Because of the rising frequency and severity of violence in prison populations, quick and accurate screening of aggressiveness is vital. The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) is a 29-item self-report measure of aggression. Bryant and Smith proposed a refined 12-item, four-factor version with superior psychometric qualities; however, Williams, Boyd, Cascardi, and Poythress found a different factor structure among jail detainees than is usually found with nonoffenders. The current study used confirmatory factor analyses with data from mentally ill male offenders in a state prison to examine several previously proposed models for the BPAQ. Results confirmed the four-factor structure, the factorial invariance across populations, and supported the use of a modified 12-item refined BPAQ with this prison population.
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