Recent life events and subjective well-being of personality disordered forensic outpatients

[Patient Factors in Offender Treatment: Personality, Therapy Motivation and Outcome]

Using a systematic literature review according to the PRISMA criteria, patient factors of offenders were related to forensic outcomes. Searches were conducted in the PsycInfo and PSYNDEX databases; further relevant studies were taken from the bibliographies of studies that met the selection criteria. Only quantitative empirical studies for the period 1990-2021 were included. Findings from 31 studies on patient factors (personality, therapy motivation, therapy expectation, satisfaction with therapy) are reported. Patient factors could not always be consistently associated with outcomes. The clearest correlations were found between the expression of anti- or dissocial personality traits and/or psychopathy and (negative) therapy outcomes. Traits usually associated with antisocial developments (impulsivity, anger, rage, hostility) in some cases also correlated negatively with therapeutically desirable outcomes. Patient motivation for therapy should generally have a positive impact on the likelihood of successful forensic therapies, but not all relevant studies pointed in this direction. No studies were identified on the relationships between therapy expectancy or satisfaction and outcome. Based on general psychotherapy research, we suggest that offender therapy could benefit from broader approaches to studying therapy effectiveness.

The Role of Life Satisfaction in Predicting Youth Violence and Offending: A Prospective Examination

Life satisfaction in adolescence has been shown to protect against numerous negative outcomes (e.g., substance use, sexual risk-taking), but limited work has directly explored the relationship between life satisfaction and youth violence and offending. As such, we conducted a prospective assessment to explore this relationship among community (n = 334) and at-risk youth (n = 99). Findings suggest life satisfaction is significantly associated with decreased offending and violence within both samples and adds incremental value above established risk factors in predicting violent and total offending among community youth. Furthermore, moderation analyses indicate that the protective value of life satisfaction is greater for youth with high callous-unemotional traits. Mediation analyses suggest that youth who are unsatisfied with their lives may seek out substance use, in turn elevating risk of offending. Together, these findings indicate that efforts to improve overall life satisfaction may help prevent adolescent offending. However, future research is needed.

The Treatment Perspectives of Mentally Ill Offenders in Medium- and High-Secure Forensic Settings in Flanders

There is an increasing interest in mentally ill offenders' (MIOs) treatment experiences in forensic settings. This study focuses on the treatment perspectives of MIOs in treatment as well as in prison settings in Flanders. Seventeen MIOs were interviewed about the treatment they received. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to derive key themes while acknowledging the individuality of the participants' experiences. Treatment perspectives of MIOs in both settings revolved around similar themes, including "good" staff and privacy. However, their views differed on two themes: MIOs in treatment settings reported on feelings of lacking control and experiencing too much pressure, whereas MIOs in prison settings reported the opposite. The positive experiences in prison settings may complicate the transition from prison to a forensic treatment setting. The study further underscores the major challenge to create more opportunities for MIOs to meet their needs of self-determination in secure forensic treatment settings.