Reporting guidance for violence risk assessment predictive validity studies: the RAGEE Statement.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Public Health
• Research Methodology

Background:

• Existing reporting guidelines for prognostic and diagnostic accuracy studies inadequately address behavioral issues like violence risk.
• There is a critical need for specific guidance in reporting the predictive validity of violence risk assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop the first comprehensive reporting guidance for predictive validity studies of violence risk assessments.
• To establish the Risk Assessment Guidelines for the Evaluation of Efficacy (RAGEE) Statement.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search identified 279 existing reporting guidelines.
• Items were extracted and adapted for relevance to risk assessment.
• A 4-wave Delphi process with 37 international experts refined the guidelines into a 50-item checklist.

Main Results:

• The developed checklist, the RAGEE Statement, was endorsed by expert panelists.
• Panelists found the checklist highly satisfactory for routine reporting in manuscripts.
• The RAGEE Statement provides standards for reporting study features in violence risk assessment.

Conclusions:

• The RAGEE Statement offers a novel solution to improve the quality and consistency of reporting in violence risk assessment research.
• Adoption of these standards can enhance the reliability and utility of findings in this critical public health area.