TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Evaluation and applications of the clinically significant change method with the violence risk scale-sexual offender version: implications for risk-change communication
JO  - Behavioral sciences and the law
A1  - Olver, Mark E.
A1  - Beggs Christofferson, Sarah M.
A1  - Wong, Stephen C. P.
SP  - 92
EP  - 110
VL  - 33
IS  - 1
N2  - We examined the use of the clinically significant change (CSC) method with the Violence Risk Scale-Sexual Offender version (VRS-SO), and its implications for risk communication, in a combined sample of 945 treated sexual offenders from three international settings, followed up for a minimum 5 years post-release. The reliable change (RC) index was used to identify thresholds of clinically meaningful change and to create four CSC groups (already okay, recovered, improved, unchanged) based on VRS-SO dynamic scores and amount of change made. Outcome analyses demonstrated important CSC-group differences in 5-year rates of sexual and violent recidivism. However, when baseline risk was controlled via Cox regression survival analysis, the pattern and magnitude of CSC-group differences in sexual and violent recidivism changed to suggest that observed variation in recidivism base rates could be at least partly explained by pre-existing group differences in risk level. Implications for communication of risk-change information and applications to clinical practice are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0735-3936
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2159
ID  - ref1
ER  -