Violence Risk

O stalking, enquanto fenómeno de violência interpessoal, assume a conotação de aviso, perigo e imprevisibilidade, estando a sua experiência relacionada com a perceção de ameaça constante. Qualquer abordagem ao fenómeno do stalking, quer seja teórica ou prática, inclui na sua análise a dimensão do risco. Compreender o stalking implica a sua conceção enquanto fenómeno associado a múltiplos riscos: o risco de violência, de persistência e, ainda, de reincidência. O stalking representa um risco em si mesmo, mas constitui-se também como fator de risco de violência e, nalguns casos, um fator de risco de homicídio. A avaliação de risco em casos de stalking surge como um passo essencial a uma prática ética e informada, servindo como pedra basilar na tomada de decisão relativamente a medidas preventivas dirigidas aos stalkers, bem como de proteção às suas vítimas. É fundamental dotar os profissionais de competências e de instrumentos para uma avaliação de risco ponderada e eficaz em casos de ...

O stalking, enquanto fenómeno de violência interpessoal, assume a conotação de aviso, perigo e imprevisibilidade, estando a sua experiência relacionada com a perceção de ameaça constante. Qualquer abordagem ao fenómeno do stalking, quer seja teórica ou prática, inclui na sua análise a dimensão do risco. Compreender o stalking implica a sua conceção enquanto fenómeno associado a múltiplos riscos: o risco de violência, de persistência e, ainda, de reincidência. O stalking representa um risco em si mesmo, mas constitui-se também como fator de risco de violência e, nalguns casos, um fator de risco de homicídio. A avaliação de risco em casos de stalking surge como um passo essencial a uma prática ética e informada, servindo como pedra basilar na tomada de decisão relativamente a medidas preventivas dirigidas aos stalkers, bem como de proteção às suas vítimas. É fundamental dotar os profissionais de competências e de instrumentos para uma avaliação de risco ponderada e eficaz em casos de ...

for their invaluable help in collecting data for this project. The entire clinical psychology faculty and staff also deserve to be acknowledged for their tremendous role in my graduate career, I will forever be indebted to all of you for your guidance, support, and most of all the collegiality which was evident from the time I set foot in the department. I also wish to thank my colleagues, friends, and 2004 class cohort for making graduate school the fulfilling experience it has been. Most notably, I would like to thank my family for their unfailing support and unconditional love throughout the last twelve years that I have been away from them. It is good to be going back home again after such a long time! The completion of this project, my graduate career, and the beginning of my professional career are all testaments to the work ethic, perseverance, and values that I learned from my mother, father, brothers, and sisters. It is for them that I managed to persevere during the most difficult of times in graduate school. In the last several years I was fortunate enough to become part of a wonderful new family with the Caciallis and Wallens; thank you for your unending love and support. I look forward to many years of your warm embraces and sincere smiles. Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank my fiancée and future husband, Doug. Doug, words cannot express the tremendous gratitude and love I feel for you. You are truly a wonderful man; thank you for believing in me when the self-doubt seemed to overtake me. Your continued support, unconditional love, and motivating words made these last six years come to fruition. I look forward to planning our wedding and to cultivating a wonderful marriage with you. vi

Purpose. A core element of Schema Therapy (ST) is 'schema modes' or fluctuating emotional states. ST assumes that particular personality pathology consists of specific combinations of maladaptive schema modes. There is confirmatory evidence for the modes hypothesized to be central to borderline and narcissistic personality disorder (PD) in non-forensic patients. In this study, we tested three aspects of the construct validity of schema modes in cluster-B personality disordered offenders, examining its factorial validity, and the relations among personality disorders and violence risk. Method. Our sample consisted of 70 offenders who were diagnosed with an antisocial, borderline, or narcissistic PD. Schema modes were assessed with the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI), personality disorders with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-Forensic Version (SNAP-FV), and violence risk with the Historical, Clinical, and Risk management scheme (HCR-20 V2). Results. When controlling for the two other PDs, three schema mode factors distinguished antisocial PD as a disorder involving both low scores on internalizing and high scores on externalizing modes, and borderline PD as involving high scores on internalizing modes. Furthermore, the externalizing schema modes were a significant predictor for violence risk inside the hospital. Conclusions. The hypothesized mode models were partially supported for all three PDs. The findings thus provide some support for the construct validity of schema modes in a forensic sample. Emotional disturbances or rapid emotional shifts are central to many personality disorders. For example, borderline PD is characterized by rapid and dramatic shifts in *Correspondence should be addressed to Marije Keulen