OCD and OCD are manifestations of a wide spectrum of severity with high prevalence and strong clinical validity. The long-term course is better than generally assumed.

Objective:  To identify risk factors for mood disorders in a community sample studied from the ages of 20 to 35 years. Method:  Social characteristics, a family history of mood disorders and some personality features were analysed as risk factors for bipolar and depressive disorders by means of logistic regression. Results:  Frequent ‘ups and downs’ of mood were the strongest risk factor for both bipolar and depressive disorders; a weaker risk factor for both was emotional/vegetative lability (neuroticism). An additional risk factor for bipolar disorders was a positive family history of mania, whereas for depression it was a positive family history of depression/fatigue. As a risk factor for bipolar disorders, ‘ups and downs’ were much stronger than a positive family history of mania. Frequent ups and downs were independent of the family history of mood disorders. Conclusion:  The results suggest that mood regulation should be investigated as a new, very important independent risk factor for mood disorders.

Background: There is an ongoing debate on whether consumers of child pornography pose a risk for hands-on sex offenses. Up until now, there have been very few studies which have analyzed the association between the consumption of child pornography and the subsequent perpetration of hands-on sex offenses. The aim of this study was to examine the recidivism rates for hands-on and hands-off sex offenses in a sample of child pornography users using a 6 year follow-up design.

BackgroundIn past years, the female offender population has grown, leading to an increased interest in the characteristics of female offenders. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of female violent offending in a Swiss offender population and to compare possible socio-demographic and offense-related gender differences.MethodsDescriptive and bivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for a representative sample of N = 203 violent offenders convicted in Zurich, Switzerland.Results7.9% (N = 16) of the sample were female. Significant gender differences were found: Female offenders were more likely to be married, less educated, to have suffered from adverse childhood experiences and to be in poor mental health. Female violent offending was less heterogeneous than male violent offending, in fact there were only three types of violent offenses females were convicted for in our sample: One third were convicted of murder, one third for arson and only one woman was convicted of a sex offense.ConclusionsThe results of our study point toward a gender-specific theory of female offending, as well as toward the importance of developing models for explaining female criminal behavior, which need to be implemented in treatment plans and intervention strategies regarding female offenders.

Background: After the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean basin an Internet based self-screening test was made available in order to facilitate contact with mental health services. Although primarily designed for surviving Swiss tourists as well as relatives and acquaintances of the victims, the screening instrument was open to anyone who felt psychologically affected by this disaster. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influences between self-declared increased substance use in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, trauma exposure and current PTSD symptoms.

BackgroundDespite the high prevalence rate of mental health problems among young prisoners, little is known about the longitudinal course and covariates of their mental health symptoms during incarceration, especially the influence of the correctional climate. The current study aimed: (1) to examine changes in young prisoners’ mental health symptoms during incarceration, (2) to identify personal factors associated with their mental health symptoms and perceptions of the correctional climate, and (3) to test the incremental effect of perceptions of the correctional climate on mental health symptoms.MethodsData were obtained from a sample of 75 youths (aged 17 to 22 years) detained in a Portuguese young offender prison. Data were gathered 1, 3, and 6 months after their admission in this facility. Socio-demographic, clinical and criminological variables were collected. Mental health symptoms and perceptions of the correctional climate were assessed through self-report assessment tools. Linear and logistic (multi-level) regressions and tests for differences between means were performed to analyze the data.ResultsOverall, mental health symptoms marginally declined by the sixth month in prison. Prisoners with a history of mental health treatment were more likely to have increased symptoms. Higher levels of mental health symptoms were associated with a history of mental health treatment, remand status, and a lower educational level. Better perceptions of the correctional climate were associated with Black race and participation in prison activities. A negative perception of the correctional climate was the strongest covariate of young prisoners’ mental health symptoms and had incremental validity over that of personal variables.ConclusionsThe results highlight that both characteristics of the prisoners and of the prison environment influence young prisoners’ mental health. Prison management can try to reduce young prisoners’ mental health problems by developing scientific procedures for their mental health assessment and creating a more beneficial correctional climate.

Persons with chronic disease experience multiple symptoms. Understanding the association between these symptoms and health outcomes would facilitate a targeted approach to symptom assessment and treatment. Our objectives were to determine the association of a range of symptoms with quality of life, self-rated health, and functional status among chronically ill adults and to assess methods for evaluating the independent associations of symptoms that may be inter-related. We consecutively enrolled 226 cognitively intact, community-dwelling adults, age 60 years or older with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or cancer. Seven symptoms (physical discomfort, pain, fatigue, problems with appetite, feelings of depression, anxiety, shortness of breath) assessed using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale were examined for their association with self-rated quality of life, self-rated health, and functional status. Principal component analysis and logistic regression revealed similar results. The latter demonstrated that physical discomfort was associated with lower self-rated health (Adjusted odds ratio 1.9; 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.9), and functional disability (Adjusted odds ratio 1.8; 95% confidence interval 1.2-2.7). Feelings of depression were associated with poorer quality of life (Adjusted odds ratio 1.7; 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.6), and shortness of breath was associated with lower self-rated health (Adjusted odds ratio 1.5; 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.0). The association between a range of symptoms and quality of life, self-rated health, and functional status differed across outcomes, but only three symptoms-physical discomfort, feelings of depression and shortness of breath-maintained their associations when multiple symptoms were examined concurrently. These findings suggest that interventions targeting these symptoms could improve several health-related outcomes.

Research in the area of predicting recidivism has produced several well-validated standardized risk assessment instruments. The question arises, which instruments best serve which purposes? The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare several actuarial and dynamic risk assessment instruments as to their predictive accuracy and their usefulness in forensic practice. The sample consisted of 109 violent and sex offenders who had been released from prison in Switzerland between 1994 and 1999, and for whom the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R); Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20; Level of Service Inventory-Revised; Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG); and the Swiss assessment instrument FOTRES were scored. Using bivariate logistic regression analyses, all instruments were able to discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists. The receiver operating characteristic analyses yielded area under the curve values between 0.70 (VRAG) and 0.84 (PCL-R). Furthermore, it was shown that solely examining AUC values does not suffice to determine usefulness. A comprehensive evaluation of an instrument's usefulness for forensic practice should also look at qualitative criteria such as area of application, specificity of risk assessed, and inclusion of dynamic items among others.Keywords risk assessment instrument, predictive validity, risk of recidivism, violent and sex offenders