Forensic Psychological Assessment Research Articles

Psychological–forensic expert assessment of complex post traumatic stress disorder in victims of gender-based violence

Given the inclusion of the Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), this article analyses the C-PTSD as a possible new diagnosis in women victims of gender-based violence to explain a wide range of symptoms resulting from interpersonal, persistent, continuous, severe, and uncontrollable traumas that may occur in this context. Thus, it describes the psychological impact and the psychopathological consequences it produces on the victims, which are most serious when the violence suffered has occurred repeatedly and over time. In addition, it delves into the differential diagnosis of C-PTSD with other psychopathologies. Finally, a protocol for forensic psychological assessment is proposed based on C-PTSD as a clinical disorder, which explains the serious psychological impact on the evaluation of women victims of gender-based violence, considering this disorder as an alternative diagnostic hypothesis in the forensic psychological assessment of the psychological injury.

An Initial Exploratory Survey of Referrers’ Views on the Quality of Psychological Reports Completed on Clerics for Church Safeguarding Investigations

ABSTRACT This paper offers an examination of the utility of forensic psychological assessments that were carried out under the instruction of Catholic Church Safeguarding Coordinators (SCs) in England. It is based upon feedback received from SCs using a questionnaire sent in relation to priests evaluated by a private, secular, psychological practice, between January 2019 and December 2021. The results are explored and the authors note a broadly positive response to Likert-scale and narrative response items. The survey also identified perceived problems with the Church’s past reliance upon ‘in-house’ professionals to undertake such assessments.

Evaluación pericial psicológico-forense del trastorno por estrés postraumático complejo en víctimas de violencia de género

Given the inclusion of the Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) in the International Classification of Diseases 11th edition, this article analyses the C-PTSD as a possible new diagnosis in women victims of gender-based violence to explain a wide range of symptoms resulting from interpersonal, persistent, continuous, severe and uncontrollable traumas that may occur in this context. Thus, it describes the psychological impact and the psychopathological consequences it produces on the victims, which are most serious when the violence suffered has occurred repeatedly and over time. In addition, it delves into the differential diagnosis of C-PTSD with other psychopathologies. Finally, a protocol for forensic psychological assessment is proposed based on C-PTSD as a clinical disorder, which explains the serious psychological impact on the evaluation of women victims of gender-based violence, considering this disorder as an alternative diagnostic hypothesis in the forensic psychological assessment of the psychological injury.

Book Review: Challenging bias in forensic psychological assessment and testing. Theoretical and practical approaches to working with diverse populations

Book Review: Challenging bias in forensic psychological assessment and testing. Theoretical and practical approaches to working with diverse populations

Forensic psychological assessment and psychological and forensic portrait of an unknown serial killer

Forensic psychological assessment and psychological and forensic portrait of an unknown serial killer

Challenging Bias in Forensic Psychological Assessment and Testing

Challenging Bias in Forensic Psychological Assessment and Testing

A Survey of the Views of Catholic Safeguarding Coordinators about the Inclusion of the Polygraph in Psychological Risk Assessments of Clerics

Abstract This paper reflects the views of Catholic safeguarding coordinators (SCs) with regard to the inclusion of the polygraph in forensic psychological risk assessments that they have commissioned. The contents are derived from feedback forms sought of these instructing parties, relating to fifteen priests referred for assessment by SCs from eight different Catholic dioceses in England. The SCs responded to a post-assessment survey including a range of questions concerning their perceptions of the utility of independent, secularly organised, forensic psychological risk assessments undertaken during the period from January 2019 to December 2021. Feedback was obtained in relation to twelve of the clerics, with two SCs having left their positions during the period and as such, not avail able to provide feedback, and one SC not responding to the feedback request. Replies were received from SCs representing seven of the twenty-two Catholic dioceses in England. The overall survey results reflected that a significant majority of respondents positively connoted the value of independent secularly organised forensic psychological risk assessments. However, their expressed views about the polygraph in this context were more varied, thus prompting the authors to produce this separate paper.

The Law Meets Psychological Expertise: Eight Best Practices to Improve Forensic Psychological Assessment

We review the state of forensic mental health assessment. The field is in much better shape than in the past; however, significant problems of quality remain, with much room for improvement. We provide an overview of forensic psychology's history and discuss its possible future, with multiple audiences in mind. We distill decades of scholarship from and about fundamental basic science and forensic science, clinical and forensic psychology, and the law of expert evidence into eight best practices for the validity of a forensic psychological assessment. We argue these best practices should apply when a psychological assessment relies on the norms, values, and esteem of science to inform legal processes. The eight key considerations include ( a) foundational validity of the assessment; ( b) validity of the assessment as applied; ( c) management and mitigation of bias; ( d) attention to quality assurance; ( e) appropriate communication of data, results, and opinions; ( f) explicit consideration of limitations and assumptions; ( g) weighing of alternative views or disagreements; and ( h) adherence with ethical obligations, professional guidelines, codes of conduct, and rules of evidence.

Проблема исследования принятия решений у лиц, совершивших общественно опасные действия в конфликтных ситуациях

In this scientific review, in order to improve the accuracy of the expert assessment of behavior dysregulation, the necessity of studying decision-making in persons who have committed socially dangerous actions in conflict situations is argued. We emphasize the necessity to overcome the methodological problems associated with the study of decision-making in forensic psychological assessment. It is shown that the state of stress and the semantic content of conflict play an important part in the dysregulation of behavior in acute conflict situations, and that it is difficult to study them in the course of forensic psychological assessment. We propose using the method of modeling the semantic aspects of conflict situations with the registration of autonomic indicators aimed at determining the level of stress. It is assumed that modelling will be helpful in the assessment of decision-making in conflict situations related to committing socially dangerous actions.

‘Anyone who commits such a cruel crime, must be criminally irresponsible’: context effects in forensic psychological assessment

In recent years, it has become clear that expert opinion can be biased. It has been argued that forensic psychologists may also be susceptible to bias. In the present study, the vulnerability of forensic psychological evaluation of the suspect’s mental health to the context effect (i.e. the influencing of the expert opinion by irrelevant information) was tested. Master students in forensic psychology were asked to interpret test scores of a suspect in a fictitious double murder case. Some participants received a version of the case in which the description of the murders was neutral. Others received a more explicit version. Whereas the explicitness should not affect the forensic psychological evaluation, it was found that participants in the latter condition seemed more concerned about the suspect’s mental health than those in the former. It is concluded that training programmes in forensic psychological assessment should devote attention to bias.

Violence risk assessment in forensic psychology office: from childhood to elderly

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the work developed by the Forensic Psychology Office (GPF) at Forensic Sciences and Psychology Laboratory located at the Egas Moniz Higher Education School. GPF’s main goals are performing forensic psychological assessments, especially violence risk assessments, as well as scientific research. The main purpose of violence risk assessment is the prevention and development of management strategies to minimise risk and try to identify factors that may contribute to the violent behaviour [1] supporting the criminal justice system in allocating more appropriate measures (e.g. sentence, intervention) [2]. GPF presents itself as the main response to cases with higher complexity and it provides guidance about the necessary measures to protect victims [3,4]. Materials and methods This is a quantitative study and the sample (n = 90) is derived from violence risk assessments of GPF (2016–2019). We evaluate 52 victims: 39 women/girls and 13 man/boys, aged between 5 and 95 years old (M = 33.04, SD = 21.82); and 38 defendants: 30 men and 8 women, aged between 23 and 82 years old (M = 44.64, SD = 14.75). Data was collected from lawsuits, semi-structured interviews of the victims and defendants, collateral information and clinical and forensic assessment tools. All participants signed an informed consent term, which contained the purpose of the assessment, the limits of the confidentiality, and also information about the ethics and technicians impartiality. All ethical principles have been taken due to the sensitive nature of the data involved and the respective informed consent. Results In 90 criminal processes assessed, 66 cases was about reported situations of domestic violence. In these cases the relationship between victims and defendants was: 33 ex-partners; 12 ex-spouses; 10 ex-boyfriend/girlfriend; 6 married; 3 parents and 2 son/daughter. We assessed 11 child abuse cases (5 parents; 3 relatives; 2 son/daughter; 1 stepdaughter). We also evaluate 9 child sex abuse cases (2 son/daughter; 2 classmates; 2 stepdaughters; 2 relatives and 1 stranger). Finally, we evaluate 4 elderly abuse cases (2 relatives; 1 son/daughter and 1 parent). In the violence risk assessments, most of the cases presented high risk level (n = 33, 36.7%), followed by moderate risk (n = 23, 25.6%) and low risk (n = 11, 12.2). In defendant’s testimony credibility, 39.5% (n = 15) was undetermined, 34.2% probably not credible (n = 13), 7.9% (n = 3) probably credible and 2.6% (n = 1) did not collaborate in the assessment. In victim’s credibility of testimony, 73.1% (n = 38) was probably credible, 15.4% (n = 8) undetermined and 3.8% (n = 2) probably not credible. Discussion and conclusions Higher and moderate risk are the most common levels in the Office assessed cases. These results demonstrate evidences of violence risk assessment importance in criminal justice system and an good practices example between Forensic Psychology and Law. Currently, through psychological assessment protocols defined for this purpose, the GPF has contributed to supporting the criminal justice system in allocating measures that are more appropriate to protect victims.

Remote Forensic Psychological Assessment in Civil Cases: Considerations for Experts Assessing Harms from Early Life Abuse.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the question of whether psycho-legal assessments can be executed remotely in a manner that adheres to the rigorous standards applied during in-person assessments. General guidelines have evolved, but to date, there are no explicit directives about whether and how to proceed. This paper reviews professional, ethical, and legal challenges that experts should consider before conducting such an evaluation remotely. Although the discussion is more widely applicable, remote forensic psychological assessment of adults alleging childhood abuse is used as an example throughout, due to the complexity of these cases, the ethical dilemmas they can present, and the need to carefully assess non-verbal trauma-related symptoms. The use of videoconferencing technology is considered in terms of potential benefits of this medium, as well as challenges this method could pose to aspects of interviewing and psychometric testing. The global pandemic is also considered with respect to its effects on functioning and mental health and the confounding impact such a crisis has on assessing the relationship between childhood abuse and current psychological functioning. Finally, for those evaluators who want to engage in remote assessment, practice considerations are discussed.

Актуальное состояние и проблемы комплексной психолого-психиатрической экспертизы в спорах о воспитании

В статье с целью выделения актуальных проблем судебной психолого-психиатрической экспертизы по гражданским спорам о воспитании детей была проанализирована практика проведения таких экспертных исследований в ФГБУ «Национальный медицинский исследовательский центр психиатрии и наркологии им. В.П. Сербского» Минздрава России с 2003 г. Выделены организационные, теоретические и методологические проблемы данных экспертиз: субъективная и возрастающая объективная сложность, неоднозначность трактовки основных экспертных понятий при недостаточности научной базы, необходимость разработки валидизированных в рамках судебной экспертизы надёжных методов исследования семейной сферы, а также методологии проведения пробы на совместную деятельность, проблема подготовки сторонними специалистами лиц, направляемых судом на экспертизу.

Manifestation of Psychological Disorders in Medico-Legal Cases

The relationship between mental illnesses and criminal behavior is a topic of debate for last many years. It is a popular thinking that people with mental illnesses are more vulnerable towards aggression, violence, and other criminal acts. The aim of the present study was to examine the manifestation of psychological disorders in cases referred to Punjab Institute of Mental Health (PIMH), Lahore Pakistan for forensic psychological assessment. The archival data from the year 2017 to 2019 of cases was obtained from patient clerk of PIMH. Results indicated that total cases that reported were 174. More men (f = 145, 83.3%) were reported for forensic assessment as compared to women (f = 29, 16.7%). As far as residential area was concerned more cases came from urban areas (f = 94, 54%) as compared to rural areas (f = 80, 46%). The most reported criminal act was a threat to harm and murder. The aggression and murder cases were more reported from rural background. Intellectual disability (f = 56, 32.2%) and schizophrenia (f = 51, 29.3%) was the highest reported diagnosis. Intellectual disability was reported more from urban background whereas schizophrenia reported more from rural background. Chi-square results showed significant relationship between criminal acts and psychiatric illnesses, significant relationship between gender and criminal behavior as well as psychological illness was also found. Likewise, analysis of residential areas showed the difference between urban and rural areas regarding illness as well as criminal acts. The important implication of the present research was in the field of forensic psychology and legal system.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the least biased of them all? Dangers and potential solutions regarding bias in forensic psychological evaluations

When psychological evaluators are asked to provide their expert opinions in legal proceedings, they are expected to do so in an objective and unbiased way. The statutory requirements regarding the admissibility of expert testimony in many countries often cite objectivity and reliability as standards. However, as is true in many realms of human decision-making, the field of forensic psychological assessment is fraught with bias. In this article, we discuss several lines of research that have investigated bias in forensic psychological evaluations. We also discuss emerging lines of research involving methods to measure and reduce bias. We conclude with a call for structured self-monitoring as an important strategy for forensic evaluators to mitigate bias in their work.

The Importance of Legal Language and Formatting in Forensic Psychological Assessments Ordered by the Court

The Importance of Legal Language and Formatting in Forensic Psychological Assessments Ordered by the Court

Forensic Psychological Assessment in Immigration Court: A Guidebook for Evidence-Based and Ethical Practice by Barton F. Evans III, Giselle A. Hass

This is Mari Amos's book review of Forensic Psychological Assessment in Immigration Court: A Guidebook for Evidence-Based and Ethical Practice.

Comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric assessment of alcohol dependence in civil and criminal trials

Comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric assessment of alcohol dependence in civil and criminal trials

A hierarchy of expert performance applied to forensic psychological assessments.

A hierarchy of expert performance applied to forensic psychological assessments.

Development and Validation of the Pedophilophobia Scale

This study describes the development and implications of the Pedophilophobia Scale in Ukrainian language, designed to detect the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of phobia towards pedophiles in Ukrainian simple. The participants (n=40 for the trial test–retest and n=400 for test–retest reliability) were students from a large Podillia Ukrainian States university. The Scale represents the 25 Likert-type items questionnaire consisting of three factors: a factor that assesses mainly negative cognitions regarding pedophilia, a factor that assess primarily negative affect and avoidance of pedophile individuals, and a factor that assesses negative affect and aggression toward pedophile individuals. The scale was created on base of the Homophobia Scale and the concurrent validity was established according the IHP. The steps of Scale improvement and validation of the results are discussed. Study results suggest that the PPS may be used in forensic psychological and phobia assessment settings.