[Determining security need in forensic psychiatric patients: HoNOS-Secure and DUNDRUM-1]

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Forensic psychiatric patients require appropriate security levels, but clear assessment criteria are lacking.
• Existing international instruments for security level estimation are limited.
• The DUNDRUM and HoNOS-Secure scales are identified as promising tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the applicability of the DUNDRUM-1 and HoNOS-Secure instruments in Flemish forensic psychiatric settings.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the DUNDRUM-1 scale within this context.

Main Methods:

• Data collection of DUNDRUM-1 scores from 150 forensic psychiatric patients (internees).
• Examination of the psychometric qualities of the DUNDRUM-1 scale.
• Comparative analysis of DUNDRUM-1 and HoNOS-Secure in a subpopulation.

Main Results:

• The DUNDRUM-1 demonstrated good psychometric properties.
• The DUNDRUM-1's psychometric performance surpassed that of the HoNOS-Secure.
• The DUNDRUM-1 scale is a viable option for security level assessment.

Conclusions:

• The DUNDRUM-1 can enhance the transparency and substantiation of security care decisions for clinicians and judges.
• Further research is recommended to explore the practical applicability of the DUNDRUM-1 in forensic settings.