Psychiatry Psychology and Law最新文献

While there is increasing use of standardised tools to assist in determining decision-making capacity in adults, there is limited literature evaluating these tools in children/adolescents. The current PRISMA guided systematic review aimed to evaluate standardised capacity assessment tools used in the child/adolescent population, and to examine the relationship between these capacity assessment tools and cognition. Inclusion criteria comprised: (1) validation of a new/existing tool to assess capacity or competence; (2) participants < 18 years; (3) involved validation on normative or non-normative populations; (4) published in English in a peer review journal. Ten studies were included. The majority applied a version of the Macarthur Competence Assessment Tool. Findings suggest capacity assessment tools demonstrate sound psychometric properties, but research into capacity assessment in children is still in its infancy. Limitations include the lack of diagnostic gold standard of capacity and the inconsistent and minimal incorporation of cognitive functioning into standardised capacity assessment.

This study examines the prevalence of deliberate firesetting in an un-apprehended New Zealand sample and factors that differentiate firesetting and non-firesetting individuals. An anonymous online survey assessing demographic and background characteristics, history of firesetting and psychological characteristics was advertised on Facebook community groups and pinboards across New Zealand. A total of 626 adults completed the survey. One-hundred and three participants (16.45%) self-reported having deliberately set at least one fire over the age of 14 years. When controlling for all other variables in a logistic regression model, having a high-school qualification as the highest level of educational attainment (odds ratio, OR = 2.24), history of a mental health diagnosis (OR = 1.91), fearful attachment style (OR = 1.16) and fire interest (OR = 1.05) showed the strongest unique association with un-apprehended firesetting. Further research is needed to examine the full range of behavioural and psychological characteristics associated with un-apprehended firesetting.

In the present study, a growth mixture modeling (GMM) analysis performed on 7117 low-to-moderate-risk justice-involved youth disclosed the presence of four latent classes of neutralization scores measured over four non-overlapping six-month periods. These four patterns were subsequently labeled low accelerating, moderate accelerating, high accelerating and decelerating. The four classes displayed differing levels of recidivism, and so a series of binary logistic regression analyses were computed in which each individual class was compared to every other class. The results of these binary logistic regression analyses revealed that recidivism occurred significantly more often in the high accelerating group than in the low and moderate accelerating groups and significantly less often in the decelerating group than in the low, moderate and high accelerating groups, even after Time 1 moral neutralization scores were controlled. These results corroborate prior research denoting that declining moral neutralization scores portend decreased odds of future recidivism.

There is a spotlight on mental health, with government initiatives in Australia highlighting the importance of, and need for, greater focus on psychological wellbeing and on addressing psychosocial hazards at work. The growing body of evidence in Australia and internationally suggests that the mental health and wellbeing of lawyers is adversely affected by their work. This cross-disciplinary evidence highlights the need for mental health concerns to be addressed systemically to prevent psychosocial injury and for tailored, proactive psychological support services in the legal environment. In this article we present evidence derived from qualitative interviews with Victorian personal injury lawyers, which form part of a broader study of lawyers and mediators engaged in emotion-laden work. This study aimed to ascertain to what extent the legal system considers the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of personal injury disputants, lawyers and mediators, identify ways to reduce stigma associated with help seeking and inform proactive prevention initiatives and tailored support services. Findings from this build on past research and continue to highlight themes around stigma, vicarious trauma and collegial support and call attention to the psychological impact of legal practice on Australian lawyers. From this, preventative measures can be developed and implemented to avoid psychosocial injury and provide much-needed specialised support services.

This article explores the stress, vicarious trauma, and burnout experienced by judicial officers and their need for protective skills. Compassion is one skill that can be incredibly beneficial. Compassion involves recognising a person's suffering, and 'turning towards' the sufferer. This has been said to be 'neurologically rejuvenating'. In contrast, empathy alone can lead to distress and generate burnout. There are three pillars of compassionate practice: (1) procedural fairness; (2) judicial engagement; and (3) other therapeutic jurisprudence approaches and court programs. The authors, both experienced judicial officers, have experienced how compassionate practice can inspire offenders to achieve rehabilitation goals. These practices can also be implemented in traditional court lists by judicial officers acknowledging the possibility of suffering of court users and empowering them by judicial engagement and granting them agency. A compassionate approach to justice can improve judicial effectiveness, health, and the fostering of a healthy work environment.