We are trying to keep track of all studies on the SAPROF. On this site we give an overview of some ongoing research projects. If you are conducting a research project on the SAPROF yourself, we would be happy to add it to the website.

The following are some of the international research studies that are being / or have been conducted:

United Kingdom

- Michael Doyle, Jeremy Coid & Jenny Shaw et al, London/Manchester,UK

• Title: Validation of new Risk Assessment Instruments for use with Patients Discharged from Medium Secure Services
• Design: Prospective community cohort follow-up, repeated measures
• Sample: N=795 patients discharged from NHS Medium secure pathways inEnglandandWales(all discharge between 1/9/10 and 31/8/11)
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20v3 & MSRAG
• Outcome: 12-month follow-up post-discharge and measure of violent outcome. Validation of SAPROF, HCR-20 v3 and MSRAG with this sample, as well as exploration of the role of protective factors.
• Status: Data collection underway. Dissemination expected 2014.

- Richard Whittington & Andrew Brown et al, Liverpool, UK

• Title: Preventing violence recidivism in secure psychiatric care: The concurrent validity and clinical utility of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk (SAPROF)
• Design: Postdictive clinical/inpatient/forensic and general psychiatry
• Sample: N=68 forensic inpatients (medium security) and N=42 general Mental Health service inpatients (non-forensic)
• Tools: SAPROF + HCR-20 & PCL-SV
• Outcome: Patient violence as recorded in clinical case notes in 12 months prior to SAPROF
• Status: Completed, paper under review

- Alina Haines, Richard Whittington & Andrew Brown et al, Liverpool, UK

• Title: Prospective Validity of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors (SAPROF) Instrument for Violence
• Design: Prospective clinical & community
• Sample: N=150 forensic and non-forensic mentally disordered (in-/out-) patients with or without a history of violence
• Tools: SAPROF + HCR-20 & PCL-SV
• Outcome: Frequency and severity of violence at 2 time points (baseline and 6 months after)
• Status: Expected timeframe: Feb-Dec 2013

- Jodie Hart & Adrian Cree, London, UK

• Title: The clinical utility of protective factors in predicting outcomes of forensic patients transferred to the community; A retrospective analysis of a cohort of discharged patients from medium and low secure settings between 1996 and 2004.
• Design: Retrospective
• Sample: N=40 patients discharged into the community
• Tools: SAPROF
• Outcome: Recalled or readmitted to psychiatric services
• Status: Data collection underway, project to be completed September 2013

The Netherlands

- Michiel de Vries Robbé, Vivienne de Vogel et al, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Study 1.

• Title: Risk and protective factors in clinical practice: Measuring change in high risk offenders
• Design: Prospective clinical follow-up
• Sample: N=315 forensic psychiatric patients (tbs)
• Tools: SAPROF & HCR-20
• Outcome: Violent incidents during treatment (12 months)
• Status: Data collection completed, projected to be finalized Spring 2013

Study 2.

• Title: Risk- and protective factors: A two-sided dynamic approach to violence risk assessment
• Design: Retrospective file study
• Sample: N=188 violent + sexual offenders / forensic psychiatric patients (tbs)
• Tools: SAPROF & HCR-20
• Outcome: (sexually) violent recidivism after treatment (1-3-11 year)
• Status: Completed, paper under review

Study 3.

• Title: Assessing protective factors for sexually violent offenders: The value of the SAPROF
• Design: Retrospective file study
• Sample: N=83 sexual offenders / forensic psychiatric patients (tbs)
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20 & SVR-20
• Outcome: Violent and sexually violent recidivism after treatment (1-3-15 year)
• Status: Completed, paper under review

Study 4.

• Title: Treatment progress and treatment success: Assessment with dynamic risk- and protective factors
• Design: Retrospective file study repeated measures
• Sample: N=120 violent + sexual offenders / forensic psychiatric patients (tbs)
• Tools: SAPROF & HCR-20
• Outcome: Change during treatment, related to (sexually) violent recidivism after treatment
• Status: Data collection completed, projected to be finalized Spring 2013

Study 5.

• Title: Self-assessment of protective factors: The value of including the patient
• Design: Prospective clinical comparison
• Sample: N=30 forensic psychiatric patients (tbs)
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20, qualitative questionnaire
• Outcome: Comparison of patient self-assessment ratings (interview) and staff ratings,  patient and staff opinions on the value of protective factors
• Status: Data collection underway, projected to be completed Summer 2013

Switzerland

- Valérie Moulin, Milena Abbiati & Eric Francescotti, Lausanne, Switzerland

• Title: Validation of the SAPROF in French
• Design: Retrospective study
• Sample: N=200 violent and sexual offenders (forensic psychiatric) in French-speakingSwitzerland
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20, SVR-20 & PCL-R
• Outcome: Official recidivism and aggression in prison or hospital over 12 years
• Status: Data collection underway

Germany

- Dahlnym Yoon, Peer Briken et al, Hamburg, Germany

 Study 1.

• Title: Protective factors in 450 adult male sexual offenders
• Design: Retrospective
• Sample: N=450 adult male sexual offenders incarcerated in Austrian prison system
• Tools: SAPROF + SVR-20
• Outcome: Official re-conviction, follow-up 6 years in average
• Status: Completed, paper under review

Study 2.

• Title: Protective factors in alleged juvenile sexual offenders
• Design: Retrospective
• Sample: N=66 juveniles alleged for sexual offending
• Tools: SAPROF + SAVRY
• Outcome: Official police records, follow-up +/- 4 years
• Status:

Study 3. 

• Title: Factors related to recidivism risk among sex offenders in an outpatient treatment program
• Design: Prospective
• Sample: N=70 sexual offenders in treatment in outpatient aftercare treatment program (FORAS) inHamburg, community setting
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20, SVR-20, Static-99 & PCL-R
• Outcome: official re-conviction, follow-up +/- 3 years
• Status: In preparation, expected to be finished 2013 

Study 4. 

• Title: Effect of protective factors on therapeutic intervention in incarcerated offenders
• Design: Prospective
• Sample: N=100 inmates (end 2012) in the socio-therapeutic unit (SOTHA) inHamburgprison
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20, SVR-20, Static-99, STABLE, SVG-10 & PCL-R
• Outcome: Intramural incidents, follow-up (update) every year
• Status: On-going project

Belgium

- Ben van Heesch, Leuven, Belgium

• Title: Protective factors for forensic psychiatric patients: The protective value of the items from the SAPROF
• Design: Qualitative research in a forensic psychiatric setting
• Sample: Small sample of staff and forensic psychiatric patients of OPZCRekem,Belgium
• Tools: SAPROF (self-assessment interview for patients) + qualitative questionnaire
• Outcome: Qualitative data analysis (interviews, observations)
• Status: In preparation, expected to be finished Summer 2013 

Portugal

- Cristina Neves & Cristina Soeiro, Lisbon, Portugal

• Title: Research with probationers and parolees
• Design: Retrospective file study
• Sample: 98 Portuguese probationers and parolees
• Tools: SAPROF & HCR-20
• Outcome: violent and non-violent recidivism, follow-up average 13 months
• Status: Data collection under way, project to be completed April 2013

- Tiago Almeida, Cristina Neves & Cristina Soeiro, Lisbon, Portugal

• Title: Research in psychiatric settings
• Design: Prospective
• Sample: forensic and civil psychiatric samples
• Tools: SAPROF, HCR-20 & PCL-SV
• Outcome: To characterize and identify protective factors in, analyze their relationship with risk factors and levels (low, medium, high)
• Status: Data collection under way, project to be completed April 2013

Canada

- Simone Viljoen & Tonia Nicholls et al, Vancouver, Canada

• Title: Examining utility of strengths and protective factors in violence risk assessment measures in a chronic civil psychiatric population
• Design: Retrospective file review with prospective follow up design
• Sample: N=150 (60%male-40%female) patients with severe mental illness residing in a psychiatric care facility, being transferred to residential treatment facilities in community
• Tools: START, SAPROF, HCR-20 & PCL-SV
• Outcome: Negative outcomes (i.e., violence to others, offending etc.) coded prospectively from file information at facility, four follow-up time periods (i.e. every 6 months for two years) using the START Outcome scale.
• Status: Data collection underway, projected to be completed Summer 2013

New Zealand

- Nick Wilson & Ann Tapara, Hamilton, New Zealand

• Title: An examination of the psychometric properties of the SAPROF as applied to high-risk violent offenders undergoing treatment
• Design: Prospective inpatient
• Sample: N=50 male prisoners from Special Treatment Units for violent men
• Tools: SAPROF, SDAC-21, VRS & MCMI-III
• Outcome: reliability & convergent validity
• Status: Data collection underway, Mid/Late 2013 anticipated completion date