Characteristics of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Associated with Suicidal Ideation: Evidence From a Clinical Sample of Youth

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal ideation (SI) are both distressing and quite common, particularly in youth. Given the relationship between these two phenomena, it is crucial to learn how we can use information about NSSI to understand who is at greatest risk of suicidal thoughts. In this study, we investigated how characteristics of nonsuicidal self-injury related to SI among treatment-seeking adolescents and young adults.

Low severity methods of NSSI (e.g. banging) were more strongly associated with SI than high severity methods (e.g. breaking bones). SI was associated with intrapersonal (automatic) NSSI functions. SI was associated with some indices of NSSI severity, such as number of methods and urge for NSSI, but not with others, such as age of onset.

This study provides a valuable opportunity to expand our knowledge of suicide risk factors beyond those that may apply broadly to self-injurers and to non-injurers (e.g., depression, substance use) to NSSI-related factors that might be specifically predictive of suicidal thoughts among self-injurers. Findings inform clinical risk assessment of self-injurious youth, a population at high risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and provide further insight into the complex NSSI/suicide relationship.

Read more at: http://ht.ly/S4060

By: Sarah E. Victor¹, Denise Styer² and Jason J. Washburn^23*

¹Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver V6T1Z4, BC, Canada

²Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, 1650 Moon Lake Boulevard, Hoffman Estates 60169, IL, USA

³Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Abbott Hall Suite 1204, 710 N Lake Shore Drive, Chicago 60611, IL, USA

Predicting Women’s Recidivism: Validating a Dynamic Community-Based ‘Gender-Neutral’ Tool

Despite the growing number of women involved in the criminal justice system, most risk assessment tools used with this population were developed on male offenders, fuelling debate about whether these tools should be used with women. This study investigated the predictive validity of one such dynamic tool the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR) with a sample of female and male parolees. Unexpectedly, the DRAOR subscales predicted recidivism for women, but not for men, and the acute risk subscale independently contributed to recidivism prediction. Furthermore, the DRAOR incrementally predicted women’s recidivism above static risk. These results support the use of the DRAOR with women offenders, and more generally, a ‘gender-neutral’ approach to risk assessment tools for women. 

Via (PDF):  http://goo.gl/KdRe0s 

By: Julia A. Yesberg
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

'What on Earth Can This Possibly Mean'? French Reentry Courts & Experts' Risk Assessment

Against the backdrop of ten years of punitive criminal justice policies, the number of cases in which risk assessments by psychiatrist experts are mandatory has considerably increased in France. Because of complex and deeply ingrained cultural factors, most experts and academics oppose the use of actuarial or other structured judgement tools, which they assimilate to these policy changes. Parallel to this, the reentry judges in charge of making release and other community sentence decisions have maintained a strong rehabilitative and desistance-focused culture. 

Drawing on interviews with these judges and experts, the author wanted to assess the judges' expectations of experts' reports, their opinion on actuarial tools, and how they perceived experts and their aptitude to assess risk. 

The study showed that French reentry judges manage to keep experts' conclusions at bay when they do not fit with their desistance goals, as they can draw upon their own expertise and that of probation services. They do not have much faith in the professionalism and methodology of experts, and would like them to better demonstrate how they reach their conclusions. Moreover, criminogenic needs assessment would be much more useful to them than static risk assessment, which raises the issue as to why this is not the French probation services' role. 

Reentry judges who never encountered a report which uses a structured tool are influenced by the French ideological debate; those who have read such reports are unanimously in favour of such tools. It thus seems clear that they would like experts to be more strongly guided by science, but are not yet fully aware of what this entails.

Via: http://ht.ly/RUiHL

By: Herzog-Evans M1.

• 1University of Reims, Law faculty, 57 bis rue Pierre Taittinger, CS 80005, 51096 REIMS Cedex, France. Electronic address: martineeevans@gmail.com.