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Violence and aggression continue to be both public health and economic concerns. In an effort to better understand, predict, and prevent violence and aggression, a number of models have been proposed that include both static and dynamic risk factors and indicators. Despite research demonstrating links between cognitive and social-cognitive factors with violence and aggression, their role in understanding violence is still unclear. The current study developed a multi-faceted model of aggression including social-cognitive, cognitive, personality, and psychiatric factors. A community, male sample (N = 1,192) collected through Amazon’s Mturk responded to a series of self-report measures and a cognitive task. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), we created a latent variable path analysis model predicting aggression. Several important paths were significant including from entity theory to aggression, mediated by hostile attribution bias, schizotypy to aggression, mediated by both hostile attribution bias and disinhibition, substance use to aggression mediated by disinhibition, and psychopathy to aggression directly. This model provides a framework for future research that focuses on process factors of violence and aggression, including social-cognitive and cognitive, that may eventually prove valuable for risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Greater attention is being paid to early detection and identification of individuals who are at high risk of developing psychosis. One area of interest is the particular content types of psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs), which can be thought of as attenuated, non‐clinical positive symptoms (eg, feeling perplexed by reality). Previous research has examined content of PLEs in clinical high‐risk samples. The current study aimed to build upon these findings by analysing content in a psychometrically determined high‐risk sample. Methods: One hundred fifty‐three undergraduates with scores greater than 1.96 SDs above the mean on a measure of schizotypy symptoms participated in a semi‐structured interview for the assessment of prodromal syndromes. Each interview was transcribed verbatim and content of PLEs was rated according to the Content of Attenuated Positive Symptoms scale. Results: Frequencies of content items in the psychometric high‐risk sample were similar to those found in a clinical high‐risk sample. Multiple regression analyses revealed that certain content items were more predictive of decreased global functioning and increased positive symptom severity. Conclusions: Content items that were associated with worse outcomes may be cause for greater concern if endorsed by individuals presenting for treatment. Future research should examine content of PLEs in a longitudinal design to determine whether particular items could predict subsequent conversion to a schizophrenia‐spectrum disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Identification and implementation of effective methods for reducing racial/ethnic bias and disparities in legal settings are paramount in the United States and other countries. One procedure originally thought to reduce bias in legal decisions is the use of risk assessment instruments, which is now being heavily scrutinized. Measurement invariance, a latent trait technique, is a robust method for assessing one form of bias. Measurement invariance involves determining whether risk items in an instrument appear to be functioning the same between racial or other groups. Thus, the present study examined measurement invariance of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) between non-Latino Black and White youths to examine racial bias., Hypotheses: We expected the SAVRY to be invariant (lacking measurement bias) between Black and White youths., Method: The sample included 687 Black and 361 White youths, and the study used a large, multistate data set of SAVRYs conducted by probation officers. We conducted measurement invariance testing in a series of hierarchical steps including testing configural and scalar invariance., Results: The SAVRY demonstrated scalar invariance (equal thresholds for ratings from "low" to "moderate" and "moderate" to "high") for all items except one-community disorganization., Conclusions: The findings lend further credibility to the SAVRY, and the structured professional judgment approach, as a method to assess violence risk and case planning needs among youths involved in the legal system. These findings provide more confidence that significant differences in SAVRY risk level or items between Black and White youths are not based in measurement bias, with the exception of the community disorganization item. Potential fixes discussed include eliminating or deemphasizing this item in final risk level ratings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).