Shihning Chou

A systematic review on the effectiveness of sex offender risk assessment tools in predicting sexual recidivism of adult male sex offenders.

PURPOSE This study aimed to systematically review the effectiveness of risk assessment tools in predicting sexual recidivism of adult male offenders. BACKGROUND Sex offender risk assessment aids risk management within the criminal justice system. Some tools follow an actuarial approach and some adopt structured professional judgement. There has not been a systematic review evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of those tools and appraising the overall quality of the primary research. METHODS Six electronic databases and reference lists of relevant meta-analyses were searched. Three experts were contacted to obtain relevant studies. Inclusion criteria were applied to the identified references and the included studies were quality assessed, using pre-defined criteria, prior to data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS Electronic search yielded 4949 hits. Of these, 1419 duplicates, 1 meta-analysis and 3382 irrelevant hits were excluded. 14 publications identified from previous meta-analyses were included. 2 non-English language duplications of publications were excluded. 89 publications that did not meet inclusion criteria and 15 inaccessible publications were excluded. 11 studies that did not meet minimum threshold criteria and 1 study that re-analysed an already included sample were then excluded, leaving 43 publications containing 43 studies. CONCLUSIONS All included tools demonstrated at least moderate predictive accuracy, with two reporting a large effect size (VRS-SO and SRA), although these two came under much less empirical scrutiny than the others and may have been the subject of developer bias in the research that is available. The VRS-SO was found to have the highest mean quality score, this again being limited by the number of studies and developer bias. The quality of the primary research is variable. More independent high quality research is needed, particularly on structured professional judgement incorporating dynamic risk factors.

The Effectiveness of Psychological Treatment for Reducing Recidivism in Child Molesters: A Systematic Review of Randomized and Nonrandomized Studies.

In this systematic review, the effectiveness of psychological treatment interventions for child molesters was examined. Studies were restricted to randomized control trials (RCTs), controlled trials, and cohort designs where recidivism had been used as the outcome variable. ASSIA, NCJRS, Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Pro-requests Dissertations and Theses A&I, and the Cochrane Library were searched. Ten experts were contacted and the reference lists of 12 systematic reviews and 40 primary studies were observed. The number of hits was 3,019, of which 564 duplicates, 2,388 irrelevant references, and 38 that did not meet the inclusion criteria were removed. Fourteen studies using mixed samples had to be omitted because it was not possible to determine the recidivism rates of child molesters in the samples described. One RCT and 9 cohort studies were included in the data synthesis, providing 2,119 participants. In all, 52.1% received the intervention under investigation and 47.9% did not. The reported recidivism rates were 13.9% for the treated child molesters compared to 18.6% for the untreated child molesters. Three studies reported statistically significant lower recidivism rates for treated child molesters. Eight studies were assessed as weak. Four studies were assessed as having bias which increased the chance of finding a treatment effect and four studies were assessed as having bias which reduced the chance of finding a treatment effect. It was not possible to determine the direction of bias for two studies.

Protective Factors Against Child Victimization in the School and Community: An Exploratory Systematic Review of Longitudinal Predictors and Interacting Variables.

Protective factors against the victimization of children and young people within the school and community environments (extrafamilial victimization) have received less attention than risk factors. To date, there has been no systematic review on protective factors. This systematic review therefore aimed to synthesize the prospective longitudinal research findings on the protective factors against extrafamilial victimization. A systematic search of multiple sources led to the identification of 19,053 studies. Following application of a predefined inclusion and quality assessment criteria, 13 studies exploring protective factors against peer victimization and exposure to violence were included in this review. Across these studies, 19 protective factors were explored: 9 individual factors and 10 contextual factors. Four studies also explored the impact of mediating and moderating variables on the relationship between predictors and extrafamilial victimization. Findings highlight inconsistencies in the definition and measurement of victimization, along with bias in a number of areas. Nevertheless, a small number of variables (perceptions of social competence, physical strength, and aggression) were identified as potential protective factors against extrafamilial victimization. Additionally, mediating and moderating variables were identified, and the interaction between individual and contextual protective and risk factors were highlighted. These findings are explored under the theoretical framework of the ecological systems theory and their practical and research-based implications are discussed.

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and violence to others in individuals with psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: There is a growing body of literature identifying a relationship between experiences of child abuse and symptoms of psychosis in adults. However, the impact of this relationship on risk of violence has not been systematically explored. Aims: This meta-analysis aimed to consider the influence of childhood abuse on the risk of violence among individuals with psychosis. Method: Five bibliographic databases and two gray literature resources were systematically searched to identify quantitative research which measured risk of violence and experiences of childhood maltreatment in individuals with psychosis. Risk of bias for each study was assessed under predefined criteria. Logged odds ratios (OR) were synthesized quantitatively in a meta-analysis. Results: A total of 6,298 studies were identified, 11 of which were included in the final analysis (N = 2,215), all studies were of a cross-sectional or case-control design. Individuals with psychotic illnesses who reported historical child maltreatment were at approximately twice the risk of perpetrating violence than patients who reported no early abuse, OR = 2.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [1.91, 3.16]. There was no statistical heterogeneity between main effects (τ = .00; χ2 = 8.87, df = 10, p = .54, I 2 = 0%). Discussion: Risk assessments and interventions may benefit from considering the unique contribution of trauma to violence in this population. Future research considering the interaction between childhood experiences and other risk factors for violence in this population, including specific symptoms of psychosis, would inform the current findings. Findings are limited by the lack of longitudinal research in this area, and there was some evidence of publication bias.

A systematic review on factors affecting the likelihood of change blindness

ABSTRACT The phenomenon of change blindness (CB) has been invoked in a number of fields of psychology, particularly eyewitness misidentification, but also hazard perception in driving behaviour. An extensive review of the existing literature suggested that there has been no systematic review to date that has investigated what factors affect CB in real-world contexts. This article aims to systematically review factors affecting CB when measured using film or real-world paradigms. Six electronic databases were searched for relevant references, alongside four E-theses. Seven experts were contacted for current and unpublished studies. Each study was compared against inclusion criteria, prior to selection and data synthesis. The full search yielded 12,656 publications; 3,654 duplicates were removed and an additional 8,693 irrelevant publications were excluded. A further 295 publications were removed for not meeting the inclusion criteria. One conference abstract was excluded as contact with the authors produced no response. A total of 13 articles that met the criteria were reviewed. Increasing attention, the saliency of the changed object and spatial violations significantly reduce CB, specifically when measured using the real-world and film paradigms; these have implications for forensic psychology practice relevant to innocent bystanders and eyewitness misidentifications, and witnesses making positive identifications. However, a number of methodological limitations were identified which should be taken into account in designing future research.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Exploring the Effects of Brief Anger Management on Community-Based Offenders in Malta

The aim of this article is to examine the effects of a short-term one-to-one anger management program delivered to community-based offenders in Malta. The program delivered was the Individual Managing Anger Program (I-MAP), a Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based anger management intervention developed as an EU project. A randomized control trial (RCT)with waitlist controls was carried out to investigate the effects of I-MAP on the reduction in anger dysfunction among offenders serving a community-based sanction. Participants were 24 male offenders aged between 18 and 57. Eligibility for treatment was based on screening for anger dysfunction and success of interventions was determined through psychometric measures. All the statistical analyses carried out showed significant reduction in psychometric scores on anger symptoms. Results of the interventions show clinical significance. These results are discussed in light of recent research.

A systematic review on the relationship between self-esteem and interrogative suggestibility

Abstract Some factors, such as age, learning disability and mental health difficulties, have been identified as making police suspects more vulnerable to suggestibility and false confessions during interview. However, there has been no systematic review on the association between self-esteem and suggestibility. Seven electronic bibliographic databases and reference lists of previous literature reviews of suggestibility in children were searched. Selected studies were quality assessed using pre-defined criteria before data were extracted. Electronic searches yielded 1914 hits. Of these, 685 duplicates, 1181 irrelevant references and 39 references that did not meet the inclusion criteria were removed. Nine publications were included in the review. Significant correlations between self-esteem and suggestibility, most notably on the Yield 1 subscale of the GSS, were found but four of the nine studies found no significant correlation. The prevalent use of self-report measures and lack of clarity in defining self-esteem limit the validity of those studies.

Psychological and Social Factors influencing Patients’ Treatment Selection for Localised Prostate Cancer

Chapter 3. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men in the United Kingdom (UK). A quarter of all new cases of cancer diagnosed in men are prostate cancers. In 2009, over 40,000 cases of prostate cancer were reported in the UK and more than 10,000 men die from the disease each year [1]. Prostate cancer is also a major concern worldwide. Its highest incidence rates are found in Australia and New Zealand with its lowest in South-Central Asia [2]. The rate of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer has significantly increased worldwide in recent decades [3]. This is likely due to the prostate-specific antigen test being performed among younger men and resulting in the majority of men being diagnosed with localised prostate cancer (LPCa) [4, 5]. These men are usually presented with treatment options, which most commonly include: (1) active surveillance (i. e. , regular monitoring of disease activity for those intended to be treated with subsequent curative treatment), (2) radical prostatectomy, (3) external beam radiation therapy, and (4) brachytherapy, and are asked to consider and select their preferred treatment. The situation that patients with LPCa face is somewhat unique. They have to decide between treatments because there is no substantial evidence to suggest that one treatment modality differs from other treatments, in terms of overall survival rate [6, 7]. However, there are considerable differences in the side-effects associated with each treatment option.