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This study compared the efficacy of a novel group-based aggressive script rehearsal treatment program with an emotion regulation program. Participants were 48 incarcerated adult males (28 in the script rehearsal program and 20 in the emotion regulation program). Outcomes, including the frequency of aggressive script rehearsal, aggressive behavior, and emotion regulation difficulties, were measured pre-and post-treatment and at 46 days (on average) after treatment completion, and 104 days (on average) following treatment completion. Linear Mixed Model analyses revealed no significant difference in the frequency of script rehearsal overtime for either program. There was a significant reduction in aggressive behavior associated with the script rehearsal program and a reduction in emotion regulation difficulties for both programs. Future iterations of this aggressive script rehearsal treatment program may benefit from greater intensity and incorporation of strategies that address the many cognitive, affective, and situational factors that trigger and maintain aggressive scripts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence internationally points to an increased risk of crime perpetration and victimization among people with an intellectual disability (ID). This study aimed to examine the impact that comorbid mental illness had on the association between intellectual disability, crime perpetration and criminal victimization. Method: A case linkage methodology involving 2,220 individuals with an intellectual disability from an Australian State. Results: One in four (27%) had contacts with public mental health services; 8.2% had a comorbid mental illness. This "dual disability" group was between 2.97 and 3.22 times more likely than those with intellectual disability alone to have a history of criminal charges, and between 2.76 and 2.97 times more likely to have been a victim of crime. Conclusions: The extent of criminality and victimization found among people with dual disability indicates a potentially multiply stigmatized group for whom the need for a coordinated cross-agency service response remains paramount.

Treatment programs for people with histories of sexual violence form a critical part of criminal justice service rehabilitation. Completion of these programs is often a precondition of release. Meta-analytic reviews suggest moderate benefit is associated with treatment completion, although effect sizes vary. This study examined whether commencement of open versus closed group programs was associated with treatment completion and recidivism. Participants were 426 adult men who commenced treatment between April 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017. Participants were followed-up until June 30, 2018. Programs varied by type (open versus closed), location (in-custody versus in-community) and intensity (moderate versus high). No significant differences were observed between open and closed programs for treatment completion but men who were treated in-custody were more likely to complete treatment when compared to those men who commenced treatment in the community. No significant differences were observed between open and closed programs for sexual or for any recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although violence risk assessment knowledge and practice has advanced over the past few decades, it remains practically difficult to decide which measures clinicians should use to assess and make decisions about the violence potential of individuals on an ongoing basis, particularly in the short to medium term. Within this context, this study sought to compare the predictive accuracy of dynamic risk assessment measures for violence with static risk assessment measures over the short term (up to 1 month) and medium term (up to 6 months) in a forensic psychiatric inpatient setting. Results showed that dynamic measures were generally more accurate than static measures for short- to medium-term predictions of inpatient aggression. These findings highlight the necessity of using risk assessment measures that are sensitive to important clinical risk state variables to improve the short- to medium-term prediction of aggression within the forensic inpatient setting. Such knowledge can assist with the development of more accurate and efficient risk assessment procedures, including the selection of appropriate risk assessment instruments to manage and prevent the violence of offenders with mental illnesses during inpatient treatment. (Contains 3 tables.)

Experiencing a thought about harming or injuring another person is commonly reported by the general population. Aggressive intrusive thoughts (AITs) and aggressive scripts are two constructs commonly used to define the experience of thinking about harming another person. However, they are generally investigated separately and with two significantly different population groups; respectively, individuals with obsessive‐compulsive disorder and people with a history of violent behavior. AITs and aggressive scripts are assumed to have very different implications for violence risk assessment, but conceptual overlap and an absence of empirical research renders this assumption premature. Using a battery of self‐report measures, this study aimed to investigate the differential predictors of AITs and aggressive script rehearsal in a nonclinical sample. Additionally, using regression analyses, the predictors of self‐reported aggressive behavior were explored in a sample of 412 adults (73% females; Mage = 31.96 years, SD = 11.02). Violence‐supportive beliefs and frequency of anger rumination predicted the frequency of aggressive script rehearsal, and aggressive script rehearsal, anger rumination, and violence‐supportive beliefs predicted a history of aggressive behavior. In contrast, obsessive beliefs were predictive of AITs, and only AITs were related to ego‐dystonicity. Both AITs and aggressive script rehearsal were related to the use of thought control strategies. These findings support the contributions that maladaptive beliefs have in the experience of aggressive scripts and AITs. Beliefs about violence, a history of aggressive behavior, and ego‐dystonicity appear to differentiate aggressive scripts from AITs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that psychological interventions for personality disorders should focus on improving adaptive expression of the functional needs expressed through problematic behaviors such as aggression. The measurement of function is a necessary condition for devising a function-based treatment approach. Two studies that employ a method for assessing the functions of aggressive behavior in personality disordered patients are described by: (a) a retrospective analysis, through file review of inpatient aggressive behaviors and of the index offenses of patients admitted for treatment, and (b) an analysis of inpatient aggressive incidents where staff and patients were interviewed to elicit functions. Results showed that most aggression had the function of expressing anger, although other functions were also evident. The profile of functions observed in the inpatient studies was somewhat dissimilar to that observed in the studies of predominantly psychotic patients. Therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)

The Australian prison population is increasingly diverse, yet there is limited research assessing the impact of mental health interventions across culturally diverse groups. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a short-term psycho-educational program on psychological distress, symptoms of mental illness, coping processes, cognitive fusion (i.e., attachment to patterns of thinking or specific thoughts) and somatic issues for 124 people in prison. Cross-cultural comparisons for intervention effects were made for three cultural groups: culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD; N = 45), Indigenous Australian (N = 24) and English-speaking background (ESB; N = 55). Several differences in intervention outcomes were observed across the cultural groups. Following completion of the program, ESB participants reported significantly reduced levels of depressive symptoms, avoidance coping, cognitive fusion and somatic issues. CALD participants reported significantly reduced somatic issues post-intervention. No significant differences were found in the Indigenous Australian group. These findings indicate that cultural background may influence the effectiveness of mental health interventions delivered within prisons. As such, prisons should aim to offer specialized culturally appropriate mental health services to meet diverse needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Mental disorder is common among people who stalk. However, the nature of this association is unclear and it is not known whether the commencement of stalking is associated with symptoms of disorder. This study used a longitudinal design to examine the association between the onset and cessation of stalking behavior and indicators of mental disorder in the form of mental health service use. Method: Data linkage was used to explore public mental health service use among 157 people who engaged in stalking in Melbourne, Australia. Mental health service use across the lifetime, 5 months prior to stalking onset, between the onset and cessation of stalking (during stalking) and 5 months post-stalking was identified. Mixed regression models tested temporal associations between types of mental health service use (acute vs continuing care) and onset and cessation of stalking in a subsample of 130 participants where dates of the stalking episode were available. Results: A total of 105 (67%) participants had lifetime use of public mental health services, while 15% accessed mental health services in the 5 months prior to (N = 19) or during the stalking (N = 20) and 22% (N = 29) used services in the 5 months after the stalking ceased. Odds of using acute mental health services and average monthly rate of use were highest during the stalking. Odds and average monthly rate of using continuing care were highest after the episode ceased. Conclusions: Most people who stalk have used public mental health services, but a minority access services immediately prior to or during the stalking episode. Acute service use was more common during the stalking, while use of continuing care services was more common after the stalking ceased. These findings provide preliminary support for a temporal relationship between acute mental disorder and stalking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the frequency, recency, content, severity, and targets of aggressive scripts reported by 94 incarcerated Australian males. The scripts of participants who reported a history of repeated and severe aggression were compared with the scripts of participants who reported a history of less severe and less frequent aggression. As hypothesized, participants with a history of more frequent and severe aggressive behavior reported more severe aggressive script content and more frequent script rehearsal. Furthermore, participants with a history of more frequent and severe aggressive behavior reported feelings of anticipation and excitement when they rehearsed aggressive scripts as well as an increase in the severity of aggressive scripts rehearsed over time. These results have important implications for risk assessment and treatment of violent offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]