An Exploration of Responsivity among Violent Offenders: Predicting Access to Treatment, Treatment Engagement and Programme Completion

Abstract

This retrospective archival study examines whether pre-treatment responsivity characteristics influence access to, engagement in, and completion of a violent offender treatment programme. The participants are 115 violent offenders referred for a group-based multimodule treatment programme in medium-and high-security correctional facilities in Victoria, Australia. The case files for each participant were reviewed and information regarding responsivity factors and responses to treatment were gathered. Responsivity characteristics include psychopathy (Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version; PCL:SV), denial and minimisation (Denial and Minimisation Checklist-Third Edition; DMCL-III), and measures of motivation to engage in treatment and guilt and shame associated with violent offending. Engagement was scored using the Response to Treatment Scale. Offenders with higher PCL:SV Factor 2 scores were less likely to be offered a place in the programme and offenders with greater external pressure or motivation to participate in treatment were more likely to commence treatment. Psychopathy and pre-treatment denial and minimisation of offending are related to poorer engagement in treatment; feelings of guilt and shame, along with motivation to participate in treatment, are positively associated with engagement. Predictors of treatment completion include external motivators promoting participation in treatment, within-treatment behaviours (e.g. inappropriate or disruptive behaviour), and psychopathy.

The Ability of Forensic Psychiatric Patients with Substance Use Disorder to Learn Neurofeedback

“…Since neurofeedback training aims directly at changing basic neurophysiological brain functioning, it is less dependent on direct patient-therapist interaction than traditional psychotherapeutic interventions (Casher, 2013). Patients' motivation and compliance for psychotherapy tends to be especially low in forensic psychiatric populations (O'Brien & Daffern, 2017;Ogloff, Wong, & Greenwood, 1990).…”

The Role of Personality Factors in Childhood Traumatic Events’ Impact on Treatment Progress

“…Individuals who have a history of violent offending are commonly considered to be at a high risk of reoffending (Nadesu, 2009;O'Brien & Daffern, 2017). Nadesu (2009) reported that, of those individuals who have already been imprisoned for violent offences, 64% were re-imprisoned for another violent offence within a 60-month period.…”

“…Maladaptive personality traits might reduce individuals' ability to fully engage in treatment. For example, psychopathic personality traits and borderline personality traits are associated with poorer engagement in treatment, superficial progress and higher attrition rates (McCarthy & Duggan, 2010;O'Brien & Daffern, 2017;Romero-Martínez et al, 2016;Schroeder et al, 2013). Furthermore, psychopathic traits (e.g., callous-unemotional and aggression) in individuals with violent offences have been shown to reduce the efficacy of THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY FACTORS 14 correctional treatment programmes (Kolla et al, 2014) and are, as such, considered a responsivity issue (Olver & Wong, 2011).…”

“…It is also recognised that individuals who experienced such early life adversities are likely to develop maladaptive personality traits (Goddard & Pooley, 2019;Schimmenti et al, 2015). Based on these traits they are considered difficult to treat and their responsivity to rehabilitation may be reduced (Kolla et al, 2014;O'Brien & Daffern, 2017;Olver & Wong, 2011). However, to the best of my knowledge, the current study would be the first to directly investigate the effect of maladaptive personality traits -in particular antisocial, psychopathic, and borderline personality traits -on the relationship between early life trauma and treatment progress for men with a history of violent offending.…”

“…Nevertheless, studies suggest that rehabilitation is, to some extent, effective for those high on psychopathic traits, as it is for other individuals with a high risk of reoffending (e.g., Polaschek & Daly, 2013;Wilson & Tamatea, 2013). It is also agreed that individuals high on psychopathic traits are likely to experience some THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY FACTORS 52 challenges in treatment due to their complex personalities (O'Brien & Daffern, 2017;Reidy et al, 2015). For example, the meanness aspect of psychopathy is characterised by challenges in problem recognition (Salcido et al, 2019).…”