title: [Evaluation of the HCR-20 Violence Risk Assessment Scheme in a Belgian forensic population].
abstract: Violence risk assessment constitutes a major concern in forensic psychiatry, psychology and related fields. Numerous instruments like the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R, Hare, 1991) and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG) have been developed in the aim of improving precision in the prediction of violence. This study assesses the reliability index of the HCR-20 Violence Risk Assessment Scheme and evaluates its relationship with the PCL-R the Buss and Perry's self-report Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and the type of offenses officially registered. All participants (n=86) are male adult offenders detained in a Belgian high-security forensic hospital. The mean IQ and age were respectively, 81,03 and 36,71. Items common to these instruments were omitted in order to avoid a circular effect. Results showed that the HCR-20 was significantly related to the PCL-R: the historical factor was strongly correlated to the PCL-R factor 2 while the clinical factor was strongly correlated to the PCL-R factor 1. The HCR-20 was significantly related to the AQ: the historical factor was strongly correlated to the AQ Physical Aggression factor and to the Anger factor. As regards to the HCR-20 relations with offenses, its Historical factor was related to both violent (assault and battery, robbery) and non-violent offenses (drug offenses, theft). Finally, the HCR-20 was also positively related to "instrumental" and rather premeditated homicide but negatively related to psychotic homicide. The overall findings are congruent with -published data on the convergent validity of the HCR-20.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Défense Sociale, 94, rue Despars, 7500 Tournai, Belgique.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Claix
authors.forename: T-H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Pham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data