Clinical studies, which seek to register the increasingly important evaluation criterion of health-related quality of life in MS, should consider the prevalence of depressive disorders and the decisive effect of depression on the self-assessed quality of life of affected patients.

The predictive accuracy of STABLE-2000 and STABLE-2007 was examined within a prospective research design in a German-speaking sample of 263 adult male prison-released sexual offenders followed up for an average of 6.4 years. The STABLE-2007 was significantly related to all outcomes (AUC = 0.67-0.71), whereas the STABLE-2000 demonstrated only weak predictive accuracy for sexual reoffense (AUC = 0.62). Supporting the results of the construction sample, the STABLE-2007 incrementally added to the predictive accuracy of the STATIC-99 for violent and general reoffense (conviction and incarceration). Moreover, the STABLE-2007 total scores and the nominal risk/need categories made significant incremental contributions over the SORAG for predicting sexual reoffense.

The Static-99 is the actuarial risk assessment instrument most commonly used and best validated for sexual offenders. Some research has indicated that the original version of the instrument does not sufficiently cover the influence of age-related decreases in recidivism risk of sexual offenders. Therefore, an age-corrected version, the Static-99R, has been proposed. It includes four age categories compared with only two in the original instrument. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of several age-related variables on the predictive accuracy of the german version of the Static-99 using a population-based sample of prison-released sexual offenders (N = 1,077). The results indicated that-for the prediction of sexual reoffenses in a population-based prison sample-the original Static-99 performed better than the age-corrected Static-99R. Theoretical and empirical implications for research as well as recommendations for applied risk assessment settings are discussed. D espite substantial research effort during the last 20 years, the assessment of risk in sexual offenders is still one of the most difficult challenges in the field of forensic psychology and psychiatry. Different assessment methods and scientific approaches have been described aiming to improve risk assessment. As in other areas of psychological prediction, practice, and research, empirical results indicate that structured and standardized AuThorS' noTe: We would like to thank R. Karl Hanson, Marnie Rice, and Leslie Helmus for their very helpful comments in the preparation of this article. The current research project was conducted in accordance with the legal and ethical demands of the Austrian Department of Justice and the national Data Protection Act.

ObjectiveMental disorders in sexual offenders are relevant in terms of risk assessment and psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment.MethodsThe present cross‐sectional study was conducted between 2001 and 2017 and included 1511 sexual offenders who were assessed at the Federal Evaluation Center for Sexual and Violent Offenders in the Austrian Prison System. All sexual offenders were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I (SCID I) and Axis II disorders (SCID II).ResultsN = 1250 (92.9%) sexual offenders were diagnosed with a mental disorder, whereby the great majority received multiple diagnoses. The most frequently found disorders were alcohol misuse (40.0%), paraphilic (43.3%), and personality disorders (53.6%) with a special emphasis on Cluster B personality disorders (47.8%). While sexual offenders against children were more likely to be diagnosed with paraphilic disorders, sexual offenders against adults were more likely to be diagnosed with a personality disorder.ConclusionPrevalence rates of mental disorders in sexual offenders are considerable. Besides specific risk reducing treatment, the psychological and social sequelae of the mental disorder have to be addressed in interventions in order to reach an effective and sustainable risk reduction.

The Severe Sexual Sadism Scale (SSSS) is a screening device for the file-based assessment of forensically relevant sexual sadism. The SSSS consists of 11 dichotomous (yes/no) items that code behavioral indicators of severe sexual sadism within sexual offenses. Based on an Austrian sample of 105 sexual offenders, the present study replicated the 1-dimensional scale structure of the SSSS, as evidenced by confirmatory factor analysis. More specifically, the scale was commensurate with the 1-parameter logistic test model (Rasch model). Reliability was estimated to be good. Criterion validity for the clinical diagnosis of sexual sadism was good. With a cutoff value of 7 points, sensitivity and specificity were estimated at 56% and 90%, respectively.