Actuarial versus clinical assessments of dangerousness.

In their book, Violent Offenders, V. L. Quinsey, G. T. Harris, M. E. Rice, and C. A. Cormier (1999) proposed the "complete replacement" of clinical assessments of dangerousness with actuarial methods, such as the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG). In this article, the author argues that (a) research to date has not demonstrated that actuarial methods of risk assessment are superior to clinical methods; (b) because most clinical determinations of dangerousness are not "predictions" of violence, as well as for other reasons, it is very difficult to meaningfully compare clinical and actuarial assessments of dangerousness; and (c) even the best researched and validated actuarial tool for assessing dangerousness to date, the VRAG, has not yet been validated in a manner that would make it appropriate for use in determining when individuals should be confined on the grounds of their dangerousness. Therefore, although clinicians who engage in risk assessments certainly should be knowledgeable about arguably relevant actuarial assessment schemes and other assessment guides (e.g., the HCR-20), it is premature, at best, to replace clinical risk assessments with actuarial assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Assessing dangerousness: Violence by sexual offenders, batterers and child abusers.

Reviews the book, Assessing dangerousness: Violence by sexual offenders, batterers and child abusers by Jacqueline C. Campbell (see record 1995-98215-000). This is a valuable volume of consistently well written chapters by authors of diverse backgrounds. The book's chapters identify research on clusters of risk factors for child abuse, wife assault, homicide by battered women and sexual offending. The identification of risk factors is the prevalent concept in contemporary violence prediction research. Risk factors are determined by researching actual circumstances of violence and statistically identifying antecedent events that appear to be pertinent. The current text is a readable and well referenced overview of the contemporary state of research efforts to address the notion of dangerousness potential. Dangerousness is reviewed in several key interpersonal areas. We anticipate that the text will be attractive to many average readers who unfortunately may be mislead not only by the series editor's stated aspiration, but also by the misguided illusion that the field is slowly progressing towards actual empirical prediction of dangerousness. For the professional reader who has practical experience with violent behavior, we anticipate that the text will be a valuable concise resource for at least the next several years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Protecting Children from Domestic Violence: Strategies for Community Intervention.

Reviews the book Protecting children from domestic violence: Strategies for community intervention, edited by Peter J. Jaffe, Linda L. Baker, and Alison J. Cunningham (see record 2005-04430-000). The book emerged from the International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence that was held in London, Ontario in 2001. It begins with an excellent chapter by Jeffrey Edleson synthesizing the literature on the impact of exposure to domestic violence on children. Edleson's chapter is followed by two papers examining emerging assessments and treatment programs. The second section of the book addresses current thinking about individual and group intervention approaches. The third section of the book examines broader system level responses, including public awareness and school-based campaigns, as well as responses by the courts and police. This is a well-organized collection of papers that provides a good overview of the state of knowledge and innovative practice in an emerging field of practice. Protecting Children from Domestic Violence provides practitioners, policy makers, and researchers with an excellent overview of current knowledge and practices in working with children exposed to domestic violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of workplace violence.

Reviews the book, Handbook of Workplace Violence by E. Kevin Kelloway, Julian Barling, and Joseph J. Hurrell Jr. (see record 2006-03272-000). According to the Cambridge University dictionary, a handbook contains "the most important and useful information about a subject." This Handbook of Workplace Violence admirably fits this definition. In the book, the authors have assembled 26 chapters that summarize the very vast domain of violence research that pertains to the workplace. Each chapter, all written by academic researchers who are deeply involved in the field of workplace violence, summarizes a unique aspect of workplace violence. The authors of the handbook are organizational psychologists and they approach this topic from a social-organizational perspective. This handbook would, thus, be of great interest to similarly-minded psychologists. However, the scope of the handbook, covering violence in multiple settings and from multiple perspectives, would attract readers from a variety of psychological domains. In essence, this handbook has a broad readership and ably meets its goal of "summarizing the state of current knowledge and charting the course for future research." Conceptualizing workplace violence broadly, it provides a wide-ranging survey of the current state of the field. Highlighting both the enormity of the problem and the lack of extant information on the causes and course of workplace violence, this book provides important directions for future research. It is a book that would be valuable to any student or researcher interested in pursuing questions about the nature, course, and prevention of violence in the workplace. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of School violence: Fears versus facts.

Reviews the book, School violence: Fears versus facts by Dewey G. Cornell (see record 2006-07405-000). This book provides a unique focus on common misperceptions regarding school violence. One of the most notable misperceptions is that school violence is on the rise. This is just one of the misperceptions that Cornell's book addresses. Each chapter of the book begins with a case example and fundamental question about school violence, followed by the presentation of research to answer the question. The book concludes with recommendations for what our schools need to prevent violence. These recommendations follow directly from the content of the book and include specific suggestions about eliminating ineffective programs in favor of empirically based efforts, amending legislation that has led to the adoption of ineffective zero tolerance policies, avoiding sensational news coverage of school violence, and making universal prevention a public health mission. The reviewer notes the importance of making data-based decisions about how to prevent and respond to school violence. In order to do this, it is critical to have knowledge of the facts, and to also be aware of common misperceptions about school violence. This book provides educators, graduate students, and parents with that information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sexualized violence against women and children: A psychology and law perspective.

Reviews the book, Sexualized violence against women and children: A psychology and law perspective by B. J. Cling (see record 2004-21899-000). This book uniquely combines the fields of law and psychology in addressing the topic of sexual victimization of women and children. Clearly, violence of this nature continues to require attention in the literature, and this book provides an excellent historical and current understanding of the multifaceted issues involved in these crimes. The book consists of three parts: sexualized violence against women, sexualized violence against children, and perpetrators of sexualized violence and other harms against women and children. This is an excellent sourcebook for those who work in the area of sexual victimization, as it blends the worlds of law and psychology. It provides a thorough understanding of the interplay of victims, offenders, and the legal system. Strengths of the book include the breadth of information, as well as the citation of current literature and legal precedents. The editor has clearly chosen authors who are expert in their scholarship, allowing both the experienced clinician and the emerging professional to benefit from reading this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk assessments for acute violence to third parties: a review of the literature

OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of risk assessments for acute violence to third parties by combining a clinical and research focus and to offer guidelines to physicians conducting clinical assessments. METHOD: A computerized literature search of the MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO data bases from 1967 to 1996 was completed using the key words violence, aggression, dangerous behaviour, risk, risk assessment, risk factors, and practice guidelines. The search yielded 116 relevant references, 26 of which were original research articles on risk factor identification. A secondary search, based on the citations from the primary search, yielded an additional 8 general discussion articles. RESULTS: Risk assessments may be conducted using different methods, although all methods should be systematic and comprehensive. Research shows that risk assessments do have validity for use in short-term prediction and that it is possible to develop clinical guidelines in this area. A combined clinical and research approach holds the most promise for improving the accuracy of probability estimates, and most published guides and tools rely on such a combination. CONCLUSIONS: Risk assessments are an important and necessary part of the clinical examination. Because this field has sufficiently evolved, there is abundant literature to refer to when determining what constitutes an acceptable assessment for risk of violence to third parties and when it is appropriate to conduct such an examination.     

Review of Handbook of bereavement research and practice: Advances in theory and intervention.

Reviews the book, Handbook of bereavement research and practice: Advances in theory and intervention, edited by Margaret S. Stroebe, Robert O. Hansson, Henk Schut, and Wolfgang Stroebe (see record 2008-09330-000). The goal of this book is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the field of bereavement research and practise. To achieve this goal, the editors have enlisted the collaboration of several well-known grief and bereavement researchers. This latest effort tries to relate bereavement research more explicitly to contemporary society and practise issues than was done in the two earlier volumes. The handbook is to be commended for fairly presenting multiple, and at times contradictory, points of view on some of the more controversial issues in the field. This results in a fascinating, well-written book, with many thought-provoking chapters that will challenge some of the persistent misconceptions that psychologists may have about bereavement and the nature of grief work. This book will help guide students who want to pursue clinical work or research in this field. Seasoned researchers will likely also find this book very helpful in terms of its conceptual clarification of terms that are often poorly defined. Readers who are looking for practical advice on how best to help their clients grieve may, however, be disappointed. As the editors indicate, this is not a sourcebook for clinicians looking for practical tips. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of cognitive–behavioral therapies, third edition.

Reviews the book, Handbook of cognitive–behavioral therapies, third edition edited by Keith S. Dobson (see record 2010-10108-000). Dobson’s revision of this classic volume provides a solid resource for psychologists and students of psychology. Many of us find that we become highly focused on our specific clinical work, teaching, and research, and it is easy to feel out of touch with the broader developments in the field. It is very helpful to pick up a resource such as this one to remind ourselves of the bigger picture in this important and influential treatment approach. Dobson has chosen authors for each topic who are key figures in the development of the approaches covered in their chapters. This choice of authors shows in the quality of the presentations and the familiarity with the key issues in each area. The book is divided into four parts: foundations, assessment, the therapies, and application to specific populations. This edited volume will be very useful in graduate courses on cognitive–behavioral therapies (CBTs) and in settings where clinical students are supervised. Practitioners and students with an interest in CBT will find it very helpful as a guide to the broad range of approaches and issues in CBT. In each area, the book provides up-to-date overviews of the research that guides our practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relevance of interrater agreement to violence risk assessment.

This study considered whether assessments of violence risk in which 2 clinicians reach similar conclusions are more accurate than the conclusions of either clinician alone when their assessments disagree. One hundred ten physicians and 44 nurses estimated the probability of physical assault of 478 patients admitted to a short-term locked psychiatric inpatient unit. The level of assessed risk showed a substantial correspondence with the likelihood of later violence when the physician and nurse ratings were highly concordant. As the extent of agreement between the physician and nurse ratings decreased, the strength of the association between the risk assessments and the occurrence of violence decreased accordingly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Culturally responsive counseling with Asian American men.

Reviews the book, Culturally responsive counseling with Asian American men by William M. Liu, Derek Kenji Iwamoto, and Mark H. Chae (see record 2010-05136-000). Once in awhile, a book fills a gap in the literature like a critical missing piece to a puzzle. Culturally Responsive Counseling with Asian American Men is just that book, as there is scant literature that focuses on the mental health needs of Asian American men as a distinct group. The 346-page book contains 16 chapters, and the editors, Drs. Liu, Iwamato, and Chae, have thoughtfully brought together 24 contributors whose collective contributions cover both a breadth and depth of mental health concerns that impact Asian American men in the United States. Drawing from their expertise as clinicians, educators, researchers, and students, the authors cover a wide range of topics, such as acculturation, gendered racism, intergenerational masculinity strain, fatherhood, alcoholism, suicide, domestic violence and sexual aggression, sexual orientation, interracial and interethnic relationships, and the use of the Internet as a source of coping and healing. Culturally Responsive Counseling with Asian American Men is a unique book that can enhance the assessment, conceptualization, and intervention skills of all clinicians who work with Asian American men due to its strong clinical focus and integration of rich case studies throughout. Educators may consider this book as they seek to enrich and provide nuance to complex topics such as acculturation, racial identity, and intergenerational conflict. Finally, graduate students will find that this book is an excellent bridge between science and practice. It brings to life the theories and research learned in the classroom, and, at the same time, it enhances our knowledge, awareness, and skills for working with the Asian American male clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Human Subject in the Psychological Laboratory.

Reviews the book, The Human Subject in the Psychological Laboratory by Irwin Silverman (see record 1978-20076-000). In this book, the author presents his assessment of the laboratory experiment following years of research on the social psychology of the psychological experiment. Silverman makes his views clear from the outset: the laboratory is "an excellent place to study laboratory behavior; but by virtue of this it is suited for little else", and he relentlessly pursues this thesis throughout the book. Through the seeming enormity of evidence and Silverman's constant attention to his thesis, the reader is brought to the precipice from which the laboratory experiment must surely fall. The uncritical reader will find Silverman's arguments well-written and effectively woven together in a relatively concise, easily readable manner. Any criticisms of the book must focus on errors of omission rather than problems of style or misrepresentation of fact. The important questions seem to concern a need to better understand how an experimenter can conduct meaningful research with human subjects. This understanding will not come about from proclaiming that other methods are better or from research which has only the objective of documenting the inadequacies of current methods. More than anything else Silverman's book suggests the need for a new direction for increased research on the social psychology of the psychological experiment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Science Game: An Introduction to Research in the Behavioral Sciences.

Reviews the book, The Science Game: An Introduction to Research in the Behavioral Sciences by Neil McK. Agnew and Sandra W. Pyke (1969). This book treats topics normally included in philosophy-of-science courses, like the difference between science and nonscience; scientific theory; the pragmatic, semantic and syntactic roles of language; and the stress placed in science on unambiguity and rigid criteria of proof. It also touches on topics in the area of experimental design and statistics, like nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales of measurement; sampling and generalizing; and the design of naturalistic and experimental studies. Some additional topics, such as training for scientific research and the topic of science as a big business, are not ordinarily covered in any course. Undergraduate students in general will find the book easy to read and some will find the witty irreverent style appealing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The domestic assault of women: Psychological and criminal justice perspectives.

Reviews the book, The domestic assault of women: Psychological and criminal justice perspectives by Donald A. Dutton (1988). This book provides a comprehensive analysis of battered women and their husbands by integrating current theories and research on violence and victimization within a social psychological perspective. The book is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter outlines the current data on the incidence of wife assault and proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the problem. The next two chapters outline the theory and research available on men who assault their partners. Chapter four details the impact of violence on victims and provides some explanations for battered women becoming "prisoners" in their own home. Chapter five details the shortcomings of the criminal justice response to battered women. Chapter six provides some more optimistic information on treatment programs for violent husbands. The book ends with a section on future trends, including current research programs on children who witness violence in their homes. Overall, the book is well written and demonstrates Dutton's excellent analytical skills. He has an ability to integrate diverse theoretical models on family violence with current research studies in the field. His understanding of battered women and their husbands flows dramatically into the dismal record of the criminal justice system in providing a meaningful response to the problem. His analysis of current treatment programs offers some valuable insight to the reader on the most effective strategies for this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Assessing adolescents in educational, counseling, and other settings.

Reviews the book, Assessing adolescents in educational, counseling, and other settings by Robert D. Hoge (see record 1999-08106-000). This book introduces the reader to the standardized psychological assessment of adolescents. It contains 12 chapters divided into three parts: an introduction to research and theory on adolescence, an introduction to psychological assessment, and a review of a substantial number of standardized tests and other assessments devices in six domains: aptitudes and achievement; personality; interview and observation measures; behavioural ratings and checklists; measures of cognitions, attitudes, values, beliefs, and interests; and composite and environmental measures. Hoge proposes three audiences for the book: mental health professionals, including psychologists; professionals required to use the results of psychological assessments for decision-making; and developmental researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pain in children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Pain in children and adolescents by P. J. McGrath and A. M. Unruh (1987). This book is an extremely comprehensive work, dealing not only with specific clinical problems but also with such broader and complex issues as ethics and service delivery in pediatric pain. McGrath and Unruh go a long way to unravel the 'mystery' of pain in children by discussing clearly and concisely the literature on the assessment and measurement of pain in children. Clinical problems such as post-operative pain, abdominal pain, headache, muskuloskeletal pain, colic, injuries, psychogenic pain, and chronic intractable pain are all dealt with in individual chapters divided into clearly labelled sections, making it very easy for busy clinicians to locate their particular area of interest. One of the strengths of this book is the methodological expertise of the authors, which is evident in their evaluations of the research cited in the text. Novice researchers reading this book will be reminded of the many pitfalls to be avoided in research design, and postgraduate students seeking topics for research will find numerous suggestions in the 'future directions' sections of the book. The publishers are to be congratulated on their attractive presentation of the book. The type is large and very easy to read, the text is well spaced, and considering the amount of material in the book, it is remarkably compact in size and very reasonably priced. Providing as it does a comprehensive summary and analysis of the literature to date on pain in children, it is essential reading for all clinicians, paramedics, and researchers concerned with this important and long neglected area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Understanding depression: Feminist social constructionist approaches.

Reviews the book, Understanding depression: Feminist social constructionist approaches by Janet M. Stoppard (see record 1999-04422-000). Dr. Stoppard has written an excellent overview that brings together mainstream psychological and feminist research and writing about women and depression. The author, a feminist psychologist, brings a balanced view to this area, which has typically seen feminists and mainstream psychologists either avoiding or dismissing each other's work. Thus this book presents a unique and important integration that both feminists and psychologists should find useful. This is an excellent book that will be of interest to a wide range of readers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Without conscience: The disturbing world of the psychopaths among us.

Reviews the book, Without conscience: The disturbing world of the psychopaths among us by Robert D. Hare (see record 2001-00418-000). Too often we hear about adults, and now more than ever, adolescents, who perpetrate violence so horrific and seemingly meaningless that their actions defy the understanding of professionals, let alone of the perpetrators' families. The republication of Robert Hare's popular work on the psychopathic personality is a testament to the success and importance of this book. Hare paints an intriguing yet scary portrait of this, the most dangerous type of personality disorder. His colourful, but accurate portrayal of the psychopath makes this book equally important alike for parents and clinicians. Without conscience is based on more than 30 years of the author's research on psychopathy. The book is written in a sincere and easily readable fashion for a general audience. The research and clinical literature is described in nontechnical terms with a minimum of jargon, making the work accessible to a wide audience. Much of Hare's research has been devoted to the reliable identification of psychopaths. His development of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) may represent the single, most important advancement to date toward what hopefully will become our ultimate understanding of psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Relapse prevention.

Reviews the book, Relapse prevention by G. Alan Marlatt and Judith R. Gordon. The book is well suited for its intended audience-clinicians and researchers working in the field of addictions. Clinicians and program developers will appreciate the clear clinical conceptualization of the addiction treatment program and the comprehensive and detailed array of treatment methods that are directly linked to the model. Clinicians working in specialized addiction programs will benefit from the chapters from the contributing authors which outline programmatic approaches for dealing with these behaviors. Clinicians outside the addiction field certainly will find the model and strategies useful in conceptualizing and facilitating the maintenance of behavior change in all types of clients. For researchers, the book will be a rich resource of research ideas and future research directions, and a model for integrating research with practice. It is still uncommon, but much appreciated, to see a true scientist-practitioner like Marlatt who uses research findings to improve treatment and treatment observations to pose research questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)