Comparisons of risk factors for violence in defendants referred for psychiatric assessment
Aims: to determine which static and dynamic risk factors contributed to the commission of violent offences, and to habitual violence in offenders that had been referred for pre-trial psychiatric assessment. b. to assess, by logistic regression modelling, the relative importance of the significant risk factors. All defendants admitted to the Forensic Psychiatry Unit at Valkenberg Hospital for 30 day pre-trial assessments over a 6 month period were entered. All subjects were assessed by 2 psychiatrists and a clinical psychologist, who used semi-structured interviews A forensic social worker interviewed family members. Court documentation provided information about the events of the offence and conviction record. A psychometrist administered Barrat's Impulsivity Scale (BIS), Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale (ZSS), and Annett's Handedness Test (Zuckerman et al. 1964). Nursing staff and occupational therapists compiled daily reports on the subjects' behaviour in the ward.
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Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health