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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are highly prevalent in people with developmental disorders who engage in offending behaviour. Many violence-based risk assessment tools include items pertaining to ACEs, and may inflate risk scores in trauma-exposed groups. This paper aims to explore the relationships between ACEs, risk assessment scores, incidents of risk and restrictive practices, in adolescents with developmental disorders in a forensic inpatient setting.

Secondary analysis was conducted on clinical data for 34 adolescents detained to a developmental disorder service. Data were extracted for Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) risk scores and risk behaviours and restrictive practices, as measures of observed risk.

Participants exposed to more ACEs had higher SAVRY risk scores (p < 0.001, two-tailed), with elevations specifically on the historical subscale (p < 0.001, two-tailed). Neither ACEs nor risk scores were associated with the frequency of risk behaviours. Nevertheless, participants exposed to four or more ACEs were secluded more frequently (p = 0.015, two-tailed), indicating a potential association between trauma and risk severity. Those with more complex developmental disorders experienced fewer ACEs (p = 0.02, two-tailed) and engaged in self-harm behaviours less frequently (p = 0.04, two-tailed).

The inclusion of ACEs in risk assessment tools may lead to the inadvertent stigmatization of trauma-exposed individuals. Further investigation is necessary to offer clarity on the impact of early adversity on risk assessment accuracy and levels of institutional risk, and the role of developmental disorders in this relationship.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the relative associations between ACEs, risk assessment scores and observed institutional risk and does so in a highly marginalized population.

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy are similar, but distinct, psychiatric conditions that are common in male and female inmates; a segment of the population with high rates of trauma exposure. It is unclear whether specific types of lifetime trauma are associated with ASPD and psychopathy in incarcerated women and men. Furthermore, the unique roles of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and trauma victimization in antisocial personality disturbance are not well-understood. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This study investigated associations between trauma variables (different kinds of traumatic experiences and PTSD) and antisocial personality variables (ASPD and psychopathy) in a sample of incarcerated women and men who participated in a randomized clinical trial for major depressive disorder. In total, 88 incarcerated men and women were assessed for ASPD diagnosis, psychopathy severity, PTSD symptom severity, and history of physical, sexual, and crime-related trauma. Regression analyses predicted ASPD or psychopathy from trauma variables, controlling for gender.

Physical trauma was the only form of trauma that was significantly related to psychopathy. Physical trauma and crime-related trauma were associated with ASPD. PTSD symptom severity was not associated with psychopathy or ASPD.

There are associations between some kinds of lifetime trauma exposure and current ASPD/psychopathy in the target sample, but these associations do not appear to be mediated through current PTSD symptoms.

Purpose and methodology – Many adult women struggle with serious eating problems (EPs) and obesity is increasing, yet, little is known about the origins of EPs, which often begin in childhood. Personal Narratives with 25 Israeli Jewish women in recovery from EPs explore (a) types of childhood experiences, (b) the connection between childhood experiences and subsequent EPs, and (c) why food!

Findings a.Analyses of personal narratives uncover a broad range of emotionally abusive experiences in childhood (CEA) including continuous criticism about body shape and weight, emotional neglect and abandonment, death or illness in the family in the absence of a nurturing adult, conflict and tension surrounding parental divorce or dysfunctional marriage, geographic dislocation, and aftermath of the Holocaust.b.Interviewees explicitly identified CEA as the cause of their turning to food for comfort in childhood and subsequently developing lifelong EPs.c.Why food! It was easily accessible, its sweetness took away the pain - temporarily, children replicated parents' unhealthy relationship with food, it was abundant and central in Jewish cultural, ethnic and religious traditions.

Research Implications – This research documents the critical contribution of emotionally abusive experiences in childhood to the development of EPs and confirms the need for additional research.

Practical Implications – The findings warrant a shift in policies and practices to address the role of emotional abuse in the development and maintenance of EPs. Moreover, policies focused on obesity, particularly among youth, need to recognize the contribution of CEA – in addition to poor dietary choices and lack of exercise.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ability of a comprehensive set of covariates to distinguish and predict juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) from non-sexual juvenile offenders (NSJOs) using demographic traits, criminality covariates, childhood trauma, and psychopathologies in a sample of male and female juvenile offenders in the USA.

A multivariate binary logistic regression will be conducted on a total of 64,329 juvenile offenders in Florida to determine what demographic, criminal history, childhood traumas, and psychopathologies make a difference in identifying sexual and NSJOs while controlling for the other key predictors in the model.

Results indicate that having an earlier age of criminal onset and more felony arrests, experiencing sexual abuse or being male, having low empathy, high impulsivity, depression, and psychosis all significantly increase the risk of sexual vs non-sexual offending among the male and female juvenile offenders, even while controlling for all other key covariates in the analysis.

This study uncovered many new findings regarding the key distinguishing traits of juvenile sex offending vs non-sexual offending, using a comprehensive list of predictors, a large sample of male and female offenders, and a rigorous statistical methodology.

Purpose – Research indicates significant associations between intimate partner violence (IPV), substance abuse (SA) and childhood experiences of abuse. Yet few studies have interviewed fathers with co‐occurring IPV and SA about their experiences in their own families and how that impacts their parenting. The purpose of this paper is to fill that gap and explore the ways in which fathers with co‐occurring IPV and SA describe the parenting of their own parents and how it is related to the ways they parent. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 40 fathers with co‐occurring IPV and SA were interviewed about their experiences of childhood abuse and the ways they are like and unlike their parents for this qualitative study using thematic analysis. Findings – A large percentage of the fathers experienced childhood abuse and reported negative images of their fathers and mothers most commonly due to father absence and abusive/harsh parenting by both parents. Most fathers indicated a wish to be more present, available and warm with their children. Fathers did not draw associations between their childhood histories and their own behaviors. Practical implications – Multigenerational transmission of IPV, SA, and child maltreatment may be important areas to focus on in interventions with fathers with co‐occurring IPV and SA issues. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to specifically interview fathers with co‐occurring IPV and SA about their experiences of being parented and how that is related to their own parenting.

The Whole Child Initiative (WCI) was developed over the past 15 years as a blueprint to promote long-term development and success of all children, as well as their families and communities. This chapter describes three aspects of the WCI model: (a) the need for a public health approach to sustainable, communitywide change targeting the whole child; (b) a clear, future-oriented vision for equipping educators, caregivers, and service providers with the skills and attitudes required to deliver high-quality instruction; and (c) the infusion of social and emotional learning practices to transform environments in which youth live and play. We provide examples of how schools, communities, and families can come together to create a common culture fostering stable and nurturing relationships essential for enhancing youth well-being. We close with recommended “super strategies” – low-cost, simple, and effective practices that can be broadly implemented to keep every child healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged in the community at large.

The 2011 Offender Personality Disorder Strategy promoted formulation-led approaches to offender management. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how formulation can inform partnership-working with women offenders, specifically those with complex needs including personality difficulties.

Learning from partnership case-work is shared to highlight a psychological understanding of the needs of one female offender, and the organisational system operating around her.

The paper describes the development of a “volcano metaphor” as a conceptual framework to assist workers, without psychological training, to better understand the complexity of a client’s intense emotional world. It also reflects the impact of an individualised formulation for through-the-gate working.

The challenges and advantages of “joined-up” inter-agency working are highlighted, including some ideas on how to promote consistency. These include the use of formulation as the basis for decision making and to help “contain” strong emotions attached to working with complex women offenders. Importance is attached to stable and appropriate housing for such women by anticipating their resettlement needs prior to points of transition, and coordinating provision through multi-agency public protection arrangements.

The paper’s originality lies with the development of the volcano diagram as an accessible format for considering individualised formulation and risk assessment. The paper also offers detailed reflections on wider systemic processes attached to working with complex women offenders. It is particularly relevant to psychological practitioners working within probation and prisons, and also to offender managers.

This study aims to develop and test a multivariable psychosocial prediction model of subjective well-being in Ukrainian adults (n = 1,248) 1.5 years after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The research design followed the “Transparent reporting of a multivariable prediction model for individual prognosis or diagnosis” checklist. The online survey combined a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and specifics of living in wartime, as well as validated self-reported inventories: The Modified BBC Subjective Well-being Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – Version 2 and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale-10.

The initially developed model was tested through regression analysis, which revealed nine variables as predictors of the subjective well-being scores within the sample, explaining 49.3% of its variance. Among them, the strongest were living with a friend and receiving mental health care systematically. They were almost twice as influential as forced displacement abroad and trauma exposure, which predicted lower well-being, and living with a spouse, which forecasted higher well-being scores. Two resilience subscales – adjustment and restoring and resistance – as predictors of better well-being and perceived unsuccess in life and age as predictors of lower well-being were relatively weaker but statistically significant.

The obtained results support the previous evidence on the essential role of accessible mental health services and social support in times of war, as well as the deteriorative effect of trauma exposure and forcible taking refuge on subjective well-being.

Most research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and offending has been conducted with special populations (e.g. veterans and female inmates) and generally overlooks the additive effect of panic disorder (PD) in offending patterns. The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of PTSD and PD among jail inmates, while simultaneously examining the relationships between these disorders, offending types and frequency.

A random sample of adults recently booked into a local county jail participated in the Comprehensive Addictions and Psychological Evaluation-5 (CAAPE-5), a structured psychological assessment. The study sample was comprised of 200 male and 83 female inmates.

Indications of PTSD were observed among 44.0 percent of male inmates and 57.8 percent of female inmates. Most male inmates (78.4 percent) with positive PTSD indications also met criteria for PD, with a similar proportion (78.1 percent) of female inmates also meeting criteria for both. The combination of PTSD and PD was not associated with offending frequency, but inmates presenting indications of both PTSD and PD were more likely to be charged with a violent offense relative to those with only PTSD.

Inmates with PTSD who also have panic attacks may have a more severe condition with possible implications for other risks. Observations of these conditions among adults recently booked into local jails should coincide with each other.

Few studies have examined mental health conditions among local jail detainees, despite the ever-present need to address them. The current study considers this important population and investigates the prevalence of co-occurring conditions.

Legislative guidance stipulates that people with a learning disability have the right to receive local provision of personalised support within the least restrictive environment. On these bases there is a growing emphasis on the requirement for local authorities to develop appropriate services for people who are currently in a hospital setting. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature addressing factors influencing the provision of effective community-based forensic services.

The six articles were analysed separately using the evaluation tool – Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose. The six articles used divergent sample groups and employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to collate data. The articles shared a purpose of examining forensic community service provision with an aim to improve services.

There were three themes that emerged consistently across the literature these included: balancing risk management vs individual autonomy; multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working; service improvement. There is a growing emphasis on the need to replace long-term hospital placements with specialist, community provision, employing least restrictive methods and positive responses to crisis situations. In this climate, it is crucial that multi-disciplinary agencies from local authority, health and the charitable and private sector continue to work collaboratively on the integration of service provision in order to bring about the development of effective and responsive community services.

Research limited to peer reviewed and published research papers focusing on the subject of community forensic services with publications specifically made within the time frame of the Transforming Care Agenda.

This paper looks to examine the practical solutions to providing effective community forensic services for a person with an intellectual disability and makes recommendations for research into improving service specific training for support staff.

Following the Winterbourne View Hospital scandal (BBC One, 2011) instigations were made to make legislative change under the Transforming Care Agenda. Despite a renewed conviction in the rights of people to be a part of their local community without segregation or discrimination, professionals in the field continue to report a failure to reduce numbers of people in long stay hospitals and secure settings. With commissioning under pressure to make these intentions a reality it is a really good time to reflect on practice and evaluate service models to establish the factors that bring about positive outcomes for individuals enabling inclusion within community settings.

This review will focus on the literature evidencing positive intervention and outcome focussed methods of supporting people with a forensic history in the community. This is an entirely original piece of work analysing peer reviewed and published research.