Instruments for Short-Term (24 h) Violence Risk Assessment and Strategies for Managing Violence Risk Among Adolescents With Risk for Violent Behaviour: A Systematic Review.
Laura Väätäinen, Maiju Björkqvist, Yan Li and 3 others
PMID 40757747WHAT IT FOUND
Short-term violence risk tools exist for adolescents, with youth-specific versions predicting aggression better than adult ones.
However, the review found no studies testing actual management strategies or whether these assessments reduce violence or restraint. Nurses should not assume using these tools improves safety.
Key findings
01Nine studies evaluated six short-term violence risk assessment instruments, but no studies tested violence risk management strategies or their outcomes.
02Instruments designed specifically for adolescents (DASA-YV and V-RISK-Y) generally showed higher predictive validity for aggression than those adapted from adult tools.
03Assessments were primarily conducted by nursing staff, but none of the included studies evaluated whether using these tools reduced coercive measures like restraint or seclusion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only nine studies were included, all focused on assessment tools rather than management interventions. Samples were small and often skewed toward males (e.g., one study had 34 males and 1 female), limiting generalisability to all adolescents. No studies reported outcomes such as reduced violence or reduced use of coercive measures, so the clinical impact of these tools is unknown. Assessors were not blinded, introducing potential bias where high-risk ratings might influence subsequent care (the risk paradox).
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Mental Health Bluskies-funding, Faculty of Health Sciences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that implementing these risk assessment tools will reduce violence or restraint use. The review found no evidence that these instruments improve patient safety outcomes, only that they can predict aggression.