Clinical-anamnestic, clinical-psychopathological, and psychometric diagnostic methods were used. Results: in 27 patients (87.1%), physical aggression was statistically significantly more common due to the relatives’ careless daily care implementation, which led to an increase in the chances of developing physical aggression and its severity. In 78.6% of cases (in 22 patients), physical aggression occurred statistically significantly more often with the violation of the daily routine and was associated with the risk of developing physical aggression and a greater degree of its severity. Irritability was statistically significantly more common in 13 subjects (56.5% of cases) due to their own helplessness and was associated with higher chances of the irritability development and its severity. In 17 patients (68%), verbal aggression was statistically significantly more common and occurred when the patients’ appeals to caregivers were not understood, which led to an increase in the odds ratio of the verbal aggression development and its severity. The relationship between the patients’ aggression and the caregivers’ negative attitude towards them was not found. Conclusions: the data obtained indicate that patients with multi-infarct dementia most often show physical aggression, which is closely related to such factors as "the relatives’ careless daily care implementation" and "the violation of the daily routine". In addition, the patients were characterized by the manifestation of irritability due to "their own helplessness against the background of the underlying disease" and the manifestation of verbal aggression when "the relatives did not understand their appeals".