Assessment of the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of children and adolescents who are sent to an affiliated university hospital for forensic psychiatric examination

This study aimed to investigate the socio-demographic data, the reason and frequency of forensic application, and the presence of additional mental disorders in children and adolescents who applied for a forensic psychiatric examination to an affiliated university hospital. Pediatric psychiatry files of the patients who applied to Abant Izzet Baysal Mental Health and Diseases Policlinic outpatient clinic of Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University between 2016-2018 were screened retrospectively and the data were evaluated in SPSS 22.0. The mean age of 117 patients included in the study was 14.86 ± 3.37, 54(46.2%) were female and 63(53.8%) were male. The most common reason for being sent is the claims within the scope of evaluation and health measures in terms of perceiving the legal meaning and consequences of the crimes committed with 33 applications. There was a statistically significant difference between males and females in terms of forensic assessment. At least one psychiatric diagnosis was made in 69.1% of the cases and the most common diagnosis was mental retardation. Dissemination of regional studies of forensic assessment and identification of differences by the province may contribute to the more efficient and functional use of resources. In addition to contributing to the improvement programs to be made after forensic assessments, pre-crime is also of value in terms of identifying the causes of crime, especially in children and adolescents. [Med-Science 2020; 9(1.000): 221-6

Development and validation of the Subjective Recovery Assessment Scale for patients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE Studies investigating the recovery from schizophrenia revealed two concepts of recovery; one is clinical recovery, and the other is personal or subjective recovery. Both states of recovery require specific assessment tools and therapeutic approaches. While current measures of clinical recovery can be used upon consensus all over the world, measures of subjective recovery which are based on cultural and individual values are yet to be investigated. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Subjective Recovery Assessment Scale (SubRAS) for patients with schizophrenia. METHODS The SubRAS consisting of 17-item was prepared using related literature with focus group interviews. Internal consistency reliability was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, and test–retest reliability was assessed. Exploratory factor analyses and correlations with Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), The Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality of Life Scale (QLS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and Clinical Global Impression – Severity (CGI-S) were used to examine the factor-based validity and construct validity of the SubRAS. RESULTS The participants consisted of 127 patients with schizophrenia (n = 110) and schizoaffective disorder (n = 17), with 63.6% being male and a mean age of 41.2 years. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was calculated as 0.98 while item-total score correlation coefficients were measured between 0.83 and 0.94. Test–retest reliability (r = .98) was very satisfactory. As for construct validity, a one-factor solution was obtained that could explain 83.0% of the variance. The scale showed a high correlation with the GAF (r = .82), the QLS (r = .76), PANSS (r = −.74), and CGI-S (r = −.74). CONCLUSIONS SubRAS is a valid and reliable instrument that can be utilized for patients with schizophrenia to assess their subjective recovery states. It is a culture-sensitive self-assessment instrument and easy to use for Turkish patients with schizophrenia