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This study aims to investigate the distinctive personality traits and characteristics of individuals with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) and mild intellectual disability (MID) within specialized centers for MID-BIF treatment and care compared with individuals without MID-BIF diagnosis gathered from general mental health care (GMH) settings.

Patients classified with MID-BIF (n = 58), most with comorbid psychopathology, were thoroughly interviewed by trained clinicians who afterward completed the Shedler–Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200) about the patient. The authors compared SWAP-200 profiles of MID-BIF patients with profiles of GMH individuals. In addition, the authors have compared these profiles for the MID and BIF groups (differentiated based on previously known intelligence quotient scores).

Results show significantly higher scores for the MID-BIF group than the GMH group on scales encompassing emotional instability, impulsivity and antagonism. On scales containing constraint and healthy traits, significantly lower scores were found for the MID-BIF group than for the GMH group. Importance of including SWAP-200 personality assessment for a more comprehensive understanding and treatment planning for individuals with MID-BIF is discussed.

This study offers insights into personality within individuals with an MID-BIF diagnosis, compared with individuals in a GMH setting.

Forensic vigilance is a central competency that forensic professionals need to meet the complex demands of working in forensic settings. Until recently, no instrument for forensic vigilance was available. This study aims to develop a self-assessment tool of forensic vigilance for individuals and teams working in forensic settings, and investigated its psychometric properties.

The Forensic Vigilance Estimate (FVE) was presented to 367 forensic psychiatric professionals and 94 non-forensic psychiatric professionals by means of an online survey. Professionals rated themselves on 15 aspects of forensic vigilance.

The results indicated that the FVE had good psychometric properties, reflected by a good to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α of 0.903), a good split-half reliability (0.884) and good test–retest reliability (0.809). The factor structure of the FVE was captured by a one-factor model (RMSEA 0.09, SRMR 0.05, TLI 0.91 and CFI 0.92). Proportion of explained variance was 52%. Forensic professionals scored significantly higher than non-forensic professionals on the FVE (t(459) = 3.848, p = 0.002).

These results suggest that the FVE may reliably be used for research purposes, e.g. to study the effects of targeted training or intervention or increasing work experience on forensic vigilance or to study which factors influence forensic vigilance.

This study represents the first attempt to capture forensic vigilance with a measuring instrument.

Forensic mental health care is a unique field that poses complex demands on professionals. Forensic vigilance is a hypothesized specialty of forensic mental health professionals, allowing them to meet the complex demands of working in forensic settings. Forensic vigilance consists of theoretical and experiential knowledge of mental disorders, theory of offending behavior, the criminal history of patients and environmental observations and clinical judgment. Although this concept has only been recently described and defined, it is still unknown which professional and individual factors are related to forensic vigilance, and if forensic vigilance is related to job stress and burnout symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between forensic vigilance and several professional and individual factors.

The current study investigated whether forensic vigilance is predicted by years of work experience and the Big Five personality traits by means of an online survey among forensic mental health professionals and whether forensic vigilance is associated with work-related stress, burnout and workplace satisfaction.

The 283 forensic mental health professionals who responded to the survey indicated that forensic work experience, but not general experience, positively predicted forensic vigilance. Forensic vigilance was negatively associated with Neuroticism and positively associated with Openness to experience and Conscientiousness. Forensic vigilance did not predict work-related stress, burnout symptoms and workplace satisfaction. Personal accomplishment was positively related to forensic vigilance.

Findings of the present study increase the understanding of the construct of forensic vigilance. The findings presented here highlight the importance of differences between professionals in terms of experience and personality. Training programs should capitalize on experience, while taking personality differences in consideration. Personality differences are relevant in hiring policies and team composition. Finally, to reduce workplace-related stress and burnout symptoms, institutions should consider known factors that influence work-related symptoms (e.g. experienced autonomy) rather than forensic vigilance.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first effort to study forensic vigilance in relation to personality, work experience and experienced workplace-related stress and satisfaction.

While there is a significant proportion of people with a mild intellectual disability (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) who commit sexual offenses, little research has focused on the risk factors for sexual recidivism in people with MID-BIF. The purpose of this paper is to compare the scores on the STATIC-99R and STABLE-2007 between persons with sexual offense histories with and without MID-BIF.

Data using the STATIC-99R and STABLE-2007 were collected in 85 male patients divided into an MID-BIF group (IQ 50–85, n=50) and comparison group (IQ>95, n=35).

The MID-BIF group and comparison group did not differ significantly on the static risk factors and total score of the STATIC-99R. However, of the 13 dynamic risk factors of the STABLE-2007, the MID-BIF group scored significantly higher on the items Impulsive acts, Poor problem solving skills and Lack of concern for others, while the comparison group scored significantly higher on the item Deviant sexual preference.

The higher score on a number of dynamic risk factors for patients with MID-BIF could partly be explained by the characteristics associated with MID-BIF. Although dynamic criminogenic risk factors which are usually identified as targets for treatment appear the same for people with and without MID-BIF who commit sexual offenses, adaptations to the modality of treatment will still need to be made for people with MID-BIF.

Over the last ten years, there has been greater interest in the diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). One important characteristic of a diagnostic system is that it should have validity as a contribution to utility. PD has been found to have a predictive relationship with violence and the purpose of this paper is to review two methods for the diagnosis of PD in offenders with IDD in order to evaluate the utility of the diagnoses.

In total, 212 offenders with ID were recruited from three settings – maximum-security, medium/low security and community services. Diagnoses of PD in the case files were compared with a structured system of diagnosis based on DSM-IV traits.

There were significant differences between the two systems with a significantly higher frequency of PD diagnosis in the community forensic setting in the structured assessment system. There was no relationship between the case files diagnosis of PD and future violence but there was a significant predictive relationship between the structured diagnosis of PD and future violence with an AUC=0.62.

As with all such studies, the research is limited by the quality of the case files available to the researchers.

Only the structured assessment of PD had utility for the prediction of violence. Reasons for the differences between the systems are discussed and suggestions made on how a diagnosis of PD can be structured for the busy clinician.

The accurate diagnosis of PD has important implications since the PD is a crucial addition to any violence risk evaluation.

This study is the first of its kind to review the way in which clinicians assess PD.

The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth account of how individuelas with a mild intellectual disabilitiy or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF; IQ 50–85) perceive their group climate in a secure forensic setting. Giving voice to these service users may provide relevant insights for secure forensic settings.

The interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore what individuals with MID-BIF experience with regard to their group climate.

In the interviews about the four domains of group climate (i.e. repression, support, growth and atmosphere), five overarching dimensions appeared, namely, autonomy, uniformity, recognition, competence and dignity. Depending on the person and the (treatment) context in which he/she resides, these five dimensions relate to all four factors of the group climate instrument.

From the perspective of individuals with MID-BIF, this study contributes by providing a framework to “fine-tune” group climate on five dimensions. Training socio-therapists to be sensitive to interpret ambiguous signals on these dimensions can contribute to optimizing group climate in secure forensic settings.

Recent research on flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) for individuals with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) has shown positive results. This paper aims to identify which client variables are associated with treatment outcome of FACT.

Analyses were performed on assessments made during a six-year longitudinal study in The Netherlands. Data comprised assessments of 281 clients with at least 2 measurements. Treatment outcome was measured by the learning disability version of the Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales. Demographic variables and dynamic risk variables of the short version of the Dynamic Risk Outcome Scales were selected as potential predictor variables of outcome. Data were analysed using linear mixed models.

Limited awareness of the need for treatment, limited treatment motivation and cooperation, limited social skills, impulsivity and substance abuse were significantly associated with worse treatment outcome. None of the demographic variables influenced treatment outcome significantly, and neither did intelligence quotient or having a judicial or civil measure.

Because of the observational design, no causal inferences can be drawn.

This study produces guidelines regarding nature and scope of the treatment supply and the competences of professionals working in FACT MID/BIF teams.

This paper encourages other countries to make assertive outreach available for people with MID/BIF on a larger scale, taking into account the acquired insights.

Students with extensive supports needs (ESN) often require pervasive and intensive supports to access the full benefits of educational programming. In this chapter, the authors describe the application of both established and innovative technologies for promoting equitable access and opportunity for these students. They provide guidance for the use of technology across the areas of academic instruction, social communication, behavior supports, daily living, and employment.