Childhood conduct problems, stages of Alzheimer's disease, and physical aggression against caregivers

Objective: To assess the prevalence of physical aggression against caregivers by Alzheimer's patients. Method: One hundred and ninety-eight individuals with dementia, primarily Alzheimer's disease (AD) were evaluated with the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, the Mini Mental Status Examination, two measures of Activities of Daily Living, portions of the Conflict Tactics Scale to measure physical aggression against partner, questions about conduct problems during childhood/adolescence of the patients, and chart records of delusion and paranoia. Results: 25% of the patients engaged in physical aggression against their caregivers in the past year, and 33% of the patients engaged in some act of physical aggression against any individual in the past two weeks. Physical aggression against a caregiver was more likely in the middle (34%) than the early stage of AD (4%). Physical aggression against a partner and agitation were more likely if the patient had a history of symptoms of conduct disorder. Delusions and paranoia were both associated with general physical aggression and general verbal aggression but not physical aggression against a caretaker. Conclusions: 25% of Alzheimer's disease and Multi-Infarct dementia patients engaged in acts of physical aggression against their caregivers. The rate of aggression seen in this clinical sample was much higher than the rate of physical aggression in a community sample of the elderly.