Citation

Lau S, Günther MP, Kling S, Kirchebner J. Eur. Psychiatry 2019; 60: 86-96.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2019.05.005

PMID

31234012

Abstract

Prior research on Hodgins' (2008) typology of offenders with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) has revealed inconsistencies in the number of subgroups and the operationalization of the concept. This study addressed these inconsistencies by applying latent class analysis (LCA) based on the most frequently explored variables in prior research. This novel case-centred methodology identified similarities and differences between the subjects contained in the sample instead of the variables explored. The LCA was performed on 71 variables taken from data on a previously unstudied sample of 370 case histories of offenders with SSD in a centre for inpatient forensic therapies in Switzerland.

RESULTS were compared with Hodgins' theoretically postulated patient typologies and confirm three separate homogeneous classes of schizophrenic delinquents. Previous inconsistencies and differences in operationalizations of the typology of offenders with SDD to be found in the literature are discussed.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Forensic psychiatry; Latent class analysis; Offenders with schizophrenia spectrum disorder; Severe mental illness