Understanding the Relevance of Triarchic Psychopathy for the Reintegration of New Zealand High-Risk Violent Offenders

10.26686/wgtn.17068427.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Rochelle Nafatali

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

High Risk ◽

Personality Disorders ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Violent Offenders ◽

Violence Risk ◽

Negative Outcomes ◽

Violent Offence ◽

Dynamic Risk Assessment ◽

Risk Scale

A significant number of male New Zealand high-risk violent offenders are released from prison onto parole each year. Many of these will also present with elevated psychopathic traits which have been hypothesised to cause significant difficulty in desisting from offending, often leading parolees to quickly recidivate or breach parole, and return to prison. Despite personality disorders having pervasive effects on functioning, other reintegration outcomes such as parolee experiences and reconviction risk on parole have previously been unlinked with personality disorders and even less so the specific components of psychopathy. Using an exploratory design, this study firstly investigated the relationships between the triarchic conceptualisation of psychopathy constructs of Disinhibition, Boldness, and Meanness individually with pre-release (Violence Risk Scale, Release Plan Quality, and RoC*RoI), and post-release (Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry, Probation Relationship Quality, Parole Experiences Measure, and recidivism) measures of reintegration outcomes. These measures were completed by a sample of high-risk violent offenders imminently before their release onto parole after serving custodial sentences of two years or more for a violent offence (pre-release), and at two months in the community (post-release). Secondly, the controversial question of whether boldness exacerbates or attenuates negative outcomes on parole over and above disinhibition or meanness was tested. Thirdly, relationships between psychopathy and recidivism mediated by reintegration outcome measures were examined. The triarchic scales were hypothesised to be relevant for reintegration outcomes, with poorer outcomes expected for disinhibition and meanness, and better outcomes expected for boldness. Further, boldness was expected to ameliorate negative outcomes when strongly present. Results indicated that the triarchic scales evinced differential relationships with reintegration outcomes, although boldness revealed non-significant outcomes in opposing directions from those hypothesised. Disinhibition and meanness evinced expected outcomes with reintegration outcome measures. An interaction effect was found between meanness and reconviction risk on parole at moderate and high levels of boldness; boldness potentiated the effect of meanness on reconviction risk on parole when meanness was already present. Finally, a significant partial mediation was revealed, where disinhibition and recidivism were mediated by parole experiences in three out of four recidivism outcomes. Implications for the theoretical and practical relevance of triarchic psychopathy for the reintegration of high-risk violent offenders, are discussed.

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Risky Business: Evaluating the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry for Use with New Zealand Youth

10.26686/wgtn.17018765 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Jonathan Muirhead

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

New Zealand ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Community Supervision ◽

Dynamic Risk ◽

Dynamic Risk Assessment ◽

Continued Use ◽

Criminal Conduct ◽

Risky Business ◽

Risk Scale

An important assumption that decisions based on criminal risk assessments rely on is that our assessments of someone’s likelihood of reoffending are accurate. It is well known that young people share many risk factors for criminal conduct with adults, but there is also research to suggest that some factors may be more important at different ages. This research examined how well an adult dynamic risk assessment tool, The Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR), was able to predict any new criminal conviction as well as any new violent conviction in a sample of New Zealand youth (17-19 years) serving community supervision sentences. It was found that DRAOR scores were moderately strong predictors of future criminal conduct for youth, with better results being found for any reconvictions compared to violent reconvictions. The more recent an assessment was, the more accurate it was too. It was also found that those who did not go on to be reconvicted showed greater improvements on the risk scale throughout the course of their sentence than those who were reconvicted. These findings support the continued use of the DRAOR for youth in New Zealand who are serving community supervision sentences.

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Risky Business: Evaluating the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry for Use with New Zealand Youth

10.26686/wgtn.17018765.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Jonathan Muirhead

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

New Zealand ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Community Supervision ◽

Dynamic Risk ◽

Dynamic Risk Assessment ◽

Continued Use ◽

Criminal Conduct ◽

Risky Business ◽

Risk Scale

An important assumption that decisions based on criminal risk assessments rely on is that our assessments of someone’s likelihood of reoffending are accurate. It is well known that young people share many risk factors for criminal conduct with adults, but there is also research to suggest that some factors may be more important at different ages. This research examined how well an adult dynamic risk assessment tool, The Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR), was able to predict any new criminal conviction as well as any new violent conviction in a sample of New Zealand youth (17-19 years) serving community supervision sentences. It was found that DRAOR scores were moderately strong predictors of future criminal conduct for youth, with better results being found for any reconvictions compared to violent reconvictions. The more recent an assessment was, the more accurate it was too. It was also found that those who did not go on to be reconvicted showed greater improvements on the risk scale throughout the course of their sentence than those who were reconvicted. These findings support the continued use of the DRAOR for youth in New Zealand who are serving community supervision sentences.

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O2B.3 Work related stress for new zealand workers in high risk sectors: what can we learn from a demographic analysis?

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oem-2019-epi.39 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. A15.1-A15

Author(s):

Kirsten Lovelock ◽

Trang Khieu

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

High Risk ◽

Work Performance ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

Work Related Stress ◽

Safety Attitudes ◽

Work Related ◽

High Staff Turnover ◽

Related Stress

The physical and psychological outcomes of work related stress place a burden on individuals, their families, workplaces and communities. Work related stress is a health and socio-economic and political problem. It reduces work performance; drives higher rates of absenteeism or sick leave; can increase rates of injury; prompt high staff turnover; and, can prompt poor health behaviours such as excessive drinking or taking of drugs. The research record focussing on work related stress in New Zealand (NZ) is small and uneven, but growing. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of work-related stress among workers by a set of demographic characteristics. The study used data from the Health and Safety Attitudes and Behaviour Survey (HSABS) 2016. A total of 2190 workers in the four high risk industries (agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing) were interviewed about their perceptions towards work-related stress. Weighting was conducted to control inherent biases. Differences between workers were examined by age, sex, ethnicity, qualifications and migrant factors (e.g. being born in NZ or arriving in NZ within five years). Overall, 11% of workers responded that they had experienced with work-related stress in the last 12 months. Work-related stress was more statistically prevalent among people from 25 to 34 years of age or those having a bachelor’s degree. Also, people being females or Maori or not born in NZ or first arrived in NZ in the last five years were more likely to have work-related stress. Findings from the study could allow better targeted and informed psychosocial health interventions to be implemented at workplace.

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Postcard intervention for repeat self-harm: randomised controlled trial

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.109.075754 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 197 (1) ◽

pp. 55-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

Annette L. Beautrais ◽

Sheree J. Gibb ◽

Alan Faulkner ◽

David M. Fergusson ◽

Roger T. Mulder

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

New Zealand ◽

Randomised Controlled Trial ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Elevated Risk ◽

Emergency Department Presentation ◽

Self Harm ◽

Randomised Controlled

BackgroundSelf-harm and suicidal behaviour are common reasons for emergency department presentation. Those who present with self-harm have an elevated risk of further suicidal behaviour and death.AimsTo examine whether a postcard intervention reduces self-harm re-presentations in individuals presenting to the emergency department.MethodRandomised controlled trial conducted in Christchurch, New Zealand. The intervention consisted of six postcards mailed during the 12 months following an index emergency department attendance for self-harm. Outcome measures were the proportion of participants re-presenting with self-harm and the number of re-presentations for self-harm in the 12 months following the initial presentation.ResultsAfter adjustment for prior self-harm, there were no significant differences between the control and intervention groups in the proportion of participants re-presenting with self-harm or in the total number of re-presentations for self-harm.ConclusionsThe postcard intervention did not reduce further self-harm. Together with previous results this finding suggests that the postcard intervention may be effective only for selected subgroups.

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Patient Reported Outcome Measures in a Cohort of Patients at High Risk of Breast Cancer Treated by Bilateral Risk Reducing Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction

Journal of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery ◽

10.1016/j.bjps.2021.06.012 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A. Gandhi ◽

P. Duxbury ◽

J Murphy ◽

Philip Foden ◽

F. Lalloo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Breast Reconstruction ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽

Patient Reported Outcome ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Risk Reducing

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Optimising echocardiographic screening for rheumatic heart disease in New Zealand: not all valve disease is rheumatic

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951111000266 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 436-443 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Rachel H. Webb ◽

Nigel J. Wilson ◽

Diana R. Lennon ◽

Elizabeth M. Wilson ◽

Ross W. Nicholson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Disease ◽

New Zealand ◽

High Risk ◽

Mitral Valve ◽

Rheumatic Heart Disease ◽

Secondary Prophylaxis ◽

Accurate Diagnosis ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Step Model ◽

Rheumatic Heart

AbstractAimsEchocardiography detects a greater prevalence of rheumatic heart disease than heart auscultation. Echocardiographic screening for rheumatic heart disease combined with secondary prophylaxis may potentially prevent severe rheumatic heart disease in high-risk populations. We aimed to determine the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in children from an urban New Zealand population at high risk for acute rheumatic fever.Methods and resultsTo optimise accurate diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease, we utilised a two-step model. Portable echocardiography was conducted on 1142 predominantly Māori and Pacific children aged 10–13 years. Children with an abnormal screening echocardiogram underwent clinical assessment by a paediatric cardiologist together with hospital-based echocardiography. Rheumatic heart disease was then classified asdefinite, probable, orpossible. Portable echocardiography identified changes suggestive of rheumatic heart disease in 95 (8.3%) of 1142 children, which reduced to 59 (5.2%) after cardiology assessment. The prevalence ofdefiniteandprobablerheumatic heart disease was 26.0 of 1000, with 95% confidence intervals ranging from 12.6 to 39.4. Portable echocardiography overdiagnosed rheumatic heart disease with physiological valve regurgitation diagnosed in 28 children. A total of 30 children (2.6%) had non-rheumatic cardiac abnormalities, 11 of whom had minor congenital mitral valve anomalies.ConclusionsWe found high rates of undetected rheumatic heart disease in this high-risk population. Rheumatic heart disease screening has resource implications with cardiology evaluation required for accurate diagnosis. Echocardiographic screening for rheumatic heart disease may overdiagnose rheumatic heart disease unless congenital mitral valve anomalies and physiological regurgitation are excluded.

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Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide resistance prevention strategy

New Zealand Plant Protection ◽

10.30843/nzpp.2011.64.5972 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. 119-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A.H. McKay ◽

G.C. Hagerty ◽

G.B. Follas ◽

M.S. Moore ◽

M.S. Christie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

High Risk ◽

Succinate Dehydrogenase ◽

Fungicide Resistance ◽

Fungal Pathogens ◽

Resistance Management ◽

Resistance Development ◽

Development Of Resistance ◽

Action Committee ◽

Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides are currently represented in New Zealand by eight active ingredients bixafen boscalid carboxin fluaxapyroxad fluopyram isopyrazam penthiopyrad and sedaxane They are either currently registered or undergoing development in New Zealand for use against a range of ascomycete and basiodiomycete pathogens in crops including cereals ryegrass seed apples pears grapes stonefruit cucurbits and kiwifruit These fungicides are considered to have medium to high risk of resistance development and resistance management is recommended by the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) in Europe Guidelines are presented for use of SDHI fungicides in New Zealand to help avoid or delay the development of resistance in the fungal pathogens that they target

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The Clinical Utility of Personality Profiles of High-Risk Offenders in Rehabilitation

10.26686/wgtn.17006152.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Morgan K.A. Sissons

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

High Risk ◽

Personality Disorders ◽

Predictive Validity ◽

Clinical Relevance ◽

Clinical Utility ◽

Self Report ◽

Offender Rehabilitation ◽

Criminal Recidivism ◽

Self Presentation

Personality disorders are common among high-risk offenders. These disorders may have relevance for their risk of offending, and they are likely to present barriers to their engagement in rehabilitation programmes. Co-morbidity between personality disorders - and the high frequency of clinical disorders in general - in offender samples complicate research on personality disorder in offender rehabilitation. One approach to understanding this heterogeneity is to use cluster analysis (CA). CA is an empirical strategy which is used to identify subgroups (clusters) of individuals who have similar scores on the variables used in the analysis. It has been used to empirically identify different patterns of personality and clinical psychopathology among incarcerated offenders. Two profiles frequently emerge in cluster analytic research on offender psychopathology profiles: an antisocial/narcissistic profile and a high-psychopathology profile. However, previous research has not empirically examined whether the identification of these profiles has clinical relevance for offender rehabilitation; that is, whether the profiles are simply descriptive, or whether they can provide useful information for the management and rehabilitation of offenders. In the current research, I used data collected from high risk offenders entering prison-based rehabilitation programmes to investigate the clinical utility of psychopathology clusters. Using a self-report measure of personality and clinical psychopathology - the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III - I identified three clusters: a low-psychopathology cluster (26% of the sample), a high-psychopathology cluster (35% of the sample), and an antisocial/narcissistic cluster (39% of the sample). The high-psychopathology and antisocial/narcissistic clusters in particular resembled high risk clusters found in previous research. To determine whether the three clusters had clinical relevance, I investigated cluster differences in criminal risk, treatment responsivity, and self-report predictive validity. I found evidence for cluster differences in criminal risk: men in the high-psychopathology and antisocial/narcissistic clusters had higher rates of criminal recidivism after release compared to men in the low-psychopathology cluster. However, I found that regardless of psychopathology, men in all three clusters made progress in treatment, and there was little evidence that clusters that reported more psychopathology were less engaged, or made less progress. In the final study I examined cluster differences in self-presentation style and the predictive validity of self-report. Results indicated that offenders who reported high levels of psychopathology had a more general tendency for negative self-presentation, and their self-report on risk-related measures was highly predictive of criminal recidivism. Combined, the results of this research show that cluster analysis of self-reported psychopathology can generate a parsimonious model of heterogeneity in offender samples. Importantly, the resulting clusters can also provide information for some of the most important tasks in offender management: assessment and treatment. The results suggest the highest risk offenders tend to report higher levels of psychopathology, and that offenders who report extensive psychopathology also have highly predictive risk-related self-report. Perhaps one of the most reassuring findings of the current research is that even offenders who report high levels of psychopathology appear to benefit from rehabilitation.

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