Clinician risk assessment decision making research

When performing risk assessment, clinicians must gather information and evaluate factors that either enhance or reduce a patient’s risk of engaging in violent behavior. Descriptive research illuminating how risk assessment occurs in practice will allow the development of research models that reflect the realities of actual practice. It is not known to what extent prescriptive research has so far been incorporated into regular clinical practice, and transferring risk assessment technology into mental health settings will be an ongoing task for researchers and clinicians alike. To better understand and improve the implementation of risk assessment research, the research team has participated in empirical efforts seek to study the process of how clinicians utilize research that attempted to incorporate contextual (or setting- based) considerations across multiple contexts utilizing multiple methods of inquiry (Calkins-Mercado, Elbogen, & Scalora, 2001; Elbogen, Mercado, Tomkins, & Scalora, 2001).

I plan to continue this line of research by expanding inquiry into the relative value of actuarial information toward clinicians’ risk assessment judgments related to both adult and juvenile populations.

Representative publications in this area:

Elbogen, E. B., Mercado, C., Tomkins, A. J., & Scalora, M. J. (2002). Perceived relevance of factors for violence risk assessment: A survey of clinicians. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 1, 37-47.

Calkins-Mercado, C., Elbogen, E., & Scalora, M. J., (2001). Judgments of dangerousness: Differential risk assessment for sex offenders v. civil psychiatric patients. Journal of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Law, 8, 146- 153.

Elbogen, E. B., Mercado, C., Tomkins, A. J., & Scalora, M. J. (2001). Clinical practice and violence risk assessment: Availability of MacArthur Risk Factors. In D. Farrington, C. R. Hollin, & M. McMurran (Eds.) Sex and violence: The psychology of crimes and risk assessment (pp. 38-55). New York: Routledge.

Elbogen, E. B., Williams, A., Kim, D., Tomkins, A. J., & Scalora, M. J. (2001). Gender and violence risk assessment in psychiatric populations. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 6, 215-228.

Representative conference presentations in this area:

DeGue, S., Scalora, M. J., & Ullman, D. L. (2002, March). Long-term placement recommendations for juvenile offenders: Clinical decision-making and risk assessment factors. Paper presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Biennial Conference, Austin, Texas.

Elbogen, E. B., Patry, M., Tomkins, A.J., & Scalora, M. J. (2002, March). Clinician characteristics and violence risk assessment in psychiatric facilities. Poster presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Biennial Conference, Austin, Texas.

Elbogen E. B., Mercado, C., Pothuloori, A., Tomkins, A. J., & Scalora, M. J. (2002, March). Influences on documentation of violence risk factors in psychiatric settings. Poster presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Biennial Conference, Austin, Texas.

Page, G. L., & Scalora, M. J. (2002, March). Assessing treatment response of juvenile sexual offenders in a residential treatment facility. Poster presented at the American Psychology-Law Society Biennial Conference, Austin, Texas.

Mercado, C.C., Claussen-Schulz, A., Elbogen, E.B., Scalora, M.J., & Tomkins, A.J. (2000, March). Clinicians’ judgments of dangerousness: Differential risk assessment for sex offenders and civil psychiatric patients? Poster session presented at the meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society, New Orleans, LA.