A decisão por revelar a orientação sexual, bem como em quais contextos fazê-lo, implica diretamente na trajetória de vida dos homossexuais. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a revelação da orientação sexual, segundo as características sociodemográficas, contextos e graus de revelação e episódios de discriminação e agressão entre 1217 homens de 18 a 77 anos, frequentadores de espaços de sociabilidade em dois distritos da capital paulista que aceitaram participar do estudo Sampacentro. Este estudo é um desdobramento de pesquisa maior cuja metodologia adotada foi à amostragem por tempo-espaço e os instrumentos de coleta foram: questionários de inclusão e estruturado com questões sociodemográficas, sociabilidade/práticas sexuais, atitudes e percepções sobre prevenção, estigma e discriminação. As variáveis foram descritas por frequências e proporções. Os testes de hipótese utilizados foram qui-quadrado de Pearson e Exato de Fischer para as diferenças entre as proporções e qui-quadrado de tendência para as variáveis ordinais. O nível de significância adotado foi 5 por cento . Predominou raça/cor de pele branca (59 por cento ), alta escolaridade, 43 por cento com graduação concluída; elevada proporção de atividade remunerada (90 por cento ); prevaleceu padrão socioeconômico B (57 por cento ); elevada proporção de não praticantes de religião (51 por cento ); 55 por cento solteiros e 82 por cento homossexuais. Foram estatisticamente significantes a revelação da orientação entre os jovens, os de raça/cor branca, os que estavam namorando e entre os homossexuais. 52 por cento dos participantes compartilharam a orientação sexual em todos os contextos sociais e em ordem crescente a distribuição da revelação entre os domínios da vida se deu nos contextos de amizade, dos serviços de saúde, familiar, trabalho e escolar. Em relação à experiência de discriminação observamos tendência crescente a maior exposição à medida que a orientação era compartilhada em número maior de contextos sociais. Para agressão também verificamos tendência crescente à medida que a orientação estava compartilhada em mais contextos sociais nos subitens: agressão física, verbal e ameaça de agressão, chantagem e constrangimento no trabalho. Concluímos que a revelação da orientação sexual é ainda um desafio na trajetória de homens homossexuais, acentuada por barreiras sociais, e que quanto mais contextos sociais compartilham a informação acerca da orientação sexual maior é a possibilidade da pessoa homossexual ser submetida a atos de discriminação e agressão. / The decision to reveal ones sexual orientation, and in what contexts to do it has a direct impact on the trajectory of homosexuals lives. The objective of this study was to describe the development of sexual orientation according to sociodemographic characteristics, contexts and degrees of development and episodes of discrimination and aggression among 1217 men aged 18 to 77 years frequenting social spaces in two areas of São Paulos State capital who agreed to participate in the Sampacentro study. This study is an outgrowth of a larger research whose methodology was the time-space sampling and whose data collection instruments were: questionnaires about inclusion structured around questions about sociodemographic data, sociability and sexual practices, attitudes and perceptions about prevention, stigma and discrimination. The variables were described as frequencies and proportions. The hypothesis tests used were chi-square test and Fisher\'s Exact test for differences between proportions and chi-square test for trends for ordinal variables. The level of significance was set at 5 per cent . Predominant among the sample were the white race/color (59 per cent ), high level of education, (43 per cent university graduates), high employment rate (90 per cent ), high socioeconomic standard (57 per cent in Class B), high proportion of not practicing any religion (51 per cent ); 55 per cent declared themselves as single and 82 per cent as gay. The revelation of their status as gay was statistically significant among young people, the white race/skin color, among those who were dating and among homosexuals. Fifty-two percent of participants shared information about their sexual orientation in all social scenarios; the distribution is given in ascending order in the scenarios of friendship, health services, family, school and work. Regarding the experience of all kinds of discrimination there was tendency to greater discrimination as the sexual orientation was shared in more scenarios. There was in increasing trend for suffering aggression as the orientation was shared in more scenarios, regarding physical aggression, verbal abuse and threats, beatings, the scam of lacing drinks with hypnotic drugs, blackmail and harassment at work. We conclude that the development of sexual orientation is still a challenge in the trajectory of homosexual men marked by social barriers, and that in the greater number of social scenarios the information about gay sexual orientation is shared, the bigger are the chances to suffer discrimination and aggression.

Apesar dos aspectos positivos da interação dos seres humanos com os cães há situações indesejáveis, tais como as agressões, que são um grave problema de saúde pública em todo o mundo. As mordeduras podem levar a infecções secundárias, traumas psicológicos, lesões que requerem cirurgias reconstrutivas e hospitalizações e, até à morte da vítima. Uma das doenças que podem ser transmitidas por meio dessas agressões é a raiva, considerada uma das zoonoses de maior importância em saúde pública, não só por sua evolução letal, mas também por seu custo social e econômico. Estudos sugerem que haja dezenas de milhões de lesões por ano causadas por cães no mundo. Tal situação sugere a necessidade de se criarem instrumentos de investigação e implantar ações de vigilância epidemiológica, que permitam esclarecer quais as circunstâncias e características dessas agressões, de forma a fornecer bases para o planejamento de ações e medidas de intervenção, que visem à redução do risco de novos agravos. Com o objetivo de analisar e caracterizar as agressões causadas por cães, o perfil das vítimas e dos animais agressores e as circunstâncias de ocorrência desses agravos, este estudo observacional descritivo, que teve início em abril de 2009 e término em dezembro de 2012, foi realizado nos distritos administrativos de Vila Guilherme, Vila Maria e Vila Medeiros, no município de São Paulo. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de entrevistas das vítimas de agressões e preenchimento da Ficha de Vigilância de Agressões. Foram feitas as distribuições de frequências das variáveis, associação entre variáveis duas a duas, análise de correspondência simples e múltipla, e análises espaciais. A maior parte dos agravos ocorreu nas proximidades do local de residência da vítima; a maior proporção de agressões no sexo masculino ocorreu na faixa etária de 13 a 17 anos (66,2%); teve como região do corpo mais atingida os pés (63,3%); teve a maior proporção de lesões profundas (60,0%); teve como raça referida do cão agressor, SRD ou mestiço (57,8%); a vítima não tinha nenhum contato com o cão agressor (63,0%). A maior proporção de agressões no sexo feminino foi causada por cães esterilizados (66,1%) e ocorreu na interação de separar brigas dos animais (67,4%). A maior proporção de agressões na faixa etária de 18 a 59 anos causou lesões superficiais (49,6%). A maior proporção de agressões nas mãos foi causada por cães machos (34,8%) e sem histórico de agressões anteriores (35,7%). Concluiu-se que há que se reconhecer a relevância dos agravos causados por cães e a importância da investigação desses casos em âmbito municipal e, até mesmo em âmbito estadual ou federal; a investigação dos casos de agressões causadas por cães e o planejamento de ações, com vistas à redução dos riscos e agravos causados por esses animais, devem ser incorporadas às ações de promoção e vigilância em saúde. / Despite the positive aspects of the interaction of humans with dogs, there are undesirable situations such as aggressions, an important Public Health issue worldwide. Bites can lead to secondary infections, psychological trauma, lesions that require surgical reconstructive intervention and hospitalization and even death of the victim. One of the diseases that can be transmitted by aggression is rabies, considered one of the most important zoonotic disease, not only because of its lethal evolution, but also its social and economic cost. Previous studies suggest that there are dozens of millions lesions caused by dogs annually. Such situation suggests the necessity of surveillance tools and the implementation of epidemiologic surveillance actions that allow the elucidation of the circumstances and characteristics of the aggression events, in order to provide elements to plan actions and intervention measures to reduce the risk of new bites. Aiming at analyzing and characterizing the dog bite events, victim profiles, aggressive animals and the circumstances of the aggression events, an observational study from April 2009 to December 2012 was conducted in areas of the Sao Paulo city. Data were obtained through interviews with the victims and the fill of a questionnaire. Variable frequencies distribution and their association, two by two, along with simple and multiple correspondence analysis and spatial analysis were made. Most of the bite events occurred close to the residence of the victim. Most of the male victims were aged between 13 and 17 years (66.2%) with the feet as the most affected region of the body (63.3%), mostly with profound lesions (60%), bitten by mongrel dog (57.8%), without previous contact with the aggressor dog (63%). Most of the female victims were caused by sterilized dogs (66.1%) during the attempt to end a dog fight (67.4%). Most of the aggressions in people aged between 18 to 59 years caused superficial lesions (49.6%). The highest proportion of hand aggressions was caused by male dogs (34.8%) without previous aggressive event (35.7%). We have concluded that the relevance of dog bites must be better addressed and investigated by health authorities. The investigation of aggression events caused by dogs and the planning of risk reduction and mitigation should be incorporated to the health promotion policies.

" In this study, I investigated the ritualized fights of male Nannacara anomala to show that each distinct phase (lateral display, tail beating, and mouth wrestling) of the fight is used to assess a different aspect of resource holding potential (aggressiveness, body size and swimming performance). When animals go into an agonistic encounter, they often have little or no previous knowledge of their opponent's fighting ability (or resource holding potential). Assessment is the process by which strangers gain information about each other through repetition of informative behaviors. Generally fights are ritualized so that specific behaviors are associated with distinct phases within the fight. Aggressiveness of fish was established by measuring response time to an aggressive conspecific. Weight was used as a measure of body size. Swimming performance (stamina and maximum swimming speed) was determined by swimming each fish in a variable speed flow tank. If all fights are taken into consideration, weight is the only factor for which winners were significantly different from losers (p = 0.009). However, if the fights are classified by the phase in which they ended, fights ending in tail beating have larger winners (p = 0.003) and fights ending in mouth wrestling have faster winners (p = 0.008). Opponents are using early stages of fights to assess body size and escalated stages to assess performance characteristics."

Magister Artium - MA (Psychology) / Aggressive behaviour is prevalent in the South African context. This is evident in the high rates of interpersonal violence including rape, intimate partner violence and homicide. Young adults appear to be both the main perpetrators and victims of aggressive behaviour. Normative beliefs about aggression have been identified as a central factor underlying aggressive behaviour. Normative beliefs refer to an individual's cognitions about the acceptability of specific behaviours and serve to regulate actions. Despite the identified salience of normative beliefs in influencing aggressive behaviour, limited research has been conducted within South Africa on this topic. This study thus investigated normative beliefs about aggression held by young adults attending university. The study also aims to investigate whether prior exposure to trauma, self-esteem and demographic factors (e.g. age, gender and family size) predicted normative beliefs about aggression. Results indicated that exposure to traumatic events, as well as state self-esteem significantly predicted normative beliefs about aggression. Gender differences were evident in various subscales. Ethical approval to conduct this study was obtained by the Senate Higher Degrees Committee of the University of the Western Cape, as well as the University of the Western Cape registrar.

Att den prehospitala personalen utsätts för hot och våld framkommer i ett flertal studier som har gjorts inom detta område. Man ser tydligt att antalet arbetsolyckor till följd av hot och våld har ökat drastiskt. Skillnaden i hot och våld mellan storstad och glesbygd är dock mindre väldokumenterad. Därför vill vi undersöka förekomst av och orsaker till hot och våld i jämförelse mellan glesbygd och storstad. Studien bedrivs som en kvantitativ enkätundersökning. Totalt 112 enkäter samlades in som sedan bearbetades och analyserades. Chi2 test användes för att jämföra resultatet. Eftersom syftet med studien var att belysa förekomsten av hot och våld mot ambulanspersonal i glesbygd och storstad samt att studera skillnaderna mellan dessa kontaktades verksamhetschefen för fyra av Dalarnas 10 ambulansstationer samt verksamhetscheferna för sju ambulansstationer i Västra Götaland. När det gäller hot, hot/våld samt våld inom den prehospitala sjukvården i Sverige har vi genom denna studie påvisat en mängd skillnader mellan storstad och glesbygd. I storstad är det är en högre förekomst av hot och våld, fler män än kvinnor som drabbas samt en större andel våldsverkare som är alkohol- och drogpåverkade. Vidare visar vår studie att majoriteten av respondenterna i storstad har blivit utsatta för både hot och våld mer än en gång i halvåret i motsats till glesbygd där majoriteten var utsatta mer sällan. / Program: Specialistsjuksköterskeutbildning med inriktning mot ambulanssjukvård

Objectives The development of aggression from childhood to adulthood is well-researched, and extant work has identified a large number of developmental risk factors within the individual, family, and social domains. Among them, poor parenting, including harsh practices like corporal punishment, have repeatedly been found to predict adolescent behavioural problems, that may then negatively affect adult behaviours such as violence and offending. An area of research that is becoming increasingly important is one that seeks to identify the reasons why some people do not become aggressive, even when they have been exposed to well established risk factors. What is it that has protected them from becoming aggressive later in life? The current study examined whether self-control and having a positive teacher-child relationship acted as protective factors between corporal punishment and adolescent aggression. Methods An autoregressive cross-lagged panel model was used to examine self-control and teacher-child relationships as both direct and interactive protective factors between corporal punishment and adolescent aggression. Teacher and self-reported data was used from three waves (waves 4-6) of the Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths (Z-proso), a prospective longitudinal study of adolescents in Switzerland. Results The results show that both self-control and having a positive teacher-child relationship were direct protective factors against concurrent aggression. However, the interactive protective effect of these factors differed depending on the stage of adolescence and level of exposure to risk. Furthermore, differences were found when considering males and females separately.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Emanuella de Castro Marcolino.pdf: 2439660 bytes, checksum: b61982f7bf9e5e2479353f79250564c3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-28 / Introduction: It is understood by school violence those aggression situations arising from relationships and caused practices at school or out of it, including interpersonal conflicts, property damages and criminal acts committed by various school actors, namely to students, teachers, staff; manifested through aggression students and their peers, students and teachers, students and staff and unlike. Objective: To analyze the frequency and the factors associated with victimization and aggression of school violence among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years registered in municipal public schools in Campina Grande, Brazil. Materials and Methods: Set up as a cross-sectional epidemiological study with inductive approach, descriptive and analytical character. The sample was characterized as probabilistic by conglomerate in a stratum. The sample size calculation was done considering the prevalence of 50% of school violence, adopting a confidence level of 95% and 5% from error margin, design effect (Deff) of 1.7% and an increase of 20% for losses. He estimated the final sample in 678 adolescents. To collect the data we used the instrument called School Violence Scale, Likert scale that measures school violence frequency and severity. The following variables were analyzed: sex, age, school violence physical, psychological, material, virtual and symbolic; victimization and aggression by school violence, physical, psychological and virtual bullying, alcohol use, weapon possession and firearm at school. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 18.0 and presented by descriptive statistics (absolute and percentage distributions, mean, median and standard deviation). For inferential analysis we used the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact. The significance level to be used in statistical tests was 5% and 95% confidence interval. Results: Self-reported school violence reached 86.3% of students. Girls were victims predominantly of psychological violence, while boys experienced higher victimization by physical and material violence. There was a significant association between the variables "being aggressor" with "alcohol use" (p <0.001; OR = 3.92 [2.01 to 7.65]), "carry weapon at school" (p = 0.03; PR = 2.17 [1.08 to 4.34]) and "porting firearm at school" (PR = 17.73; [2.32 to 135.02]). As for school bullying, 29.5% of students reported victimization by bullying, while 8.4% of the students said bullying practice against another student. There was a male students predominance in bullying cases both as victims and as perpetrators. Conclusions: It is inferred that school violence, in most cases, involves male students, with victims and / or aggressors who demonstrate risk behavior in school. Similarly, bullying affects, mostly, male students, who alternate in the role of victim and aggressors, and bullying aggressors more likely to use tobacco and alcohol at school. / Introdução: Entende-se por violência escolar as situações de agressão decorrentes das relações e práticas ocasionadas na escola ou fora desta, abrangendo conflitos interpessoais, danos ao patrimônio e atos criminosos cometidos pelos diversos atores escolares, a saber, alunos, professores, funcionários; manifestados por meio de agressões de alunos e seus pares, alunos e professores, alunos e funcionários e vice e versa. Objetivo: Analisar a frequência e os fatores associados à vitimização e a agressão da violência escolar entre adolescentes de 10 a 19 anos matriculados na rede pública municipal de ensino de Campina Grande/BR. Materiais e Métodos: Configura-se como um estudo epidemiológico transversal com abordagem indutiva, de caráter descritivo e analítico. A amostragem caracterizou-se como do tipo probabilística por conglomerado em um estrato. O cálculo amostral foi realizado considerando-se a prevalência de 50% de violência escolar, sendo adotado um nível de confiança de 95% e margem de erro de 5%, efeito do desenho (Deff) de 1,7 e um acréscimo de 20% para perdas. Estimou-se a amostra final em 678 adolescentes. Para a coleta dos dados utilizou-se o instrumento denominado Escala de Violência Escolar, escala tipo Likert que mensura frequência e gravidade da violência escolar. Analisou-se as seguintes variáveis: sexo, idade, violência escolar, violência escolar física, psicológica, material, virtual e simbólica; vitimização por violência escolar, agressão por violência escolar, bullying, bullying físico, bullying psicológico, bullying virtual, uso de álcool, porte de arma branca e arma de fogo na escola. Os dados coletados foram analisados com o SPSS versão 18.0 e apresentados por meio da estatística descritiva (distribuições absolutas e percentuais, média, mediana e desvio padrão). Para análise inferencial utilizou-se os testes do Qui-quadrado e Exato de Fisher. O nível de significância a ser adotado nos testes estatísticos foi de 5% e intervalo de confiança de 95%. Resultados: A violência escolar autorelatada atingiu 86,3% dos estudantes. As adolescentes foram vítimas, predominantemente, da violência psicológica, enquanto os adolescentes sofreram maior vitimização por violência física e material. Verificou-se associação significativa entre as variáveis “ser agressor” com o “uso de álcool” (p<0,001; RP=3,92 [2,01-7,65]), “portar arma branca na escola” (p=0,03; RP=2,17 [1,08-4,34]) e “portar arma de fogo na escola” (RP=17,73; [2,32-135,02]). Quanto ao bullying escolar, 29,5% dos escolares relataram vitimização por bullying, enquanto 8,4% dos estudantes afirmaram praticarem bullying contra outro estudante. Observou-se a predominância dos estudantes do sexo masculino nos casos de bullying tanto atingiu 86,3% dos estudantes. As adolescentes foram vítimas, como vítimas quanto como agressores. Conclusões: Infere-se que a violência escolar, na maioria dos casos, envolve escolares do sexo masculino, sendo vítimas e/ou agressores que demonstram comportamento de risco na escola. De modo semelhante, o bullying atinge, majoritariamente, estudantes do sexo masculino, que alternam o papel de vítima e de agressores, tendo os agressores de bullying mais chances de uso de fumo e consumo de álcool na escola.

Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de um estudo sobre o comportamento agressivo humano, enfatizando as diversas implicações das marcas de mordidas produzidas por agressores e vítimas, notadamente quando se trata de estupro ou violência sexual, violência doméstica e abuso sexual. Essas ocorrências costumam acontecer em espaços domésticos/privados, pressupondo, portanto, um contato direto, físico, entre agressores e vítimas, que se situam em posições assimétricas, pois os primeiros, em geral homens adultos, ameaçam e brutalizam mulheres e crianças, frequentemente mais fracas e vulneráveis, física e socialmente. A violência produz impactos incomensuráveis no sistema público de saúde e na sociedade em geral, mas primordialmente em suas incontáveis vítimas. Entretanto, os crimes tidos como mais sérios e ameaçadores são aqueles cometidos mediante o uso de armas de fogo ou armas brancas, entre pessoas simétricas (homens adultos) e mais comuns em ambientes públicos. As ocorrências que têm lugar no cenário doméstico, quando as vítimas são mulheres e crianças, não são levadas tão a sério (e, por isso, mais toleradas e negligenciadas), o que acarreta a subnotificação desses crimes e um subcomparecimento das vítimas aos órgãos jurídicos e policiais, entre os quais se encontram os IMLs, que se ocupam dos exames de corpo de delito. Os dados avaliados neste estudo procedem de múltiplas fontes: literatura acadêmica especializada, matérias jornalísticas, notícias compiladas no Arquivo Digital da Folha de S. Paulo, informações registradas em Relatórios elaborados pelo IML/Sede do município de São Paulo e imagens disponíveis no Google imagens / This paper presents the results of a study on human aggressive behavior, emphasizing the various implications of bite marks produced by aggressors and victims, especially when it comes to rape or sexual assault, domestic violence and sexual abuse. These events usually take place in domestic spaces / private, assuming, therefore, a direct, physical, between aggressors and victims, which are located in asymmetric positions, because the former generally adult men, threaten and brutalize women and children, often more weak and vulnerable, physically and socially. Violence produces immeasurable impact on the public health system and society in general, but primarily in its countless victims. However, the crimes considered most serious and threatening are those committed by the use of firearms or knives, among people symmetric (adult men) and more common in public places. The events that take place in the domestic arena, where the victims are women and children, are not taken as seriously (and therefore more tolerated and neglected), which leads to underreporting of these crimes and a sub-attendance of the victims to legal and law enforcement agencies, among which are the IMLS, dealing with a forensic examination. The data evaluated in this study come from multiple sources: specialized academic literature, journalistic articles, reports compiled in the Digital Archive of the Folha de S. Paul, information recorded in reports prepared by the IML / Headquarters in São Paulo and images available on Google images

O decanoato de nandrolona é um esteróide anabólico-androgênico (EAA), derivado da testosterona, utilizado de maneira abusiva por indivíduos procurando ganho de força física ou apenas efeitos estéticos. Doses suprafisiológicas desses compostos têm sido associadas a efeitos psiquiátricos adversos, especialmente episódios de impulsividade e aumento no comportamento agressivo. Considerando o desconhecimento dos mecanismos neurais envolvidos nessa desinibição comportamental, nós investigamos a integridade da transcrição de componentes do sistema serotoninérgico (intimamente relacionados à expressão de comportamentos emocionais) em diversas áreas cerebrais de camundongos sob a administração prolongada de nandrolona. Camundongos machos adultos da linhagem C57Bl/6J receberam uma injeção subcutânea diária de 15 mg/kg de decanoato de nandrolona durante 28 dias. Diferentes grupos de animais foram utilizados para a análise de comportamentos emocionais e para a quantificação da expressão de genes relacionados à serotonina (5-HT), utilizando a transcrição reversa do RNA associada à técnica de PCR em tempo-real. Os camundongos tratados apresentaram um aumento na massa corporal, hiperatividade motora e aumento de comportamentos relacionados à ansiedade em ambientes novos. A imobilidade avaliada no teste de nado forçado apresentou-se reduzida. Os animais que receberam a nandrolona se mostraram mais agressivos e impulsivos para iniciar o ataque aos camundongos oponentes, no modelo de residenteintruso. O EAA induziu uma redução significante na quantidade de transcritos da maioria dos receptores pós-sinápticos de 5-HT investigados na amígdala e no córtex pré-frontal. A expressão do gene do receptor 5-HT1B (reconhecidamente envolvido com as alterações comportamentais observadas) estava também reduzida no hipocampo e hipotálamo. No mesencéfalo, região onde se encontram os corpos neuronais dos neurônios serotoninérgicos que inervam o sistema límbico e demais áreas cerebrais, não se observou nenhuma alteração na expressão dos genes relacionados aos receptores serotoninérgicos pré-sinápticos. Os transcritos do transportador e da enzima de síntese de 5-HT, indicadores da integridade serotoninérgica pré-sináptica, também não se apresentaram alterados. Dessa maneira, concluímos que o efeito de altas doses do EAA decanoato de nandrolona em camundongos confirma os dados encontrados em literatura quanto à desinibição comportamental observada em usuários abusivos humanos. Nosso modelo também foi eficiente em mostrar pela primeira vez alterações moleculares induzidas por este EAA. A redução generalizada na expressão dos genes de receptores de 5-HT na amígdala e córtex pré-frontal sugere essas áreas, pós-sinápticas ao sistema serotoninérgico, como críticas nos efeitos induzidos pelo EAA. Nosso trabalho também sugere um papel importante para o receptor 5-HT1B na desinibição comportamental observada / Nandrolone decanoate is a highly abused anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) by individuals looking for gains in physical strength or body appearance. Supraphysiological doses of this testosterone synthetic derivative have been associated with many physical and psychiatric adverse effects, especially reported episodes of impulsiveness and overt aggressive behavior. Since the neural mechanisms underlying AAS-induced behavioral disinhibition are unknown, we investigated the integrity of serotonergic system transcription in several brain areas of mice under prolonged nandrolone administration. Male C57Bl/6J mice received 15 mg/kg of nandrolone decanoate subcutaneously once daily for 28 days, and different sets of animals were used to investigate motor and emotion-related behaviors or 5-HT-related gene expression by qRT-PCR. AAS-injected mice had increased body weight, were hyperactive and displayed more anxious-like behaviors in novel environments. They exhibited reduced immobility in the forced swim test, higher probability of being aggressive and elevated impulsivity to attack the opponent. AAS induced substantial reduction in the transcription of most postsynaptic 5-HT receptors investigated in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Interestingly, 5-HT1B mRNA was further reduced in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. At the midbrain level, there was no alteration in 5- HT receptors, transporter or synthetic enzyme gene transcription. In conclusion, high doses of AAS nandrolone in male mice recapitulate the behavioral disinhibition observed in abusers. Furthermore, they are associated with overall decrease in 5-HT receptor gene expression in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, implicating these areas as critical sites for AASinduced effects and indicating a role for the 5-HT1B receptor in this behavioral disinhibition

The present thesis was carried out in part fulfilment of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. It is presented in portfolio format, comprising of two individual papers although a total thesis abstract provides an overview of the entire thesis. The first paper is a systematic review of existing empirical research. It explores the predictive validity of risk assessment tools for imminent (short-term) violence and aggression in forensic psychiatric settings. The second paper is an empirical study exploring how frontline nursing staff both predict and emotionally cope with experiencing violence and aggression in a high-security setting. Paper one was prepared for Aggression and Violent Behavior and paper two for The International Journal of Forensic Mental Health; so, follow their respective author guidelines. Mental health, and forensic mental health nurses have been identified as being at particular risk of experiencing patient perpetrated violence and aggression (PPVA). There is relatively little research investigating how nursing staff predict and cope with more immediate, imminent inpatient violence and aggression, specifically within secure (forensic) settings. Negative outcomes of PPVA are widely accepted and demonstrated within empirical literature, including increased anxiety and stress for staff, fractures to the therapeutic relationship between patients and staff, and difficulties with staff retention and absenteeism for the organization. Due to the extensive negative outcomes associated with PPVA, a wealth of research has focused on developing the area of violence risk assessment. Despite this, there remains limited understanding regarding the utility of existing risk assessment tools for predicting and assessing violence risk over brief time frames (i.e. days to weeks). Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to explore the predictive validity of violence risk assessment tools for imminent, short-term risk in inpatient forensic psychiatric settings. Findings demonstrated that multiple tools had decent predictive validity, however quality scores were impacted by small sample sizes. The Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression- Inpatient Version was the most effective tool with the highest mean quality score. The main limitations were the small number of studies assessing some of the included tools and the level of ambiguity between studies regarding the definition of imminent, short-term violence. Developing a shared understanding of what constitutes short-term risk and improving the number and quality of studies on the largely neglected tools, should therefore be research priorities. How nurses actually recognize and predict inpatient violence and aggression in forensic psychiatric settings, and how they emotionally cope with the aftermath, are poorly explored and understood processes. A social constructivist grounded theory approach was used to analyze the transcripts from 12 interviews with frontline nursing staff from an inpatient high-security setting. A model was constructed integrating nurses' beliefs and assumptions about subtypes of violence, their efforts to use observation skills in order to aid risk prediction, and their resultant emotional experiences following PPVA. Nurses emotional coping seemed to be affected by several factors relating to the culture of the organization and the accessibility of support. Seemingly, knowing the patient helped nurses to better identify underlying needs leading to violent behavior. This understanding helped nurses to implement targeted, needs-led interventions to address these unmet needs, and so reduce recurrent and cyclical violence. Recommendations are made to build upon, and utilize nursing skills in risk prediction and management, and to help better support the emotional impact of experiencing PPVA within forensic psychiatric settings.