Violent Victimization Among People With Mental Illness: A Longitudinal Analysis of Time-Varying and Time-Stable Risk...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Criminology
• Psychology

Background:

• Individuals with mental illness experience disproportionately high rates of violent victimization.
• Predictors of victimization in this population are inconsistent due to methodological limitations and sample differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine time-varying and time-stable predictors of violent victimization in two high-risk populations: psychiatric patients and justice-involved emerging adults with mental illness.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal data from the MacArthur Risk Assessment Study (clinical sample) and the Pathways to Desistance Study (justice-involved sample).
• Hierarchical linear modeling to distinguish within- and between-person effects.

Main Results:

• Substance use, offending, and peer delinquency were robust time-varying predictors across both samples.
• Psychiatric symptom severity and threat/control-override symptoms predicted victimization in the clinical sample; head injury predicted victimization in the justice-involved sample.
• Psychopathy consistently increased risk; impulsivity and aggression had sample-specific effects. Diagnostic categories did not predict victimization.

Conclusions:

• Integrating dynamic and dispositional factors is crucial for victimization risk assessment in individuals with mental illness.
• Contextualizing risk within specific populations is essential for effective assessment and intervention.