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The current study examined trajectories of two indicators of self-control—impulsivity and coping skills—in 317 forensic psychiatric patients, as well as associations with psychopathology, crime, and recidivism. Violent recidivism was positively associated with coping skills at admission to the clinic and with impulsivity at discharge. Only a small...
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... The high heterogeneity in psychiatric diagnoses is due to a combination of several factors causing a mental illness such as individual characteristics and experiences, social influences, when certain events took place, or how the person developed (9). Challenges such as motivation (10) and impulsivity (10,11) are additional factors that contribute to a low compliance rate and generally a low number of participants (7). These hurdles initially make it difficult to conduct studies that can then provide information on forensic patients' responses to specific ST interventions that are aimed at improving well-being, quality of life and psychological functioning. ...
Physical exercise interventions improve quality of life in people with mental disorders and improve abstinence and cravings in substance use disorders patients in both the short term and long term. In people with mental illness, physical exercise interventions significantly reduce psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia and symptoms of anxiety. For forensic psychiatry, there is little empirical evidence supporting mental health-enhancing effects of physical exercise interventions. Interventional studies in forensic psychiatry deal mainly with three problems: heterogeneity of the individuals, a small sample size, and a low compliance rate. Intensive longitudinal case studies could be a suitable approach to address these methodological challenges in forensic psychiatry. This study uses an intensive longitudinal design to determine whether forensic psychiatric patients are content to complete several data assessments per day over the course of several weeks. The feasibility of this approach is operationalized by the compliance rate. Additionally, single-case studies examine the effects of sports therapy (ST) on momentary affective states (energetic arousal, valence, and calmness). The results of these case studies reveal one aspect of feasibility and offer insights into the effects of forensic psychiatric ST on the affective states among patients with different conditions. The patients’ momentary affective states were recorded before (PRE), after (POST) and 1 h after (FoUp1h) ST by questionnaires. Ten individuals (Mage = 31.7, SD = 11.94; 60% male) participated in the study. A total of 130 questionnaires were completed. To perform the single-case studies, data of three patients were considered. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed for the individual affective states to test for main effects of ST. Due to the results, ST has no significant effect on none of the three affect dimensions. However, effect sizes varied between small to medium (energetic arousal: η² = 0.01, η² = 0.07, η² = 0.06; valence: η² = 0.07; calmness: η² = 0.02) in the three patients. Intensive longitudinal case studies are a possible approach to address heterogeneity and the low sample size. The low compliance rate in this study reveals that the study design needs to be optimized for future studies.
... However, researchers have rarely used group trajectory methods to describe patterns of change in ratings of risk factors. Two studies used samples of forensic patients (Billen et al. 2019;Quinsey et al. 2006a, b) and another two examined samples of justice-involved juveniles (Baglivio et al. 2017;Clark 2015). Each study found evidence of distinct groups with different patterns of change in various risk factors, revealing heterogeneity in trajectories of overall risk scores (Baglivio et al. 2017;Clark 2015;Quinsey et al. 2006a, b) and impulsivity and self-control (Billen et al. 2019), although the number of groups identified varied across studies. ...
... Two studies used samples of forensic patients (Billen et al. 2019;Quinsey et al. 2006a, b) and another two examined samples of justice-involved juveniles (Baglivio et al. 2017;Clark 2015). Each study found evidence of distinct groups with different patterns of change in various risk factors, revealing heterogeneity in trajectories of overall risk scores (Baglivio et al. 2017;Clark 2015;Quinsey et al. 2006a, b) and impulsivity and self-control (Billen et al. 2019), although the number of groups identified varied across studies. Additionally, post-hoc analyses of outcomes (e.g., ANOVA tests of differences in recidivism rates between participants designated to trajectory groups by posterior probabilities) indicated that group trajectories may be useful to understand the relationship between change in risk factors and recidivism or related outcomes (e.g., elopement, violation of conditions, violent and aggressive incidents in Quinsey et al. 2006a, b). ...
... Additionally, post-hoc analyses of outcomes (e.g., ANOVA tests of differences in recidivism rates between participants designated to trajectory groups by posterior probabilities) indicated that group trajectories may be useful to understand the relationship between change in risk factors and recidivism or related outcomes (e.g., elopement, violation of conditions, violent and aggressive incidents in Quinsey et al. 2006a, b). For example, Billen et al. (2019) found that likelihood of recidivism was different across the three groups identified from trajectories of change in impulsivity ratings. Together, these studies indicated that trajectories helped to describe risk for recidivism in the context of community re-entry following either residential placement (Baglivio et al. 2017) or discharge from forensic psychiatric care (Billen et al. 2019;Quinsey et al. 2006a, b). ...
Objectives
Prior studies indicate risk for recidivism declines with time spent in the community post-incarceration. The current study tested whether declines in risk scores occurred uniformly for all individuals in a community corrections sample or whether distinct groups could be identified on the basis of similar trajectories of change in acute risk and time to recidivism. We additionally tested whether accounting for group heterogeneity improved prospective prediction of recidivism.
Methods
This study used longitudinal, multiple-reassessment data gathered from 3,421 individuals supervised on parole in New Zealand (N = 92,104 assessments of theoretically dynamic risk factors conducted by community corrections supervision officers). We applied joint latent class modelling (JLCM) to model group trajectories of change in acute risk following re-entry while accounting for data missing due to recidivism (i.e., missing not at random). We compared accuracy of dynamic predictions based on the selected joint latent class model to an equivalent joint model with no latent class structure.
Results
We identified four trajectory groups of acute dynamic risk. Groups were consistently estimated across a split sample. Trajectories differed in direction and degree of change but using the latent class structure did not improve discrimination when predicting recidivism.
Conclusions
There may be significant heterogeneity in how individuals’ assessed level of acute risk changes following re-entry, but determining risk for recidivism should not be based on probable group membership. JLCM revealed heterogeneity in early re-entry unlikely to be observed using traditional analytic approaches.
... Such findings are interpretable due to the cultural system of the Sahiwal division in which families have lengthy disputes and used to fight with each other repeatedly. Billen (2019) suggested that self-control could be an influential contributor to reducing the prevalence of recidivism. It indicates that self-containment could be a predictor of recidivism as well. ...
... Our study explored that lower self-containment is associated with recidivism. Therefore, we also agreed with the suggestion by Billen (2019). Social constraints can prevent the recidivistic tendency because recidivistic individuals have the lowest acceptance of social constraints. ...
Recidivism is engaging in criminal activity again after having previously been involved with the criminal justice system, which continues to pose a severe problem for all civilizations. In order to create successful methods for crime prevention, offender rehabilitation, and community reintegration, it is essential to understand the elements that lead to recidivism. This research was undertaken to investigate the ideas and associates of recidivism. We used the quantitative research design and approached 240 criminals using simple random sampling from the Sahiwal division. We used a structured questionnaire, survey method, and face-to-face interview schedule for data collection. The study explored that lower self-containment, high social engagement, appreciable mental health, history of drug usage, especially marijuana, single marital status, and no religious practices are associated with recidivism. We suggested using the self-containment model to prevent recidivism. Keywords: Geometrical Modeling, Recidivism, Criminal Activities, Criminal Justice System.
... Indeed, a basic deficit, refusal, or unwillingness to regulate one's conduct appears in all of our data and is most apparent in the noncompliance with judicial orders and correctional sentences. Unfortunately, the current data does not include a self-control measure, but a promising avenue for future research is to see whether self-control measures can withstand controls for other forensic constructs including Antisocial Personality Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and homicidal ideation that also potentiate self-control problems [59,60]. ...
(1) Background: The one general psychopathology (p Factor) theory asserts that a superordinate dimensional construct encompasses underlying forms of psychopathology, but the theory has limited empirical linkages to criminology. (2) Methods: We utilized case reports from 12 male offenders selected from a federal jurisdiction in the central United States who were in the 99th percentile on a composite indicator of psychopathology to advance a qualitative study of the p Factor. (3) Results: Clients experienced frequent and often pathological traumatic experiences and exhibited exceedingly early onset of conduct problems usually during the preschool period. Their criminal careers were overwhelmingly versatile and contained numerous offense types, had extensive justice system contacts, and exhibited remarkable deficits in global functioning. Most clients spent the majority of their life in local, state, or federal confinement. Consistent with the theory, clients experienced a generalized psychopathology disposition that had undercurrents of externalizing, internalizing, psychotic, paraphilic, and homicidal features. (4) Conclusions: A qualitative understanding of the p Factor and its contribution to offending behaviors among correctional clients complements the statistical approach to developmental psychopathology.
... Although low self-control and psychopathy have both previously been established as correlated with or predisposing to crime, additional research using diverse samples of offenders is needed to test for degree and perhaps mechanisms of relationship. It is possible that relationships between low self-control and psychopathy on the one hand and delinquency on the other depend in large part on the overall antisociality and age of the sample (Billen et al., 2019;DeLisi et al., 2018). In the current study, the participants are students in Portugal for whom the various problematic self-regulation features are more salient than psychopathic features for understanding delinquency. ...
Background: Psychopathy and low self-control are useful constructs for understanding antisociality/criminality. The triarchic model of psychopathy in particular is a recent and
promising conceptualisation, composed of boldness, disinhibition, and meanness -
three personality traits that have never been studied in tandem with low self-control. Aims: To test relationships between the triarchic personality traits of boldness, disinhibition and meanness and low self-control with delinquent or antisocial acts.
Methods: In a cross-sectional, self-report study a schools' cohort of 14- to 18-year-olds (Mean 15.91 years, SD = 0.99 years) was recruited from regions in South Portugal and
Lisbon, representative of the general population of this age in sex distribution and education. After parental consent, teenage volunteers in small groups completed psychopathy and self-control self-rating scales and then a questionnaire about their criminal or delinquent activities, all on one single occasion and in confidence from school staff or parents. Path analysis was used to test relationships. Results: 567 young people, 256 (45%) of them girls, completed all ratings, 89% of those invited to do so. Low
self-control had the strongest relationship with antisocial/criminal acts, followed by the disinhibition or meanness traits of the triarchic psychopathy construct. The boldness trait of the triarchic psychopathy construct had the weakest relationship. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the most effective targets for intervention to prevent or limit antisocial behaviours by young people are likely to be self-control and disinhibition.
Behavioural interventions that improve social skills and verbal problem-solving that
encourage listening and waiting in response to environmental stimuli are likely to effect
reduction of impulsive and aggressive reactions to others and so reduce conduct problems. Since disinhibition and self-control are such overlapping constructs, improvements in one area will generally facilitate improvements in the other area.
... It has been suggested the impulsive subtype is related to a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 poor emotion regulation and poor impulse control [3], which is especially present in situations in which individuals are provoked socially [4]. Work by Billen et al. [5] determined that crime and recidivism (the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend) were strongly associated with levels of self-control, which involved factors of coping skills as well as impulsivity. Indeed, Gottfredson and Hirschi [6] proposed self-regulation/self-control to be the strongest predictor of crime and aggressive acts. ...
Assessing levels of aggression–specifically reactive violence–has been a challenge in the past, since individuals might be reluctant to self-report aggressive tendencies. Furthermore, experimental studies often lack ecological validity. Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) offers a reliable, ethically safe environment, and is the most realistic virtual simulation method currently available. It allows researchers to test participants’ aggressive responses to realistic provocations from virtual humans. In the current study, 116 participants completed our IVR aggression task, in which they encountered avatars who would either approach them in a friendly or provocative fashion. Participants had the option either to shake hands or hit the virtual human, in congruent and incongruent trials. In congruent trials, the response required of the participant matched the approach with the avatar (e.g., hitting the avatar after provocation). In incongruent trials there was a mismatch between the avatars approach and the participants required response. Congruent trials were designed to measure the immediate reaction towards the virtual human, and incongruent trials to assess response inhibition. Additionally, participants also completed traditional questionnaire-based measures of aggression, as well as reporting their past violent behaviour. We found that the immediate aggressive responses in the IVR task correlated with the established questionnaire measures (convergent validity), and we found that the IVR task was a stronger predictor of past violent behaviour than traditional measures (discriminant validity). This suggests that IVR might be an effective way to assess aggressive behaviour in a more indirect, but realistic manner, than current questionnaire assessment.
... Forrest et al., 2019). Retrospective research on stability of self-regulation in forensic psychiatric patients showed different patterns of change during treatment in general (Billen et al., 2019). In this study, it was shown that patients (more often than not) improved their risk of impulsivity (behavioral regulation) and coping skills (more related to emotion regulation) during treatment (up to 16 years). ...
... Although there is some evidence of change over long time intervals (e.g. Billen et al., 2019), research on short-term changes is still missing. These short-term changes can be interesting for evaluating the progress of treatment goals and assessing risk of recidivism in a continuous manner. ...
... Hay et al., 2018), or longer periods of time (e.g. Billen et al., 2019), there were no clear expectations on potential change over a one year period. Due to the small sample size for the longitudinal section of the study, the results regarding changes over time must be interpreted with caution. ...
The construct of self-regulation is of particular interest to the forensic psychiatric practice due to its associations with both clinical and criminal outcomes, as well as recidivism. However, research on different components of self-regulation within forensic psychiatric practice is rare. The current study aimed to gain knowledge on the construct of self-regulation in a sample of forensic psychiatric patients (N = 94). Firstly, by investigating change of emotional, behavioral and cognitive self-regulation over the course of 12 months in state-mandated care in a treatment facility. Secondly, by looking at the associations between these three elements of self-regulation and childhood trauma, identity dysfunction and personality pathology. Repeated measures ANOVA showed little to no difference in average self-regulation over time (only for behavioral regulation), and rank-order stability was relatively high in most cases. Path analysis showed that: emotion regulation was associated with all outcomes; behavioral regulation with all except childhood trauma and detachment; and cognitive regulation only with antagonism and negative affectivity. Findings suggest short-term changes are unlikely and indicate relative importance of emotional, and to some extent behavioral regulation for clinical practice. However, due to sample size restrictions, interpretations should be made with caution.
... Forrest et al., 2019). Retrospective research on stability of self-regulation in forensic psychiatric patients showed different patterns of change during treatment in general (Billen et al., 2019). In this study, it was shown that patients (more often than not) improved their risk of impulsivity (behavioral regulation) and coping skills (more related to emotion regulation) during treatment (up to 16 years). ...
... Although there is some evidence of change over long time intervals (e.g. Billen et al., 2019), research on short-term changes is still missing. These short-term changes can be interesting for evaluating the progress of treatment goals and assessing risk of recidivism in a continuous manner. ...
... Hay et al., 2018), or longer periods of time (e.g. Billen et al., 2019), there were no clear expectations on potential change over a one year period. Due to the small sample size for the longitudinal section of the study, the results regarding changes over time must be interpreted with caution. ...
... The three basic areas of social competence in sports are perspective taking, communication skills, and social responsibility (27). The majority of offenders in forensic detention show relatively severe impairment in these skills (5,8). Therefore, social competence is a relevant therapeutic goal in forensic sports therapy because it is associated with better aggression and impulse control and conflict resolution strategies (22,7,26) and can be taught across different sports (10,24). ...
In German forensic psychiatry, sports therapy denotes an accompanying therapeutic treatment, although evidence about specific psychometric and mental health outcomes is lacking. This article provides an important contribution to sports therapy interventions. It focuses on one of the most important sports therapy goals for forensic patients: social competence. For this purpose, the intervention ‘Group Dynamics in Volleyball Program’ (GDiVP) was developed, which included practice of three components of social competence: perspective adoption, communication skills, and social responsibility. This study included a pre-post control group design. According to the results, GDiVP improved all three of the components of social competence mentioned above. Further studies must determine how sustainable the positive changes are and to what extent the intervention can be transferred to other sports.
... Research has shown that the degree of self-control is positively associated with adaptive correlates in various life domains, such as academic and professional success, healthier and more sustainable intimate relationships, closer social networks, greater self-awareness, empathy, and more proactive health behaviors (e.g., regular medical check-ups; [47]). In contrast, a lack of self-control is linked to a wide range of antisocial and deviant behaviors [48][49][50][51], and a variety of negative life outcomes, such as criminal victimization, poor health, and financial difficulties (e.g., [52][53][54]). ...
... Nonetheless, this link might be expected to be weaker for grandiose narcissism, as grandiose narcissism has been documented to be associated with a narrower range of poor identity functioning and better life satisfaction compared to vulnerable narcissism [e.g., 39,40]. Furthermore, it has been shown that identity diffusion can lead to deviant behavior and a range of maladaptive outcomes such as poor impulse control [48][49][50][51]. It also plays a vital role in self-control and individuals with a more integrated identity are better at self-control [46]. ...
... Therefore, it was hypothesized that identity integration would have a direct negative effect on criminal behavior (path 5) and a direct positive effect on self-control (path 6). Lastly, previous research has shown that a lack of self-control is associated with a wide range of antisocial and deviant behavior [48][49][50][51] and is the main factor behind all criminal acts [55]. Hence, it was hypothesized that self-control would have a direct negative effect on criminal behavior (path 7). ...
Background
Although systematic research on narcissism has been conducted for over 100 years, researchers have only recently started to distinguish between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism in relation to criminal behavior. In addition, there is some evidence suggesting that identity integration and self-control may underlie this association. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a theory-driven hypothetical model that investigates the complex associations between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, identity integration, self-control, and criminal behavior using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Methods
The total sample ( N = 222) included 65 (29.3%) individuals convicted of criminal behavior and 157 (70.7%) participants from the community, with a mean age of 37.71 years ( SD = 13.25). Criminal behavior was a grouping variable used as a categorical outcome, whereas self-report questionnaires were used to assess grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, self-control, and identity integration.
Results
The overall SEM model yielded good fit indices. Grandiose narcissism negatively predicted criminal behavior above and beyond the influence of identity integration and self-control. In contrast, vulnerable narcissism did not have a direct significant effect on criminal behavior, but it was indirectly and positively associated with criminal behavior via identity integration and self-control. Moreover, grandiose narcissism was positively, whereas vulnerable narcissism was negatively associated with identity integration. However, identity integration did not have a direct significant effect on criminal behavior, but it was indirectly and negatively associated with criminal behavior via self-control. Finally, self-control was, in turn, negatively related to criminal behavior.
Conclusions
We propose that both subtypes of narcissism should be carefully considered in clinical assessment and current intervention practices.
