Is the Self-reported Information by Male Sentenced of Violence against Women in the Intervention Phase Valid?

Abstract

The evaluation of the needs of convicts is a critical issue for the design of the intervention. Nonetheless, in the information reported by convicts in penitentiary evaluation, simulation (malingering) and dissimulation (denial of symptoms, social desirability, and both) must be suspected. Thus, a field study with the aim of estimating the prevalence rate of the distortions and its effects in the needs reported by convicts was designed. A total of 624 men convicted for intimate partner violence reported their needs in the MMPI-2 in the reception phase of a penitentiary intervention program. Results: tion consisting in denial of symptoms, .112 [.087, .137], social desirability, .223 [.190, .256], and the combination of both two, .120 [.095, .145]. The effects in denial of symptoms emerged in the information of less depressive (i.e., lack of interest in activities, excessive sensitivity, lack of sociability), paranoid (i.e., interpersonal sensitivity and perceptiveness), psychasthenic (i.e., general subjective distress and negative affect), schizoid (i.e., alienation, chaotic interpersonal relations, and disruptive cognitive processes), and hypomanic (i.e., hyperactivity, irritability, and sensation seeking) symptoms. Likewise, social desirability dissimulators detailed significantly less depressive, psychopathic (i.e., less general social maladjustment), paranoid, psychasthenic, schizoid, and hypomanic symptoms. Similarly, the whole dissimulators (combining denial of symptoms and social desirability responses) informed less depressive, psychopathic, paranoid, psychasthenic, schizoid, and hypomanic symptoms, and fewer problems of social introversion. Conversely, they related significantly more symptoms of hysteria (i.e., physical complaints). Distortions introduced by convicts in self-reports must be controlled to design effective correctional interventions.¿Es válida la información reportada por sentenciados por maltrato contra la mujer en la fase de intervención? R E S U M E N La evaluación de las necesidades de los sentenciados es clave para diseñar la intervención. No obstante, en la información facilitada por los sentenciados en proceso de evaluación penitenciaria ha de sospecharse simulación y disimulación (negación de síntomas, deseabilidad o ambas). Por ello, se diseñó un estudio de campo con el objetivo de estimar la tasa de prevalencia de distorsiones en las respuestas y sus efectos en las necesidades psicológicas informadas. Una muestra de 624 hombres sentenciados por violencia de género informaron de sus necesidades en el MMPI-2 en la fase de acogida de un programa de intervención penitenciario. Los resultados pusieron de manifiesto que las respuestas de los sentenciados eran coherentes y no estaban sujetas a simulación. No obstante, se observó una prevalencia significativa de disimulación consistente en negación de síntomas, .112 [.087, .137], deseabilidad social, .223 [.190, .256], y la combinación de ambas, .120 [.095, .145]. Los efectos de las distorsiones en la negación de síntomas se manifestaron ...

Civil Liability for Clinical Misdiagnosis of Suicidal Intention: Procedure and Guidelines to Minimize Fatal Diagnostic Error

“…Second, the reliability of the measure does not include response bias that can also be introduced by the subject through mood (Podsakoff et al, 2003). In this case, dissimulation (symptom concealment) should not only be suspected but should also be a differential diagnosis in assessment contexts where a misdiagnosis may result in fatalities or injuries for the respondents (Arce et al, 2023). As for this, statistical data must always be treated with caution because of certain statistical errors or symptom concealment, hence the importance of the psychological autopsy is increasing (Cano-Montalbán & Quevedo-Blasco, 2018).…”