Offense type as determinant of revenge and forgiveness after victimization:Adolescents’ responses to injustice and aggression

Victims of injustice and aggression may have strong feelings about the perpetrator(s) that may impede their efforts to cope with the victimizing experience. We examined to what extent adolescents' interpersonal responses to victimization in terms of revenge and forgiveness depend on offense type. Of 455 Dutch students from various educational levels, 379 participants reported being victimized by incidents of injustice, aggression, or violence. These incidents were categorized according to type and related to respondents' self-reported revenge, avoidance, and benevolence toward the perpetrator. Victims of criminal offenses (physical and sexual violence, theft, and threat) reported less forgiving motivations than victims of noncriminal transgressions (bullying, ostracism, and other forms of indirect aggression). Sexual violence primarily elicited avoidance, rather than revenge. Gender differences in responses to victimization depended on offense type, too. Hence, to enhance our knowledge about revenge and forgiveness after victimization, future studies may need to take offense characteristics into account

Predictive validity of the HKT-R risk assessment tool::Two and 5-year violent recidivism in a nationwide sample of Dutch forensic psychiatric patients

This study has examined the predictive validity of the Historical Clinical Future [Historisch Klinisch Toekomst] Revised risk assessment scheme in a cohort of 347 forensic psychiatric patients, which were discharged between 2004 and 2008 from any of 12 highly secure forensic centers in the Netherlands. Predictive validity was measured 2 and 5 years after release. Official reconviction data obtained from the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice were used as outcome measures. Violent reoffending within 2 and 5 years after discharge was assessed. With regard to violent reoffending, results indicated that the predictive validity of the Historical domain was modest for 2 (area under the curve [AUC] = .75) and 5 (AUC = .74) years. The predictive validity of the Clinical domain was marginal for 2 (admission: AUC = .62; discharge: AUC = .63) and 5 (admission: AUC = .69; discharge: AUC = .62) years after release. The predictive validity of the Future domain was modest (AUC = .71) for 2 years and low for 5 (AUC = .58) years. The total score of the instrument was modest for 2 years (AUC = .78) and marginal for 5 (AUC = .68) years. Finally, the Final Risk Judgment was modest for 2 years (AUC = .78) and marginal for 5 (AUC = .63) years time at risk. It is concluded that this risk assessment instrument appears to be a satisfactory instrument for risk assessment

Does the level of expressed emotion (LEE) questionnaire have the same factor structure for adolescents as it has for adults?

Background The level of expressed emotion (LEE) is a four-factor questionnaire that measures expressed emotion (EE) as perceived by the recipient. These factors are: perceived lack of emotional support, perceived intrusiveness, perceived irritation, and perceive criticism. The four factors of the LEE has previously been found to be related to psychological disorders and has good psychometric properties for adults. However, it has not previously been studied in adolescent populations. Methods A total of 311 adolescents participated in this study. Using structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine if the LEE also had the same four-factor structure for adolescents as it does for adults. Results The confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the LEE's four-factor structure also applied to adolescents. The internal consistency of the scales were good and all the inter-correlations between the scales were significant. Additionally, the factors were significantly correlated to adolescent depressive and anxiety symptom score dimensions. Conclusion These findings seem to indicate that the LEE may be a good instrument in the measurement of adolescents perceived EE

The mediating role of state anger in the associations between intentions to participate in the criminal trial and psychopathology in traumatically bereaved people

Victims of crimes have been granted increasing procedural rights to participate in the juridical process since the mid 1990s. However, knowledge about the (anti)-therapeutic effect of participation is limited. We examined the associations between symptom levels of persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression and the intention to participate in a criminal trial. Furthermore, we investigated the mediating role of state anger in these associations. People who lost loved ones after a plane disaster with flight MH17 (N = 203) completed questionnaires within three weeks before the start of the criminal trial. Mediation analyses indicated that people, who did not intend to actively participate in the trial by delivering a written or oral victim statement, were less likely to experience anger, which is, in turn, associated with attenuated psychopathology levels. State anger explains 68% of the effect of the intention to exercise the right to speak on PCBD levels. An important limitation is the cross-sectional study design, which precludes conclusions about temporal associations. More research is needed to improve preparation and support of bereaved people when they intend to exercise their victim rights during a criminal trial