Are psychological measures and actuarial data equally effective in discriminating among the prison population? Analysis by crimes

The ability of a wide range of psychological and actuarial measures to characterize crimes in the prison population has not yet been compared in a single study. Our main objective was to determine if the discriminant capacity of psychological measures (PM) and actuarial data (AD) varies according to the crime. An Ecuadorian sample of 576 men convicted of Robbery, Murder, Rape and Drug Possession crimes was evaluated through an ad hoc questionnaire, prison files and the Spanish adaptation of the Personality Assessment Inventory. Discriminant analysis was used to establish, for each crime, the discriminant capacity and the classification accuracy of a model composed of AD (socio-demographic and judicial measures) and a second model incorporating PM. The AD showed a superior discriminant capacity, whilst the contribution of both types of measures varied according to the crime. The PM generated some increase in the correct classification percentages for Murder, Rape and Drug Possession, but their contribution was zero for the crime of Robbery. Specific profiles of each crime were obtained from the strongest significant correlations between the value of each explanatory variable and the probability of belonging to the crime. The AD model is more robust when these four crimes are characterized. The contribution of AD and PM depends on the crime, and the inclusion of PM in actuarial models moderately optimizes the classification accuracy of Murder, Rape, and Drug Possession crimes.The authors would like to thank the Health Coordination Zone 8 (Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, MSP) for supporting and partially funding this study, along with the Sub-secretary of Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and Precautionary Measures for Adults (Ministry of Justice, Human Rights, and Cults of Ecuador, MJDHC) for issuing permits; the authorities of the Guayaquil Social Rehabilitation Center and Regional Guayas Social Rehabilitation Center for the facilities offered to develop the fieldwork; and the team of psychologists from the Health Coordination Zone 8 and Health Coordination Zone 5 (MSP) for the fieldwork conducted. In addition, this work was partially supported by the Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Science from Andalusian Government (Project: P2012-SEJ1723) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project: PSI2013-42792-R)

Influence of Socio-Economic Status on Psychopathology in Ecuadorian Children

The socioeconomic status (SES) of parents has been reported to have a crucial impact on emotional competence in childhood. However, studies have largely been carried out in developed countries and in children in a specific age range, and it is not clear whether the effect of the SES of parents varies by age. The objective of this study was to investigate the psychopathological profile (including externalizing and internalizing problems) of children aged 7, 9, and 11 years old with low SES in a developing country (Ecuador). The study included 274 children (139 boys and 135 girls), who were divided between medium-SES (n = 133) and low-SES (n = 141) groups. Data were gathered on socioeconomic and anthropometric variables of the children, and the parents completed the Child Behavior Check-List (CBCL). In comparison to the medium-SES group, children in the low-SES group obtained higher scores for internalizing and externalizing symptoms and for total problems, and they obtained lower scores for social competence skills. The housing risk index and school competence were the two main predictors of internalizing and externalizing problems in this population.This study was supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) [A3/042954/11] (PI: FC-Q) and Conselleria d'Educació, Investigació, Cultura I Esport de la Generalitat Valenciana (R+D+i projects developed by emerging research groups) [GV/2017/166] (PI: MF-A)

Modalidades de agresión en entornos penitenciarios hispanohablantes

One of the main aspects of this work is that it involves two different prison populations: the Spanish and Ecuadorian populations. Each of these populations has different needs depending on its characteristics, priorities, and the degree of progress of its own social rehabilitation systems. Thus, we adopted a research approach adjusted to the particularities of each prison context, hence generating results that are useful for classification, security, and intervention processes in each context. The New Model of Prison Management implemented by the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Cults (MJDHC), represents a novel line of progress for the System of Social rehabilitation in Ecuador. In order to contribute to the development of this process, four out of the five empirical studies of this doctoral thesis were carried out in an Ecuadorian prison context. For this, we used samples of between 576 and 811 male inmates for different criminal offenses in two prisons in Guayaquil (Ecuador): Regional Guayas Social Rehabilitation Center and Guayaquil Social Rehabilitation Center. The fifth study used a sample of 77 male participants that are in prison for physical, psychological or sexual (to the partner or ex-partner) aggression in two different centers in Granada (Spain): Albolote Prison and the Social Insertion Center “Matilde Cantos Fernández”. This set of studies follows a logical sequence from both clinical and scientific perspectives. In the following paragraphs, we will briefly present the justification, objectives, data analysis methods, and most relevant results of each study.Tesis Univ. Granada. Programa de Doctorado en Psicologí

Are psychological measures and actuarial data equally effective in discriminating among the prison population? Analysis by crimes

The ability of a wide range of psychological and actuarial measures to characterize crimes in the prison population has not yet been compared in a single study. Our main objective was to determine if the discriminant capacity of psychological measures (PM) and actuarial data (AD) varies according to the crime. An Ecuadorian sample of 576 men convicted of Robbery, Murder, Rape and Drug Possession crimes was evaluated through an ad hoc questionnaire, prison files and the Spanish adaptation of the Personality Assessment Inventory. Discriminant analysis was used to establish, for each crime, the discriminant capacity and the classification accuracy of a model composed of AD (socio-demographic and judicial measures) and a second model incorporating PM. The AD showed a superior discriminant capacity, whilst the contribution of both types of measures varied according to the crime. The PM generated some increase in the correct classification percentages for Murder, Rape and Drug Possession, but their contribution was zero for the crime of Robbery. Specific profiles of each crime were obtained from the strongest significant correlations between the value of each explanatory variable and the probability of belonging to the crime. The AD model is more robust when these four crimes are characterized. The contribution of AD and PM depends on the crime, and the inclusion of PM in actuarial models moderately optimizes the classification accuracy of Murder, Rape, and Drug Possession crimes.Health Coordination Zone 8 (Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, MSP)Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Science from Andalusian Government P2012-SEJ1723Spanish Government PSI2013-42792-

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Adaptation of the Personality Assessment Inventory in Correctional Settings: An ESEM Study

The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991, 2007) is among the most important personality and psychopathology assessment tools. However, its psychometric properties in the Spanish-speaking prison population have not yet been studied. We aimed to explore the factor structure of the Spanish adaptation of the PAI (Ortiz-Tallo et al., 2011) in an Ecuadorian sample of 811 convicted men using exploratory structural equation modeling, with the further objective of confirming its internal consistency. Hoelzle and Meyer (2009) identified three dimensions that are highly congruent across samples: general distress, elevated mood and dominance, and substance abuse and psychopathy. Taking these findings and the internalizing and externalizing dimensions (Ruiz & Edens, 2008) as a theoretical basis, three- and two-factor models were tested for the 22 scales and 11 clinical scales, respectively. We also tested four- and three-factor models that grouped the scales related to substance abuse as an independent factor, leaving intact the distribution presented by the remaining scales in the previous models. Although the original models showed a good fit, the 4- and 3-factor models obtained significantly better fit indexes. With respect to reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from .49 to .89. This version shows acceptable psychometric properties in correctional settings.The authors would like to thank the Health Coordination Zone 8 (Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador) for supporting and partially funding this study. In addition, this work was partially supported by the Regional Ministry of Economy, Innovation, and Science from Andalusian Government (Project: P2012-SEJ1723) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project: PSI2013-42792-R)

Summary of discriminant characteristics for crimes.

<p>Summary of discriminant characteristics for crimes.</p

Mean and standard deviation of the raw scores of the 22 PAI scales for the subsample and the four crimes.

<p>Mean and standard deviation of the raw scores of the 22 PAI scales for the subsample and the four crimes.</p

Statistics of discriminant functions for models 1 and 2.

<p>Statistics of discriminant functions for models 1 and 2.</p

Percentages of correct classification for models 1 and 2.

<p>Percentages of correct classification for models 1 and 2.</p

Mean and standard deviation of the T scores of the 22 PAI scales for the subsample and the four crimes.

<p>Mean and standard deviation of the T scores of the 22 PAI scales for the subsample and the four crimes.</p