Papers by European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background/Aim: Young people in care may show significant mental health difficulties because of p... more Background/Aim: Young people in care may show significant mental health difficulties because of previous adverse experiences,
such as maltreatment or violence. However, no meta-analyses have been conducted on this topic. We aim to identify the role of
previous maltreatment in current symptoms of children and adolescents in out-of-home care. Method: A search in Academic
Search Complete, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, Medline, Web of Science and
Scopus databases was conducted. Studies were included if they were empirical and quantitative, involved school-aged children
and adolescents, assessed maltreatment before placement in care and current internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
Multiple effect sizes were extracted from each primary study, and a three-level meta-analysis for each type of maltreatment
associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms was conducted. Results: The search yielded 122 effects sizes from 28
studies. Results indicated significant overall effects of general maltreatment (r = .260), abuse (emotional/physical) (r = .135) and
sexual abuse (r = .247) on internalizing symptoms. In relation to externalizing symptoms, overall effects of abuse (emotional/
physical) (r = .097) and sexual abuse (r = .187) were identified. The overall effect sizes of neglect were neither significant for
internalizing or externalizing symptoms. A set of moderators was tested, and significant effects were found for the type of
maltreatment measure on internalizing symptoms and for gender on externalizing symptoms. Conclusions: This study provides
new insights beyond previous systematic reviews, as we were able to disentangle the associations between maltreatment and
internalizing and externalizing symptoms in out-of-home care.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background/aim: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive issue that affects children and adolescen... more Background/aim: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive issue that affects children and adolescents worldwide, and Spain is no
exception. Despite its high impact, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the prevalence of CSA in Spain. This study aims to
update the current state of the prevalence of CSA, providing a comprehensive picture of the prevalence of sexual abuse from
data using varying defining criteria. Method: A cross-sectional design was conducted, including a total of 1,323 participants,
aged between 18 and 70 years (M = 28.40, SD = 10.31) responded to a measure of exposure to child sexual abuse. Results: The
results exhibited that the prevalence of CSA was 9.2% for male and 22.1% for female participants, significantly higher for them.
In terms of prevalence rate, females reported more frequently than males having suffered a more severe form of sexual abuse
when they were 13 to 18 years old, with a large magnitude of the effect. Another notable finding was that the occurrence of
global CSA with and without intercourse was significant, not a trivial effect. Conclusions: Consequently, there is a need for
increased awareness, education, and resources to prevent and address CSA. The results of this study highlight the need for
continued research to better understand the extent of CSA and to develop evidence-based interventions to protect children and
adolescents from CSA victimization
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background/Objectives: A fatal diagnostic error of suicidal intention, i.e., an error implying de... more Background/Objectives: A fatal diagnostic error of suicidal intention, i.e., an error implying death or serious injuries (i.e.,
incapacitating, chronic injury) to the patient, may have civil liability (punishable error) for the clinician. The Scale for Suicidal
Ideation (SSI) is the reference psychometric instrument used to measure suicidal intention. A meta-analytical review was
designed with the aim of estimating the true reliability of the SSI in general and in different settings (moderators) with the aim
of correcting unreliability raw scores. Method: A total of 90 primary studies reporting SSI’s reliability (internal consistency) was
found in the literature, yielding a total of 92 effect sizes. Bare-bones meta-analysis of correlation coefficients correcting effect by
sampling error were run. Results: The results showed an overall mean true internal consistency of .8904, 95% CI [.8878, .8930],
meaning that 42.6% of the population standard deviation is error and 18.11% of an individual’s measure is error. Additional
estimations (moderators) of SSI’s reliability for gender (men: .8873, women: .8808) adaptation version (English: .9212, Korean:
.9052, Chinese: .8402, Italian: .9163, Persian: .8612), and population (subclinical: .8769, general: .9230, mental illness: .9040)
were obtained. All mean true estimations were under the desirable standard for applied settings where critical decisions are
made, .95. Furthermore, for populations with risk of suicide, such as prison inmates and militaries, mean true reliability could
not be computed as k was insufficient. Conclusion: Implications of true reliabilities obtained for the estimation of individuals’
true scores and population standard deviations are discussed. Examples of computation of true scores to minimize fatal
diagnosis errors were performed for both known reliability and unknown reliability settings (e.g., risk populations).
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background: Legal cases and research have shown that due to suggestive therapeutic interventions,... more Background: Legal cases and research have shown that due to suggestive therapeutic interventions, people can start to remember abuse that they never experienced. Some of these people eventually retract their claims of abuse. This study examined the memory reports of self-defined retractors of abuse and the prevalence of nonbelieved memories. Method: In this study, a retrospective survey method was used to investigate 56 individuals who had retracted their claims of abuse. We examined details, plausibility, beliefs, and recollections of the abuse before and after retraction, as well as the reasons for withdrawing their belief and the outcomes of both recovered and retracted memories. Results: Twenty-four participants took significantly longer to retract the memories than to initially recover them. The belief in the occurrence of the abusive event and personal plausibility scores were significantly lower after the retraction, whereas the recollection scores were similar before and after the retraction. The main reason for withdrawing the belief in the abuse-related memory was the emergence of external evidence putting doubt on the retractors' claims. After the withdrawal of the memories, some retractors (n = 17, 70.83%, 95% CI [52.6%, 0.89%]) believed that they gained more benefits (e.g., giving them a new chance to rebuild their lives and to establish new relationships with others). Conclusion: While the reliability of retractors' reports is unclear, these findings support related work on retractor memory reports and highlight the presence of nonbelieved memories within retractors' memory reports.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
We examined the ability to detect lying about opinions with the Devil's Advocate Approach and Ver... more We examined the ability to detect lying about opinions with the Devil's Advocate Approach and Verifiability Approach. Method: Interviewees were first asked an opinion eliciting question to argue in favour of their alleged personal view. This was followed by a devil's advocate question to argue against their alleged personal view. Since reasons that support rather than oppose an opinion are more readily available in people's minds, we expected truth tellers' responses to the opinion eliciting question to include more information and to sound more plausible, immediate, direct, and clear than their responses to the devil's advocate question. In lie tellers these patterns were expected to be less pronounced. Interviewees were also asked to report sources that could be checked to verify their opinion. We expected truth tellers to report more verifiable sources than lie tellers. A total of 150 participants expressed their true or false opinions about a societal issue. Results: Supporting the hypothesis, the differences in plausibility, immediacy, directness, and clarity were more pronounced in truth tellers than in lie tellers (answers to eliciting opinion question sounded more plausible, immediate, direct, and clear than answers to the devil's advocate question). Verifiable sources yielded no effect. Conclusions: The Devil's Advocate Approach is a useful tool to detect lies about opinions.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background: Child-to-parent violence is a family issue that needs a systemic and integral approac... more Background: Child-to-parent violence is a family issue that needs a systemic and integral approach for its evaluation. The main objective of this longitudinal study was to assess the moderating effects of adolescents' borderline personality and psychopathic traits (grandiose-manipulative, callous-unemotional, and impulsive-irresponsible dimensions) in the predictive association between inadequate parental strategies (psychological aggression, corporal punishment, and ignoring misbehavior) and childto-parent violence. Sex differences were analyzed. Method: The community sample comprised 671 adolescents aged from 12 to 17 years old (M age = 13.39, SD = 1.15; 50.8% girls, 47.7% boys, and 1.5% non-binary), assessed twice, six months apart from each other. Results: Results showed slightly different patterns of violence towards fathers and mothers-ignoring misbehavior predicted aggression toward mothers, while psychological aggression predicted aggression toward fathers. Moderation analyses showed that the predictive association from ignoring misbehavior to both child-to-father violence (CFV) and child-tomother violence (CMV) was only significant for adolescents who were high in the psychopathic trait of callous-unemotional, and the predictive association from psychological aggression to CFV was only significant in those adolescents who scored low in the borderline personality trait. Some sex specificities emerged. Conclusions: These findings support the relevance of working on parents' discipline strategies and add the need to work on adolescents' emotional regulation to prevent or deal with childto-parent violence.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Even though previous research has identified the negative impact of the attention deficit hyperac... more Even though previous research has identified the negative impact of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, less is known regarding the moderator factors that explain this association. In this study, we first aimed to assess whether there would be differences in terms of specific neuropsychological variables (e.g., IQ, working memory, executive functioning, and emotion decoding) between different groups of IPV perpetrators, affected or not by ADHD, and also compared with non-violent men (without ADHD). Second, we evaluated differences in dropout and recidivism among the subgroups of IPV perpetrators. Third, we assessed whether ADHD interacts with neuropsychological functioning to explain treatment compliance (dropout) and official recidivism among IPV perpetrators. Method: We administered a set of neuropsychological tests and self-reports to a group of IPV perpetrators with ADHD (n = 161), without ADHD (n = 163), and non-violent men (n = 103). Data on IPV perpetrators' treatment compliance and official recidivism were collected after treatment. Results: Our results indicated that all the groups of IPV perpetrators presented worse performance in all cognitive domains than controls. Furthermore, ADHD IPV perpetrators also showed worse performance in all cognitive domains than IPV perpetrators without ADHD, except for emotion decoding abilities. Most importantly, the combined subtype of ADHD IPV perpetrators presented the highest rate of dropout and official recidivism. Lastly, ADHD diagnosis and neuropsychological impairments separately offered a considerable explanation of treatment compliance and recidivism but their combination did not increase the amount of explained variance. Conclusions: Our study highlights the need to implement good screening processes for correctly diagnosing IPV perpetrators and, consequently, designing more effective intervention programs.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background: Cyberbullying is a highly prevalent problem in our society with important implication... more Background: Cyberbullying is a highly prevalent problem in our society with important implications for adolescent psychological wellbeing. The objective of the study was to examine the network structure of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale in a sample of youths, and find out the relationships between different types of cybervictimization and the presence of negative emotional states. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample was made up of 2,171 high school students with a mean age of 13.84 (with 50.53% males and 49.47% females). The Cybervictimization Questionnaire (CYVIC) and the Spanish version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were administered. Results: Positive correlations were found between all the dimensions of the DASS-21 and the types of cybervictimization. The network structure showed that the different nodes of three emotional states were positively related to each other (although some relationships were stronger than others). Furthermore, girls had significantly higher means in depression, anxiety, and stress. In analyzing the network, the strongest associations in both sexes were found to be between anxiety and written-verbal cybervictimization and exclusion. Conclusions: Negative emotional states and types of cybervictimization were related in a complex network where efforts to approach reduction of emotional symptoms associated with cybervictimization could produce lasting benefits for the emotional wellbeing of youths.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background/Objectives: Current research has identified direct victimization at home as one of the... more Background/Objectives: Current research has identified direct victimization at home as one of the main predictors of child-toparent violence (CPV). However, the mechanisms involved in this relationship have not been studied. Thus, we first analyze the differences between CPV offenders and offenders who have committed other types of offenses, as well as the differences between two types of CPV offenders: specialists (those who have only committed CPV) and generalists (those who have committed CPV in addition to other offenses), in multiple risk factors. Next, we specifically examine direct victimization at home and its relationship with social-cognitive processing in CPV. Method: The sample consisted of 208 Spanish young offenders recruited from the Juvenile Justice Service (163 males) aged 14-20 years. Concretely, 83 were CPV offenders, 126 other offenders and concerning the CPV group, 57 were specialists and 26 generalists. A wide range of individual, family, and social variables were evaluated. Results: Compared to other offenders, CPV offenders show more socio-cognitive difficulties, less parental warmth and more parental criticism/rejection, more direct victimization at home and more vicarious victimization at school and in the street. Specialist and generalist CPV offenders differ significantly in their characteristics, with the generalists showing a more negative profile than the specialists. The most important result is that direct victimization at home is linked to social-cognitive processing, and, while some of the variables (anticipation of positive consequences and justification of violence) are positively related to CPV motivated by instrumental reasons, other variables (anger and aggressive response access) are positively related to CPV motivated by reactive reasons. Conclusions: Dysfunctional social-cognitive processing is implicated in the relationship between direct victimization at home and CPV, varying the components involved depending on the reasons for the violence. It is discussed the implications of the obtained results for research and professional practice.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background/objectives: Practitioners frequently inform us that lying through omitting information... more Background/objectives: Practitioners frequently inform us that lying through omitting information is relevant to them, yet this topic has been largely ignored by verbal lie detection researchers. Method: In the present experiment participants watched a video recording of a secret meeting between three people. Truth tellers were instructed to recall the meeting truthfully, and lie tellers were instructed to pretend that one person (John) was not there. Participants were or were not exposed to a Model Statement during the interview. The dependent variables were 'total details' and 'complications'. Results: Truth tellers reported more complications than lie tellers but lie tellers reported more details than truth tellers. The Model Statement resulted in more complications and details being reported. The Veracity x Model Statement interaction effect was not significant. In terms of self-reported strategies, the main veracity difference was that truth tellers were more inclined to 'be detailed" than lie tellers. Discussion: We discuss the atypical finding (most details reported by lie tellers) and ideas for future research.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2023
Background: The co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been usually determined by c... more Background: The co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been usually determined by co-occurring reports of perpetration and victimization, but still not considering the interdependence of both members' reports. The current research aimed to analyze the dyadic patterns of IPV perpetration and victimization, considering the influence of sexism toward women, family functioning, and relationship duration. Method: The sample involved 242 couples heterosexual couples. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was calculated to analyze the violent dynamics in the couple. For males, a couple-oriented pattern was identified, but for females the pattern was between couple-oriented and actor-only pattern. Results: These patterns remained stable when personal, family, and relational variables were included in the model, which present different effects on perpetration and victimization: males' hostile sexism predicted higher levels of male IPV perpetration and victimization as well as higher levels of male and female victimization via male perpetration. Regarding family functioning, higher family good functioning predicted lower IPV perpetration in males and lower victimization in females. Finally, relationship length predicted higher levels of IPV perpetration of both couple members and higher victimization via perpetration. Conclusions: These results are discussed in light of the interdependence of couple members' IPV perpetration and victimization.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
This study contributes to the neuroscience of offending behavior by addressing two aims: a) to ex... more This study contributes to the neuroscience of offending behavior by addressing two aims: a) to examine differences in the cortical features in a group of male serious juvenile offenders (21 OG), versus controls (28 CG), both ranging from 18 to 21 years old; and b) to determine to what extent the differential cortical features and the risk psychological profile discriminate between the two groups. Method: Besides cortical measures, demographics, executive functioning, childhood trauma, psychopathic traits, psychopathological symptoms, and antisocial and delinquent behavior were assessed. Results: Whole-brain analysis of the cortical mantle identified increased cortical thickness in the cluster comprising the right middle temporal gyrus and a smaller surface area in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex for the OG compared to the CG. The discriminant function correctly classified 100% of cases of the CG and 94.7% of the OG. Right temporal cluster, childhood trauma, callousness and symptoms of interpersonal sensitivity, psychoticism, depression, phobic anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behavior contributed to the OG. In turn, the lateral orbitofrontal cluster, psychopathic traits of grandiosity, unemotionality, and thrill seeking, and working memory contributed to the CG. Conclusions: The increased right middle temporal gyrus of the OG could be indicative of impaired brain development in social cognition processes since it appeared in combination with the higher risk profile. The reduced orbitofrontal cortex could be indicative of immature brain development in emotional control processes since it appeared in combination with the normative psychological profile in adolescence. Based on these novel findings, areas of potential improvement for research and intervention are suggested.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
This study aimed to identify whether clinicians' gender, clinical experience, and personal attitu... more This study aimed to identify whether clinicians' gender, clinical experience, and personal attitudes influenced their perception of criminality of specific sexual behaviours, their judgments about criminal liability if mentally disordered, and the need for treatment as part of criminal settings for those having ICD-11 paraphilic disorders. Method: In a secondary analysis of data only vignettes with the least (do not meet paraphilic disorder diagnostic requirements) and most extreme (met paraphilic disorder diagnostic requirements) descriptions of ICD-11 frotteuristic, coercive sexual sadism, and exhibitionistic arousal patterns and related behavior were randomly presented to participants. A total of 1,101 clinicians rated one to three vignettes (a total of 1,884) answering questions regarding diagnosis, criminal features, and their own attitudes. Results: The ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines were adequately used to distinguish paraphilic disorders from non-pathological arousal patterns. Vignette severity was the most important predictor for clinicians' determination that a crime was committed. Results showed an interaction of the classification of paraphilic disorders, clinicians' gender, and personal attitudes with judgments about concepts associated with criminality, criminal liability if a diagnosis was indicated, and the need for treatment in forensic settings. Conclusions: Increased formal education, clinical training about these disorders, and evidence-based treatment guidelines are required to avoid biases that may come from preconceived ideas and personal attitudes. Laws and policies that unnecessarily restrict the treatment of these patients in non-forensic settings-for example, when the individual is distress about the arousal pattern but no crime has been committed-should be examined.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
Background/Objective: Whiplash-Associated Disorders (WAD) are one of the most complex conditions ... more Background/Objective: Whiplash-Associated Disorders (WAD) are one of the most complex conditions to evaluate because several of its symptoms are not observable with current diagnostic methods and cannot be quantified or evaluated correctly. No method is currently available to assess the risk of malingering in the aforementioned condition efficiently. Our aim is to study the capacity of several biopsychosocial psychometric self-report instruments, such as the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Cervical Disability Index (NDI), the SF-36 Health Questionnaire, the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories (BDI-II and BAI), or the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), to discriminate between patients diagnosed with WAD following a vehicle accident and non-clinical participants with malingering instructions. Method: A simulation design was used with 630 participants: 200 non-clinical controls with honest responding condition, 201 instructed malingerers, and 229 WAD clinical outpatients. Results: Our results showed an AUC range of .60 to .90, with the highest value being that of the BPI (.90), followed by the NDI (.88), and the lowest value that of the BIPQ (.60), followed by the BAI (.71). Conclusions: Overall, the BPI, the NDI, and SF-36 can correctly discriminate between groups with a good specificity (> 90%), while the BAI, BDI, and BIPQ showed a lower capacity, with a high rate of false positives in the case of the BDI and of false negatives in the other two. Practical and research implications are discussed.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
Background: In two experiments we examined whether lie tellers, after reading articles about the ... more Background: In two experiments we examined whether lie tellers, after reading articles about the Model Statement interview tool and/or about the verbal cues complications, common knowledge details and self-handicapping strategies, can successfully use countermeasures by adjusting their statements so that they sound like truth tellers. We also examined whether the presence of an interpreter affect these results. Method: In both experiments, truth tellers discussed a trip they had made; lie tellers fabricated a story. Participants were of Lebanese, Mexican and South-Korean origin. Prior to the interview participants in Experiment 1 did or did not receive information about (i) the working of the Model Statement tool and (ii) three types of verbal detail: complications, common knowledge details and self-handicapping strategies. In Experiment 2 the Model Statement Pre-Information factor was replaced by the presence/absence of an interpreter. Results/Conclusions: We found no evidence that lie tellers adjusted their responses after being informed about the Model Statement and / or the types of detail we examined.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
Background/Objective: Cyberbullying is one of the social problems of most concern in educational ... more Background/Objective: Cyberbullying is one of the social problems of most concern in educational spheres, especially in adolescence, where victimization experiences have been associated with episodes of anxiety and depression. The aim of this work was to analyze the relationship between cybervictimization, anxiety and depression in adolescence in a metaanalysis and identify the moderating variables that could help to explain the various correlations. Method: A search for crosssectional studies was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. Of the 156 studies identified, finally 13 met inclusion criteria, with a total of 7,348 participants. Results: The results show statistically significant correlations between cybervictimization and anxiety (r = .31) and cybervictimization and depression (r = .28), with moderate-to-large effect sizes. The meta-regression analysis showed that the percentage of women and continent are moderating variables in the relationship between cybervictimization with depression and anxiety. Conclusions: In conclusion, misuse of the new information and communication technologies can lead to psychological and social maladjustment of individuals, with negative repercussions on their development.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
The core aim of this study was to examine the predictive role of demographic, psychosocial and dr... more The core aim of this study was to examine the predictive role of demographic, psychosocial and driving features of Spanish drivers on their risk perception over recidivist traffic offenders, focusing on gender as a key differentiating factor. Method: For this cross-sectional study, it was analyzed the data gathered from a nationwide sample of 1,711 licensed drivers from the 17 regions of Spain (49% females, 51% males) with a mean age of 40.07 years, responding to a telephone-based interview on road safety issues. Demographic, drivingrelated and psychosocial factors were comparatively analyzed through robust tests and a bias-corrected MGSEM (Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling) approach. Results: The findings of this study indicate that drivers' age, driving exposure, traffic law knowledge, their assessment of both enforcement and reeducation, and the number of traffic fines they have received, explain the risk perceived in recidivist traffic offenders. Secondly, and in regard to structural differences, three study variables, i.e., driving exposure, need for enforcement and traffic law knowledge, have shown to exert a differential influence on risk perception according to drivers' gender. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that both psychosocial and driving-related features differentially predict drivers' risk perception over recidivist traffic offenders between male and female drivers. This research supports the need of fostering the emphasis on gender, in order to strengthen driving education, re-education, and training processes aimed at facing and preventing recidivism in the field of traffic and mobility.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
Background: Despite the common occurrence of alcohol-related crimes, the Swedish police authority... more Background: Despite the common occurrence of alcohol-related crimes, the Swedish police authority currently lacks
national guidelines for dealing with intoxicated victims/witnesses. Method: A survey was designed to explore the police
procedures when encountering intoxicated individuals and to compare the findings with international statistics. To facilitate
international comparison, the survey was modeled after previous research and adapted to a Swedish context. A solicitation
containing a link to the survey was emailed to all police regions in Sweden. Results: Police officers (N = 133) indicated that
it was common to interact with intoxicated witnesses/victims. Some police departments had local guidelines on how to
conduct investigative interviews with intoxicated individuals, but it was mostly up to each officer to make a subjective
judgement regarding interactions with this witness group. Data evidenced that the high prevalence rate of intoxicated
witnesses/victims in Sweden is similar to rates in Australia, the U.S. and U.K. It appears that the Swedish police are unaware of
research concerning when and how to conduct investigative interviews with intoxicated witnesses and victims, a potentially
vulnerable group. Conclusions: A closer collaboration between police and researchers is encouraged in order to develop
guidelines for investigations with intoxicated individuals.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
Background: Investigators often use maps in forensic interviews to verify a route that was taken ... more Background: Investigators often use maps in forensic interviews to verify a route that was taken by a suspect to obtain additional information, and to assess credibility. Method: We examined the effects of the level of map richness on the elicitation of information and cues to deceit. A total of 112 participants completed a mock secret mission and were asked to tell the truth (to a friendly agent) or to lie (to a hostile agent) about it in an interview. In phase 1 of the interview, all participants provided a verbal free recall of the mission. In phase 2, half of the participants were given a detailed map that included all street names and landmarks of the city where they completed the mission (zoomed in to 80%), and the other half were given a less detailed map that included the names of only major streets and landmarks (zoomed in to 60%). All participants were asked to verbally describe the mission and the route taken while sketching on the map. Results: Compared to lie tellers, truth tellers provided more location, action, temporal, and object details and complications in phase 1, and new person, location, action, and object details and complications in phase 2. Map richness did not have an effect on the amount of information elicited and had an equal effect on truth tellers and lie tellers. Conclusions: This initial experiment in this research area suggests that investigators do not have to worry about the exact level of map detailedness when introducing maps in interviews.
The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 2022
Background: This study aimed to adapt and validate a staff version of the PLANEA Independent Life... more Background: This study aimed to adapt and validate a staff version of the PLANEA Independent Life Skills Assessment tools, which were then used to explore the convergence between self-reported and staff views of independent living skills of young people in residential child care in Spain. Method: A sample of 422 care-experienced young people was evaluated by their residential or care workers (n = 219) using the staff version of PLANEA instruments. Psychometric analyses were carried out to study dimensionality and measuring properties of the instruments, while t-tests, Pearson correlations and Fisher's z were used to study convergence between informants. Results: The results show that the internal structure of the instruments was confirmed for the staff versions (three first-order factors and one second-order factor model for PLANEA-S, unidimensional model for PLANEA-9-S, and two-factor correlated model for PLANEA-T-S). The instruments showed excellent reliability (ω = .80-.97) and discriminative capacity. Staff showed less optimistic views than young people about their independent living skills but not their autonomy to perform everyday life tasks. This was mediated by the role of the adult respondent towards the young person evaluated. Conclusions: As conclusions we can say that the validated staff version of the PLANEA Independent Life Skills Assessment tools expands the scope for assessing this construct in young people in care from a multi-informant perspective. This is key for child protection services to address young people's individual needs and inform decision-making regarding the provision of support services that will promote a successful transition from care to adulthood for them.
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Papers by European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context
such as maltreatment or violence. However, no meta-analyses have been conducted on this topic. We aim to identify the role of
previous maltreatment in current symptoms of children and adolescents in out-of-home care. Method: A search in Academic
Search Complete, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, Medline, Web of Science and
Scopus databases was conducted. Studies were included if they were empirical and quantitative, involved school-aged children
and adolescents, assessed maltreatment before placement in care and current internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
Multiple effect sizes were extracted from each primary study, and a three-level meta-analysis for each type of maltreatment
associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms was conducted. Results: The search yielded 122 effects sizes from 28
studies. Results indicated significant overall effects of general maltreatment (r = .260), abuse (emotional/physical) (r = .135) and
sexual abuse (r = .247) on internalizing symptoms. In relation to externalizing symptoms, overall effects of abuse (emotional/
physical) (r = .097) and sexual abuse (r = .187) were identified. The overall effect sizes of neglect were neither significant for
internalizing or externalizing symptoms. A set of moderators was tested, and significant effects were found for the type of
maltreatment measure on internalizing symptoms and for gender on externalizing symptoms. Conclusions: This study provides
new insights beyond previous systematic reviews, as we were able to disentangle the associations between maltreatment and
internalizing and externalizing symptoms in out-of-home care.
exception. Despite its high impact, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the prevalence of CSA in Spain. This study aims to
update the current state of the prevalence of CSA, providing a comprehensive picture of the prevalence of sexual abuse from
data using varying defining criteria. Method: A cross-sectional design was conducted, including a total of 1,323 participants,
aged between 18 and 70 years (M = 28.40, SD = 10.31) responded to a measure of exposure to child sexual abuse. Results: The
results exhibited that the prevalence of CSA was 9.2% for male and 22.1% for female participants, significantly higher for them.
In terms of prevalence rate, females reported more frequently than males having suffered a more severe form of sexual abuse
when they were 13 to 18 years old, with a large magnitude of the effect. Another notable finding was that the occurrence of
global CSA with and without intercourse was significant, not a trivial effect. Conclusions: Consequently, there is a need for
increased awareness, education, and resources to prevent and address CSA. The results of this study highlight the need for
continued research to better understand the extent of CSA and to develop evidence-based interventions to protect children and
adolescents from CSA victimization
incapacitating, chronic injury) to the patient, may have civil liability (punishable error) for the clinician. The Scale for Suicidal
Ideation (SSI) is the reference psychometric instrument used to measure suicidal intention. A meta-analytical review was
designed with the aim of estimating the true reliability of the SSI in general and in different settings (moderators) with the aim
of correcting unreliability raw scores. Method: A total of 90 primary studies reporting SSI’s reliability (internal consistency) was
found in the literature, yielding a total of 92 effect sizes. Bare-bones meta-analysis of correlation coefficients correcting effect by
sampling error were run. Results: The results showed an overall mean true internal consistency of .8904, 95% CI [.8878, .8930],
meaning that 42.6% of the population standard deviation is error and 18.11% of an individual’s measure is error. Additional
estimations (moderators) of SSI’s reliability for gender (men: .8873, women: .8808) adaptation version (English: .9212, Korean:
.9052, Chinese: .8402, Italian: .9163, Persian: .8612), and population (subclinical: .8769, general: .9230, mental illness: .9040)
were obtained. All mean true estimations were under the desirable standard for applied settings where critical decisions are
made, .95. Furthermore, for populations with risk of suicide, such as prison inmates and militaries, mean true reliability could
not be computed as k was insufficient. Conclusion: Implications of true reliabilities obtained for the estimation of individuals’
true scores and population standard deviations are discussed. Examples of computation of true scores to minimize fatal
diagnosis errors were performed for both known reliability and unknown reliability settings (e.g., risk populations).
national guidelines for dealing with intoxicated victims/witnesses. Method: A survey was designed to explore the police
procedures when encountering intoxicated individuals and to compare the findings with international statistics. To facilitate
international comparison, the survey was modeled after previous research and adapted to a Swedish context. A solicitation
containing a link to the survey was emailed to all police regions in Sweden. Results: Police officers (N = 133) indicated that
it was common to interact with intoxicated witnesses/victims. Some police departments had local guidelines on how to
conduct investigative interviews with intoxicated individuals, but it was mostly up to each officer to make a subjective
judgement regarding interactions with this witness group. Data evidenced that the high prevalence rate of intoxicated
witnesses/victims in Sweden is similar to rates in Australia, the U.S. and U.K. It appears that the Swedish police are unaware of
research concerning when and how to conduct investigative interviews with intoxicated witnesses and victims, a potentially
vulnerable group. Conclusions: A closer collaboration between police and researchers is encouraged in order to develop
guidelines for investigations with intoxicated individuals.
such as maltreatment or violence. However, no meta-analyses have been conducted on this topic. We aim to identify the role of
previous maltreatment in current symptoms of children and adolescents in out-of-home care. Method: A search in Academic
Search Complete, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, Medline, Web of Science and
Scopus databases was conducted. Studies were included if they were empirical and quantitative, involved school-aged children
and adolescents, assessed maltreatment before placement in care and current internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
Multiple effect sizes were extracted from each primary study, and a three-level meta-analysis for each type of maltreatment
associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms was conducted. Results: The search yielded 122 effects sizes from 28
studies. Results indicated significant overall effects of general maltreatment (r = .260), abuse (emotional/physical) (r = .135) and
sexual abuse (r = .247) on internalizing symptoms. In relation to externalizing symptoms, overall effects of abuse (emotional/
physical) (r = .097) and sexual abuse (r = .187) were identified. The overall effect sizes of neglect were neither significant for
internalizing or externalizing symptoms. A set of moderators was tested, and significant effects were found for the type of
maltreatment measure on internalizing symptoms and for gender on externalizing symptoms. Conclusions: This study provides
new insights beyond previous systematic reviews, as we were able to disentangle the associations between maltreatment and
internalizing and externalizing symptoms in out-of-home care.
exception. Despite its high impact, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the prevalence of CSA in Spain. This study aims to
update the current state of the prevalence of CSA, providing a comprehensive picture of the prevalence of sexual abuse from
data using varying defining criteria. Method: A cross-sectional design was conducted, including a total of 1,323 participants,
aged between 18 and 70 years (M = 28.40, SD = 10.31) responded to a measure of exposure to child sexual abuse. Results: The
results exhibited that the prevalence of CSA was 9.2% for male and 22.1% for female participants, significantly higher for them.
In terms of prevalence rate, females reported more frequently than males having suffered a more severe form of sexual abuse
when they were 13 to 18 years old, with a large magnitude of the effect. Another notable finding was that the occurrence of
global CSA with and without intercourse was significant, not a trivial effect. Conclusions: Consequently, there is a need for
increased awareness, education, and resources to prevent and address CSA. The results of this study highlight the need for
continued research to better understand the extent of CSA and to develop evidence-based interventions to protect children and
adolescents from CSA victimization
incapacitating, chronic injury) to the patient, may have civil liability (punishable error) for the clinician. The Scale for Suicidal
Ideation (SSI) is the reference psychometric instrument used to measure suicidal intention. A meta-analytical review was
designed with the aim of estimating the true reliability of the SSI in general and in different settings (moderators) with the aim
of correcting unreliability raw scores. Method: A total of 90 primary studies reporting SSI’s reliability (internal consistency) was
found in the literature, yielding a total of 92 effect sizes. Bare-bones meta-analysis of correlation coefficients correcting effect by
sampling error were run. Results: The results showed an overall mean true internal consistency of .8904, 95% CI [.8878, .8930],
meaning that 42.6% of the population standard deviation is error and 18.11% of an individual’s measure is error. Additional
estimations (moderators) of SSI’s reliability for gender (men: .8873, women: .8808) adaptation version (English: .9212, Korean:
.9052, Chinese: .8402, Italian: .9163, Persian: .8612), and population (subclinical: .8769, general: .9230, mental illness: .9040)
were obtained. All mean true estimations were under the desirable standard for applied settings where critical decisions are
made, .95. Furthermore, for populations with risk of suicide, such as prison inmates and militaries, mean true reliability could
not be computed as k was insufficient. Conclusion: Implications of true reliabilities obtained for the estimation of individuals’
true scores and population standard deviations are discussed. Examples of computation of true scores to minimize fatal
diagnosis errors were performed for both known reliability and unknown reliability settings (e.g., risk populations).
national guidelines for dealing with intoxicated victims/witnesses. Method: A survey was designed to explore the police
procedures when encountering intoxicated individuals and to compare the findings with international statistics. To facilitate
international comparison, the survey was modeled after previous research and adapted to a Swedish context. A solicitation
containing a link to the survey was emailed to all police regions in Sweden. Results: Police officers (N = 133) indicated that
it was common to interact with intoxicated witnesses/victims. Some police departments had local guidelines on how to
conduct investigative interviews with intoxicated individuals, but it was mostly up to each officer to make a subjective
judgement regarding interactions with this witness group. Data evidenced that the high prevalence rate of intoxicated
witnesses/victims in Sweden is similar to rates in Australia, the U.S. and U.K. It appears that the Swedish police are unaware of
research concerning when and how to conduct investigative interviews with intoxicated witnesses and victims, a potentially
vulnerable group. Conclusions: A closer collaboration between police and researchers is encouraged in order to develop
guidelines for investigations with intoxicated individuals.