title: [Self-regulation and virtual reality in forensic psychiatry: An emphasis on theoretical underpinnings].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Forensic psychiatry is the field whose expertise is the assessment and treatment of offending behaviours, in particular when offenses are related to mental illness. An underlying question for all etiological models concerns the manner in which an individual's behaviours are organized. Specifically, it becomes crucial to understand how certain individuals come to display maladaptive behaviours in a given environment, especially when considering issues such as offenders' responsibility and their ability to change their behaviours.
  Thanks to its ability to generate specific environments, associated with a high experimental control on generated simulations, virtual reality is gaining recognition in forensic psychiatry. Virtual reality has generated promising research data and may turn out to be a remarkable clinical tool in the near future. While research has increased, a conceptual work about its theoretical underpinnings is still lacking. However, no important benefit should be expected from the introduction of a new tool (as innovative as virtual reality) without an explicit and heuristic theoretical framework capable of clarifying its benefits in forensic psychiatry.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our paper introduces self-regulation perspective as the most suitable theoretical framework for virtual reality in forensic psychiatry. It will be argued that virtual reality does not solely help to increase ecological validity. However, it does allow one to grant access to an improved understanding of violent offending behaviours by probing into the underlying mechanisms involved in the self-regulation of behaviours in a dynamical environment. Illustrations are given as well as a discussion regarding perspectives in the use of virtual reality in forensic psychiatry.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire ARViPL, université de Montréal, institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal, H1C 1H1 Montréal, Canada; Université Rennes 2, place du Recteur-Henri-Le-Moal, CS 24307, 35000 Rennes, France. Electronic address: massil.benbouriche@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benbouriche
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire ARViPL, université du Québec en Outaouais, institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal, H1C 1H1 Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire ARViPL, université de Montréal, institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal, H1C 1H1 Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Centre européen de réalité virtuelle, École nationale des ingénieurs de Brest, Brest, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Loor
mesh_terms: D003196:Computer Graphics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D004777:Environment; D005104:Expert Testimony; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Autorégulation; Comportements violents; Forensic psychiatry; Psychiatrie légale; Réalité virtuelle; Self-regulation; Violent behaviours; Virtual reality