Violent behavior and gender: are there important differences between men and women with and without mental disorders?

Authors

  • Alexandre Martins Valença Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5744-2112
  • Lisieux Elaine de Borba Telles Departamento de Psiquiatria e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4105-5924
  • José Brasileiro Dourado Junior Psiquiatra Forense, Médico Assistente do Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE, Recife, PE, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4142-7698
  • Talvane Marins de Moraes Professor, IPUB, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
  • Antônio Geraldo da Silva Pós-Doutor em Medicina Molecular, Presidente, Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria, ABP, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3423-7076
  • Antônio Egídio Nardi Professor Titular de Psiquiatria da Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2152-4669

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2025.v15.1463

Keywords:

violence, violent behavior, gender, schizophrenia, mental disorder

Abstract

Published studies on violent behavior have reported lower rates of violent behavior in women than in men. Various studies have found that starting in adolescence, women display significantly less aggressive behavior and fewer arrests for violent crimes. In the general population, men are physically more aggressive than women. The purpose of this editorial is to discuss the differences between gender on violent behavior, focusing on mental disorders, according to studies on the subject. The presence of mental illness decrease this difference significantly, although the rates are still higher in men. The findings also indicate that violent behavior in women with or without mental disorder is more frequently targeted to family members, while in men it is mostly targeted to strangers. A greater supply of mental health services is needed for all this population, especially for alcohol and substance use disorders, considereing the processes of psychosocial rehabilitation. Such services should be open, community-based, and provided by multidisciplinary teams. Jointly, these interventions can certainly reduce the frequency of violent behavior in both sexes.

Keywords : violent behavior ; mental disorder ; schizophrenia ; gender.

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Author Biographies

Alexandre Martins Valença, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/6780184620648314

Lisieux Elaine de Borba Telles, Departamento de Psiquiatria e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/4016631092809678

José Brasileiro Dourado Junior, Psiquiatra Forense, Médico Assistente do Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE, Recife, PE, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/3640377381459554

Talvane Marins de Moraes, Professor, IPUB, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/6457995239550104

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3085-3736

Antônio Geraldo da Silva, Pós-Doutor em Medicina Molecular, Presidente, Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria, ABP, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/9471338065453170

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3423-7076

Antônio Egídio Nardi, Professor Titular de Psiquiatria da Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/0970789513843822

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Published

2025-05-14

How to Cite

1.
Valença AM, Telles LE de B, Dourado Junior JB, Moraes TM de, da Silva AG, Nardi AE. Violent behavior and gender: are there important differences between men and women with and without mental disorders?. Debates Psiquiatr. [Internet]. 2025 May 14 [cited 2026 Jun. 10];15:1-9, e1463. Available from: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/1463

Issue

Vol. 15 (2025)

Section

Editorial

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Copyright (c) 2025 Alexandre Martins Valença, Lisieux Elaine de Borba Telles, José Brasileiro Dourado Junior, Talvane Marins de Moraes, Antônio Geraldo da Silva, Antônio Egídio Nardi

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