Differences Between Clients and Professionals of Forensic and Nonforensic Flexible Assertive Community Treatment.

Rationale: Flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) has been adapted for application with clients with criminal justice involvement (forensic FACT [ForFACT]). Differences have been found between clients of ForFACT services and clients of nonforensic FACT services; however, less is known about differences in behaviors. Furthermore, because of the different guiding frameworks and goals of treatment, and the difference in clients' presenting problems, it is possible professionals also differ in terms of specialist skills they need and in areas of care they deem important.

Offence Paralleling Schema Modes in Institutional Violence.

This study explored emotional patterns in relation to the Offence Paralleling Behavior and the schema mode frameworks. The study retrospectively assesses schema modes in the events prior and during criminal and institutional violent behavior. It draws upon observer-ratings of schema modes by 42 male patients who received mandated clinical care in a forensic hospital in the Netherlands.

Qualitative Analysis of Severe Incidents in Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals: Toward a Model of Forensic Vigilance.

Forensic vigilance is a hypothesized specialty of forensic mental health professionals which seems to play a role in maintaining safety in forensic hospitals. It is unclear exactly how forensic vigilance relates to preventing incidents. We used standardized reports of severe incidents that occurred in forensic hospitals to investigate how forensic vigilance plays a role in the occurrence of incidents.

Emotional States Related to Sexual Offending Versus Violent Offending Using a Schema Therapy Perspective.

The aim of this study was to examine the emotional states preceding and during sexual and violent offenses in a Dutch sample of male forensic inpatients. Moreover, the predictive impact of these emotional states on institutional violence in the first year of mandated care was examined using an incident scheme. Observer-ratings of emotional states by 103 male offenders and 97 sex offenders were examined using Mann-Whitney tests.

Dutch forensic patients with and without intellectual disabilities: A comparison of demographic, offence, and diagnostic characteristics.

Background: Patients with an intellectual disability (ID) and offending histories constitute a challenging clinical group. The present study examined commonalities and differences in demographic, diagnostic and offence characteristics in patients with and without intellectual disabilities who were either convicted for violent or sexual offences and who resided in mandated care in the Netherlands.

Method: We compared 165 offenders with an ID to 249 offenders without an ID.

Anger provocation increases limbic and decreases medial prefrontal cortex connectivity with the left amygdala in reactive aggressive violent offenders.

Neurobiological models propose reactive aggression as a failure in emotion regulation, caused by an imbalance between prefrontal cortical control and excessive bottom-up signals of negative affect by limbic regions, including the amygdala. Therefore, we hypothesize a negative correlation between PFC and amygdala activity (pre/post resting-state scans) in violent offenders. In this study resting-state fMRI was administered before and after an emotion (anger and happiness) provocation or engagement task within 18 male violent offenders scoring high on reactive aggression, and 18 male non-offender controls.

Anger provocation in violent offenders leads to emotion dysregulation.

Anger and anger regulation problems that result in aggressive behaviour pose a serious problem for society. In this study we investigated differences in brain responses during anger provocation or anger engagement, as well as anger regulation or distraction from anger, and compared 16 male violent offenders to 18 non-offender controls. During an fMRI adapted provocation and regulation task participants were presented with angry, happy and neutral scenarios.

Executive (Dys)Functioning and Impulsivity as Possible Vulnerability Factors for Aggression in Forensic Patients.

This study investigated whether executive dysfunction and impulsivity are both predictors of reactive aggression and is the first to use behavioral assessment of aggression in response to provocation by means of a personalized boxing body opponent bag giving harassing feedback. Aggressive behavior, self-reported aggression, executive functioning (ie, working memory, flexibility, and divided attention), and impulsivity dimensions (i.e.

Cognitive predictors of violent incidents in forensic psychiatric inpatients.

This study tested the predictive value of attentional bias, emotion recognition, automatic associations, and response inhibition, in the assessment of in-clinic violent incidents. Sixty-nine male forensic patients participated and completed an Emotional Stroop to measure attentional bias for threat and aggression, a Single Target - Implicit Association Task to assess automatic associations, a Graded Emotional Recognition Task to measure emotion recognition, and an Affective Go/NoGo to measure response inhibition. Violent incidents were derived from patient files and scored on severity level.

The relationship between personality disorder traits and reactive versus proactive motivation for aggression.

There is a strong link between personality disorders (PDs) and aggression. This is reflected in high prevalence rates of PD diagnoses in forensic samples, and in several diagnostic criteria of PDs directly referring to elevated levels of aggression. Aggression can stem from two distinct types of motivation; reactive or impulsive aggression that serves as a defensive reaction to provocation, and proactive or premeditated aggression used to gain extrinsic benefits.

Identifying cognitive predictors of reactive and proactive aggression.

The aim of this study was to identify implicit cognitive predictors of aggressive behavior. Specifically, the predictive value of an attentional bias for aggressive stimuli and automatic association of the self and aggression was examined for reactive and proactive aggressive behavior in a non-clinical sample (N = 90). An Emotional Stroop Task was used to measure an attentional bias.

Treating the untreatable: a single case study of a psychopathic inpatient treated with schema therapy.

From its first conceptualization in modern psychiatry, psychopathy has been considered difficult if not impossible to treat. Schema Therapy (ST) is a psychotherapeutic approach that has shown efficacy in patients with borderline personality disorder. ST has recently been adapted for personality disordered forensic patients, including patients with high levels of psychopathy.

Early maladaptive cognitive schemas in child sexual offenders compared with sexual offenders against adults and nonsexual violent offenders: an exploratory study.

Introduction: Although there is a growing body of research on the role of offense supporting cognitive distortions in child sexual offending, little is known about the origins of these distortions. According to cognitive theory, maladaptive cognitive schemas originating in adverse childhood experiences with caregivers have been hypothesized to underlie these cognitive distortions.

Aim: This exploratory study investigates early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in child sexual offenders compared with sexual offenders against adults and nonsexual offenders.

Reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the Behavioural Status Index: a nurse-rated forensic assessment tool.

The Behavioural Status Index (BEST-Index) has been introduced into Dutch forensic psychiatry to measure change in risk level of future violence. The BEST-Index is a structured observational measure that assesses aggressive behavior, degree of insight, social skills, self-care, and work and leisure skills during inpatient treatment. Thus far, limited information regarding the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the BEST-Index is available.