The Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) is a four-part behavior rating scale designed to measure four types of aggressive behavior as witnessed in the past week. Each section consists of five questions, with the first section regarding verbal aggression, the second section focusing on aggression against property, the third section measuring autoaggression, and the fourth section concerning physical aggression. Respondents are asked to check whether each statement describes the child’s behavior over the previous week.
The MOAS was originally intended for use by physicians in a clinical setting, but parents may also use it to track aggressive behaviors in their children over time. It is particularly helpful in assessing aggressive behaviors in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBIs). The scores of the scale have shown good reliability and validity across multiple different study samples