Assessment of the standard forensic procedure for the evaluation of psychological injury in intimate-partner violence

  1. Fariña Rivera, Francisca 2
  2. Arce Fernández, Ramón 1
  3. Vilariño Vázquez, Manuel 1
  4. Novo Pérez, Mercedes 1
  1. 1 Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
    info

    Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

    Santiago de Compostela, España

    ROR https://ror.org/030eybx10

  2. 2 Universidade de Vigo
    info

    Universidade de Vigo

    Vigo, España

    ROR https://ror.org/05rdf8595

Revista:
The Spanish Journal of Psychology

ISSN: 1138-7416

Ano de publicación: 2014

Volume: 17

Páxinas: 1-10

Tipo: Artigo

DOI: 10.1017/SJP.2014.30 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso aberto editor

Outras publicacións en: The Spanish Journal of Psychology

Resumo

In judicial terms, a victim refers to any person who has suffered injury arising from an action or omission of an action that constitutes an offence, and the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. A review of Spanish judicial judgements underscored that the lack of evidence of psychological injury in cases of intimate-partner violence (IPV) accounted for approximately 40% of acquittals. Thus, the Spanish standard of proof for the forensic evaluation of psychological injury i.e., the MMPI-2 and the unstructured interview were assessed in order to determine if they met the statutory requirement for the assessment of psychological injury and the differential diagnosis of feigning. The results of the comparison of 51 women victims of IPV with firm convictions against their aggressors, and 54 women mock victims of IPV showed that the F, K, Fb, Fp and Ds scales, and the F-K index discriminated significantly and with medium and large effect sizes, between adjudicated and mock victims. However, the results did not provide a valid decision criterion for forensic settings i.e., false negatives (identifying feigner as honest protocols) were not classified correctly. In conclusion, the standard forensic procedure for the evaluation of psychological injury in cases of IPV did not constitute valid proof for judges who acquitted defendants on the grounds of not proven due to the lack of evidence of psychological injury.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
  • Arbisi P. A., & Ben-Porath Y. S. (1995). On the MMPI-2 infrequent response scale for use with psychopathological populations: The Infrequency Psychopathology Scale F(p). Psychological Assessment, 7, 424-431. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//1040-3590.7.4.424
  • Arce R., Alonso M. A., & Novo M. (2010). Estudio de sentencias de violencia de género con menores implicados: Carga de la prueba y decisiones sobre los menores [A study of judicial judgments on gender violence with children involved: The standard of proof and decision on children]. In F. Fariña, R. Arce, M. Novo, & D. Seijo (Eds.), Separación y divorcio: Interferencias parentales [Separation and divorce: Parental interference] (pp. 241-252). Santiago de Compostela, Spain: Nino.
  • Arce R.,Fariña F.,Buela-Casal G. 2008 Assessing and detecting the ability to faking psychological injury as a consequence of a motor vehicle accident on the MMPI-2 using mock victims Revista Latinoamericana de Psico logía 40 485-496.
  • Arce R., Fariña F., Carballal A., & Novo M. (2006). Evaluación Del daño moral en accidentes de tráfico: Desarrollo y validación de un protocolo para la detección de la simulación [Eva luating psychological injury in motor vehicle accidents (MVA): Development and validation of a protocol for detecting simulation]. Psicothema, 18, 278-283.
  • Arce R., Fariña F., Carballal A., & Novo M. (2009). Creación y validación de un protocolo de evaluación forense de las secuelas psicológicas de la violencia de género [Creation and validation of a forensic protocol to assess psychological harm in battered women]. Psicothema, 21, 2 41-247.
  • Arce R., Seijo A., & Novo M. (2010). Testimony validity: A comparative study of legal and empirical criteria. Psychology in Spain, 14, 1-7.
  • Arch M., Jarne J., Peró M., & Guá rdia J. (2011). Child custody assessment: A field survey of Spanish forensic psychologists' practices. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 3, 107-128.
  • Archer R. P., Buffington-Vollum J. K ., Stredny R. V., & Handel R. W. (2006). A survey of psychological test use patterns among forensic psychologists. Journal of Personality Assessment, 87, 84-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa8701-07
  • Bagby R. M., Nicholson R. A., Buis T. Radovanovic H., & Fidler B. J. (1999). Defensive responding on the MMPI-2 in family custody and access evaluations. Psychological Assessment, 11, 24-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.11.1.24
  • Bargai N., Ben-Shakhar G., & Shalev A. Y. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in battered women: The mediating role of learned helplessness. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 267-275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9078-y
  • Berry D. T. R., Baer R. A., & Harris M. J. (1991). Detection of malingering on the MMPI: A meta-Analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 585-598. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(91)90005-F
  • Bow J. N., & Quinnell F. A. (2001). Psychologists' current practices and procedures in child custody evaluations: Five years after American Psychological Association Guidelines. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32, 261-268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0735-7028.32.3.261
  • Bowler R. M., Hartney C., & Ngo L. H. (1998). Amnestic disturbance and posttraumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of a chemical release. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 13, 455-471. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/13.5.455
  • Brown T. A., Campbell L. A., Lehman C. L., Grisham J. R., & Mancill R. B. (2001). Current and lif etime comorbidity of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders in a large clinical sample. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 585-599. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0021-843X.110.4.585
  • Butcher J. N., Dahlstrom W. G., Graham J. R., Tellegen A., & Kaemmer B. (1989). MMPI-2. Manual for administration and scoring. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Butcher J. N., Graham J. R., Ben-Porath Y. S., Telle gen A., Dahlstrom W. G., & Kaemmer B. (2001). MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation, revised edition. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 113 S. Ct. 2786 125 L.E.2d 469 (1993
  • Fariña F., Arce R., & Real S. (1994). Ruedas de identificación: De la simulación y la realidad [Line-ups: A comparis on of high fidelity research and research in a real context]. Psicothema, 7, 395-402.
  • Fariña F., Arce R., & Sotelo A. (2010). Es efectivo el estudio psicométrico estándar Del peritaje Del estado clínico y de la disimulación en progenitores en litigio por la guarda y custodia de menores? [Is effective the standard psychometric forensic evaluation of the mental health and faking good of the partners litigating by the child custody?]. Revista Iberoamerica na de Psicología y Salud, 1, 65-79.
  • Friedman A. F., Lewak R., Nichols D. S., & Webb J. T. (2001). Psychological assessment with the MMPI-2. Mahwah, NJ: LEA.
  • Graham J. R. (2006). MMPI-2: Assessing personality and psychopathology (4th Ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Greene R. L. (1997). Assessment of malingering and defensiveness by multiscale inventories. In R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (pp. 169-207). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Greene R. L. 2008 Malingering and defensiveness on the MMPI-2 In R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (3rd Ed., pp. 159-181). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Hathaway S. R., & McKi nley J. C. (1999). Inventario Multifásico de Personalidad de Minnesota-2. Manual. [The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2. Manual]. Madrid, Spain: TEA Ediciones.
  • Jiménez F., & Sánchez G. (2003). Evaluación psicológica forense. Contribución de las técnicas de Minnesota y Millon [Forensic psychological evaluation. Contributions of the Minnesota and Millon's techniques]. Salamanca, Spain: Amarú Ediciones.
  • Jiménez F., Sánchez G., & Tobón C. (2009). A social desirability scale for the MMPI-2. Which of the two: Wiggins (WSD) or Edwards (ESD)? The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 1, 147-163.
  • Keane T. M., Malloy P. F., & Fairbank J. A. (1984). Empirical development of an MMPI subscale for the assessment of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 888-891. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.52.5.888
  • Kessler R. C., Sonnega A., Hughes M., & Nelson C. B. (1995). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 1048-1060. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc. 1995.03950240066012
  • Konecni V. J., & Ebbesen E. B. (1992). Methodological issues on legal decision-making, with special reference to experimental simulations. In F. Lösel, D. Bender, & T. Bliesener (Eds.), Psychology and law. International perspectives (pp. 413-423). Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter.
  • Ley Orgánica 3/2007, de 22 de marzo, para la Igualdad Efectiva de Mujeres y Hombres. (2007). Boletín Oficial Del Estado, 71, 12611-12645. Retrieved from http://www.boe. es/boe/dias/2007/03/23/pdfs/A12611-12645.pdf
  • Lyons J. A., & Wheeler-Cox T. (1999). MMPI, MMPI-2, and PTSD: Overview of scores, scales, and profiles. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 12, 175-183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024710803042
  • Observatorio contra la Violencia Dom éstica y de Género. (2011). Datos de denuncias, procedimientos penales y civiles registrados, órdenes de protección solicitadas en los Juzgados de Violencia sobre la Mujer (JVM) y sentencias dictadas por los órganos jurisdiccionales en esta materia en el año 2011 [Data of complaints registered in cri minal and civil proceedings, protective orders ordered by the of Violence against Women Courts (JVM) and judgments of the courts in this area in 2011]. Madrid, Spain: Author. Retrieved from http://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Temas/Estadistica-Judici al/Informes-estadisticos/Informes-periodicos/La-violencia-sobre-la-mujer-en-la-estadistica-judicial-Datos-Anuales-de-2011
  • O'Donnell M. L., Creamer M., Bryant R. A., Schnyder U., & Shalev A. (2006). Posttraumat ic disorders following injury: Assessment and other methodological considerations. In G. Young, A. W. Kane, & K. Nicholson (Eds.), Psychological knowledge in courts. PTSD, pain and TBI (pp. 70-84). New York, NY: Springer.
  • Pére z-Pareja J., SeséA., González-Ordi H., & Palmer A. (2010). Fibromyalgia and chronic pain: Are there discriminating patterns by using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)? International Journal of Clinical an d Health Psychology, 10, 41-56.
  • Resnick P. J., West S., & Payne J. W. (2008). Malingering of posttraumatic disorders. In R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (3rd Ed., pp. 1 09-127). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Rogers R. (2008 a). Structu red interview and dissimulation. In R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (3rd Ed., pp. 301-322). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Rogers R. (2008 b). An introduction to response styles. I n R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (3rd Ed., pp. 3-13). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Rogers R. (2008 c ). Researching response styles. In R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (3rd Ed., pp. 411-434). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Rogers R., Bagby R. M., & Dickens S. E. (1992). Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS) and professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
  • Rogers R., Sewell K. W., Martin M. A., & Vitacco M. J. (2003). Detection of feigned mental disorders: A metaanalysis of the MMPI-2 and malingering. Assessment, 10, 1 60-177. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1073191103010002007
  • Rogers R., Sewell K. W., & Salekin R. T. (1994). A metaanalysis of malingering on the MMPI-2. Assessment, 1, 227-237.
  • Rogers R. , & Shuman D. W. (2005). Fundamentals of forensic practice: Mental health and criminal law. New York, NY: Springer.
  • Spitzer R. L., Williams J. B., Gibbon M., & First M. B. (1995). Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
  • United Nations. 1988 Committee on crime prevention and control. Report on the tenth session. Vienna, Switzerland: Author.
  • Vilariño M., Arce R., & Fariña F. (2013). Forensic-clinical interview: Reliability and validity for the evaluation of psychological injury. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 5, 1-21.
  • Vilariño M., Fariña F., & Arce R. (2009). Discriminating real victims from feigners of psychological injury in gender violence: Validating a protocol for forensic settings. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 1, 221-243.
Fonte de datos: Dialnet