Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 2007. / Adviser: Eileen Gambrill. Includes bibliographical references.

The present study examines the validity, reliability, and psychometric properties of a newly developed violence risk assessment and treatment planning measure for youth the Violence Risk Scale-Youth Version (VRS-YV; Lewis, Wong, & Gordon, 2004). Composed of 4 static and 19 dynamic items, the VRS-YV is designed to assess violence risk, identify targets for treatment, and evaluate changes in risk as a function of treatment. Change is evaluated through a modified application of Prochaska et al.s (1992) Transtheoretical Model of Change. Stages of change ratings made pre- and post-treatment are summed across dynamic items to yield change scores. <p>The VRS-YV, Youth Level of Services/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI; Hoge & Andrews, 2003), and Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) were each rated from file information on a sample of 133 young offenders (68 males and 65 females) who had received assessment and/or treatment services from a community mental health facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All youths had been charged or convicted of a violent offense. This tended to be a rather high risk sample with a large proportion of Aboriginal youths.<p>The VRS-YV demonstrated good internal consistency (VRS-YV total á = .91) and interrater reliability (VRS-YV total ICC = .90), while most of the individual items had acceptable inter-item (mean r = .32) and item total correlations (range r = .30 to .70). Male and female youths displayed few differences on the three risk measures or their respective scale components; however, Aboriginal youths scored significantly higher on these measures than non-Aboriginal youths, with the trend being particularly strong among males.<p>The VRS-YV showed good convergence with the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV. The three measures significantly postdicted violent offending, that is, youth who were repeat violent offenders tended to score significantly higher on each of the measures, than first time violent youth (i.e., those who had no previous history of violence). Similar postdiction was observed for general criminal offending. <p>Recidivism data were available for roughly half of the total sample (n = 62) over a mean follow-up time of approximately 2 years. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the predictive accuracy of the VRS-YV with respect to violent and general recidivism. Predictive accuracy statistics were comparable to those obtained for the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV, with correlations generally being in the .40 to .50 range and Areas Under the Curve (AUCs) in the mid .70s to low .80s. There was also a significant relationship between VRS-YV risk level and both violent and general recidivism. Survival analyses further confirmed that the VRS-YV was able to differentiate those who were more likely to recidivate and more likely to do so more quickly.<p>Change ratings were available for a small subsample of youth (n = 39), which were used to compute post-treatment dynamic ratings. Youths appeared to demonstrate some degree of change, indicating possible therapeutic progress after receiving treatment services. While the trends for the change results tended to be in the expected direction across several of the analyses, the small nature of the sample precluded meaningful interpretation of these findings.<p>In sum, these data provide preliminary evidence for the ability of the VRS-YV to evaluate risk and predict violent and general recidivism with comparable accuracy to that of two well-known and psychometrically robust instruments in the field. The results further demonstrate that the VRS-YV, YLS/CMI, and PCL-YV can have predictive validity for future violent and general recidivism among a diverse sample of youth that includes both male and female, Aboriginal, and community-based youth, living in the province of Saskatchewan. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

The present study examines the validity, reliability, and psychometric properties of a newly developed violence risk assessment and treatment planning measure for youth the Violence Risk Scale-Youth Version (VRS-YV; Lewis, Wong, & Gordon, 2004). Composed of 4 static and 19 dynamic items, the VRS-YV is designed to assess violence risk, identify targets for treatment, and evaluate changes in risk as a function of treatment. Change is evaluated through a modified application of Prochaska et al.s (1992) Transtheoretical Model of Change. Stages of change ratings made pre- and post-treatment are summed across dynamic items to yield change scores. <p>The VRS-YV, Youth Level of Services/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI; Hoge & Andrews, 2003), and Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) were each rated from file information on a sample of 133 young offenders (68 males and 65 females) who had received assessment and/or treatment services from a community mental health facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All youths had been charged or convicted of a violent offense. This tended to be a rather high risk sample with a large proportion of Aboriginal youths.<p>The VRS-YV demonstrated good internal consistency (VRS-YV total á = .91) and interrater reliability (VRS-YV total ICC = .90), while most of the individual items had acceptable inter-item (mean r = .32) and item total correlations (range r = .30 to .70). Male and female youths displayed few differences on the three risk measures or their respective scale components; however, Aboriginal youths scored significantly higher on these measures than non-Aboriginal youths, with the trend being particularly strong among males.<p>The VRS-YV showed good convergence with the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV. The three measures significantly postdicted violent offending, that is, youth who were repeat violent offenders tended to score significantly higher on each of the measures, than first time violent youth (i.e., those who had no previous history of violence). Similar postdiction was observed for general criminal offending. <p>Recidivism data were available for roughly half of the total sample (n = 62) over a mean follow-up time of approximately 2 years. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the predictive accuracy of the VRS-YV with respect to violent and general recidivism. Predictive accuracy statistics were comparable to those obtained for the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV, with correlations generally being in the .40 to .50 range and Areas Under the Curve (AUCs) in the mid .70s to low .80s. There was also a significant relationship between VRS-YV risk level and both violent and general recidivism. Survival analyses further confirmed that the VRS-YV was able to differentiate those who were more likely to recidivate and more likely to do so more quickly.<p>Change ratings were available for a small subsample of youth (n = 39), which were used to compute post-treatment dynamic ratings. Youths appeared to demonstrate some degree of change, indicating possible therapeutic progress after receiving treatment services. While the trends for the change results tended to be in the expected direction across several of the analyses, the small nature of the sample precluded meaningful interpretation of these findings.<p>In sum, these data provide preliminary evidence for the ability of the VRS-YV to evaluate risk and predict violent and general recidivism with comparable accuracy to that of two well-known and psychometrically robust instruments in the field. The results further demonstrate that the VRS-YV, YLS/CMI, and PCL-YV can have predictive validity for future violent and general recidivism among a diverse sample of youth that includes both male and female, Aboriginal, and community-based youth, living in the province of Saskatchewan. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed May 5, 2009). PDF text: xiv, 150 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 842 Kb. UMI publication number: AAT 3341672. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

No description available.

Background. A central role of mental health professionals within the criminal justice and forensic mental health system is the assessment, management and communication of an individual's risk of future violence (Webster & Hucker, 2007). The current methodology favoured by clinicians is the structured professional judgement (SPJ) approach (Farrington, Joliffe & Johnstone, 2008). These instruments act as guides in clinical practice in that practitioners are encouraged to apply clinical judgement on the relevance of empirically validated risk factors to each client. In this way, identified risk factors can be directly used to inform individual care and treatment, i.e. risk management. Yet, research on SPJ tools is typically based on retrospective or pseudo-prospective designs, which lack in ecological validity. Furthermore, findings are based on risk assessments completed by researchers rather than clinicians. This is an issue as risk ratings differ significantly depending on professional background (de Ruiter & de Vogel, 2004). Aims. This thesis presents five studies with the aim of examining the link between violence risk assessment and management in vivo. This includes two studies focussing on the predictive validity of SPJ tools following clinical implementation; a description of the implementation procedure; a traditional research study on the predictive power of dynamic risk factors and a pilot evaluation of a short term risk assessment tool for imminent inpatient violence. Methodology. The primary research site was the State Hospital, the high secure psychiatric facility for mentally disordered offenders in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The research population consisted of 115 male forensic patients who were followed up across different risk settings for a mean of 31 months. The SPJ instruments under investigation were the HCR-20 (Webster et al, 1997), the SVR-20 (Boer, Hart, Kropp et al, 1997) and the RSVP (Hart et al, 2003). All assessments were exclusively completed by clinicians and resulted in active risk management strategies. Additionally, the predictive validity of dynamic risk factors was examined through psychometric measures of anger, impulsivity, psychiatric symptoms, unmet needs and imagined violence. The risk of imminent violence was assessed with the Dynamic Appraisal Situational Appraisal - Inpatient Version (DASA-IV, Ogloff & Daffern, 2006). Results and Conclusions. Findings indicate that clinically implemented SPJ tools are not predictive of future violence, both within and outwith secure settings. Comparison with a previous study at the State Hospital implies that the implementation process of the HCR- 20 facilitated the knowledge transfer from assessment to management, and therefore incidents were prevented. This noted the results also highlight that clinicians may accept risk tools into practice when these have not been scientifically scrutinised. This was the case with the RSVP in that there is little published data on the psychometric properties of this tool, yet its introduction replaced the SVR-20 across the State Hospital. With regards to dynamic risk factors, the severity and chronicity of psychiatric symptoms were the strongest predictors of violence. This is further corroborated by the finding that the DASA-IV predicted violence within 24 hours of ratings provided. All findings are discussed in the context of previous research and the experienced obstacles of implementing changes within NHS settings. Clinical implications and recommendations for violence assessment and management are provided in the light of acknowledged limitations.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [38]-43)

No description available.

A presente tese buscou identificar os fatores proximais mais relevantes que afetam o desenvolvimento do comportamento violento na adolescência. Por meio de revisões sistemáticas e metanalíticas da literatura, o presente estudo identificou que os seguintes fatores de risco: exposição a eventos estressores, histórico de conduta violenta, fracasso em intervenções anteriores, baixo autocontrole, traços de psicopatia, emotividade negativa, transtornos de saúde mental específicos e de abuso de substâncias, pares infratores e envolvimento em gangues, isolamento social e inabilidade parental. Em relação aos fatores protetores, a revisão indicou que os fatores proximais mais relevantes consistem em: autocontrole, empatia, inteligência, atitudes positivas frente a figuras de autoridade e a intervenções, comprometimento com a escola ou ao trabalho, apoio social e vínculo com adultos pró-sociais. Na parte empírica dessa tese, objetivou-se identificar os principais fatores associados à conduta violenta em adolescentes em conflito com a lei brasileira e testar a capacidade preditiva desses fatores. Participaram 118 adolescentes do sexo masculino entre 15 e 19 anos que cumpriam medida socioeducativa no município de Ribeirão Preto SP, dos quais 78 foram entrevistados em um segundo momento (T2), 18 meses após a primeira entrevista (T1). Os adolescentes completaram o Questionário sobre Comportamentos Juvenis (QCJ) e o Inventário de Jesness Revisado Brasileiro (IJ-R-Br) no T1 e no T2, e foram testados nos testes de Stroop Victoria (TS-V) e das Torres de Londres (TOL) somente no T2. Adicionalmente, foram levantados os históricos de boletins de ocorrência dos adolescentes junto ao fórum da cidade. Os adolescentes foram divididos em grupos Violento (GV) e não violento (GNV) e comparados nas escalas psicossociais do QCJ, nas escalas de personalidade do IJ-R-Br e nos testes TS-V e TOL. Posteriormente, 70% da amostra foi utilizada para a construção de dois modelos para testar o poder preditivo para o envolvimento em condutas violentas de forma retrospectiva nos 30% dos adolescentes que não participaram da construção dos modelos. Adolescentes infratores com trajetória de conduta violenta apresentaram pior desempenho que adolescentes infratores sem trajetória de conduta violenta em variáveis dos domínios Pessoal (capacidade cognitiva, crenças, valores e aspectos de personalidade), Familiar (apego e supervisão parental), Escolar (desempenho acadêmico), Pares Infratores e Comunitário (percepção de violência). No T2, algumas dessas variáveis deixaram de produzir efeito. Em termos preditivos, o modelo 1 apresentou acurácia de 74% e o modelo 2 de 83%, destacando-se o poder preditivo das escalas do IJ-R-Br (Desadaptação Social e Transtorno de Conduta), do QCJ (Pares Infratores e Atraso Escolar) e especialmente do histórico de conduta violenta. Destaca-se que algumas variáveis impactam no desenvolvimento da conduta violenta especificamente na adolescência, reduzindo seu efeito no início da vida adulta, enquanto outras mantém seu efeito ao longo do tempo. E o fato de existirem indicadores que podem predizer o envolvimento em comportamentos violentos com boa acurácia traz contribuições para o conhecimento da realidade brasileira e também implicações para as políticas públicas e pesquisas futuras / The present thesis sought to identify the most relevant proximal factors that affect the development of violent behavior during adolescence. Through the systematic and meta-analytic reviews of the literature, the present study identified the following risk factors: exposure to stressful events, history of violent behavior, failure in previous interventions, low self-control, traits of psychopathy, negative emotionality, mental health disorders and substance abuse, peer offenders and gang involvement, social isolation and parental inability. Regarding the protective factors, the review indicated that the most relevant proximal factors consist in: self-control, empathy, intelligence, positive attitudes toward authority figures and interventions, commitment to school or work, social support and attachment to prosocial adults. In the empirical part of this thesis, the objective was to identify the main factors associated with violent behavior in adolescents in conflict with Brazilian law and to test the predictive validity of these factors. A total of 118 male adolescents between 15 and 19 years old in conflict with the lay in the city of Ribeirão Preto SP, of which 78 were interviewed in a second wave (T2), 18 months after the first interview (T1). The adolescents completed the Questionnaire about Youth Behavior (QCJ) and the Jesness Inventory - Revised - Brazilian Version (IJ-R-Br) on T1 and T2, and were tested in Stroop Test - Victoria (TS-V) and Tower of London (TOL) on T2 only. Additionally, the historical records of teenagers\' official offenses were collected at the city forum. Adolescents were divided into Violent (GV) and non-violent (NGV) groups and compared on the QCJ psychosocial scales, IJ-R-Br personality scales and TS-V and TOL tests. Subsequently, 70% of the sample was used to construct two models to test the predictive power to engage in violent behavior retrospectively in 30% of adolescents who did not participate in the construction of the models. Adolescents with violent behavior trajectories presented worse performance than adolescents with no trajectory of violent behavior in variables of the domains Personal (cognitive capacity, beliefs, values and personality aspects), Family (attachment and parental supervision), School (academic performance), Peers (offenders) and Community (perception of violence). On T2, some of these variables no longer have an effect. In predictive terms, model 1 presented an accuracy of 74% and model 2 of 83%, highlighting the predictive power of the IJ-R-Br scales (Social Disorder and Conduct Disorder), QCJ scales (Peer Offenders and School failure) and especially the history of violent conduct. It is noteworthy that some variables impact on the development of violent behavior specifically during adolescence, reducing its effect in early adult life, while others maintain their effect over time. And the fact that there are indicators that can predict the involvement in violent behaviors with good accuracy brings contributions to the knowledge of the Brazilian context and also has important implications for public policies and future research