Predictors of Aggressive Behaviors: a Longitudinal Study in Senior Day Care Centers

Aggressive behaviors place elderly persons and their caregivers at risk. This study examines longitudinally the predictors of aggressive behaviors based on staff and family members' ratings of 200 community-dwelling participants from senior day care centers. The main difference between physically and verbally aggressive behaviors was found to be the role of physical and mental health. Cognitive impairment and poor quality of relationship were the main predictors of physically aggressive behaviors. Verbally aggressive behaviors were predicted mainly by depressed affect, low quality of relationships, and poor physical health. These results validate and expand prior cross-sectional research on the correlates of aggression in other populations, and guide in the development of interventions.