Persecutory ideation and depression in mild violence among incarcerated adult males.

The present study examined the relationship between psychopathology and outcome measures of degree of victim violence and history of violence. The best predictor of degree of victim violence was an interaction between hopelessness and perception of external control, suggesting the importance of comorbidity in predicting violence severity. Contrary to many studies, an inverse relationship was found, indicating that those with greater psychopathology inflict less violence on their victims.