Developing consensus for culturally informed forensic mental health assessment: Experts' opinions on best practices.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with minoritized identities are overrepresented in legal system contexts; thus, forensic mental health professionals conduct evaluations of examinees with a diversity of identities. Professional and ethical guidelines direct that these evaluations be completed in a culturally informed manner, yet many professionals still identify a need for specific guidance on how to do so. In the present study, we sought to establish consensus regarding best practices in incorporating culture into forensic mental health evaluations. HYPOTHESES: Given the exploratory nature of this research, no formal hypotheses were tested. We expected that participants would concur that some practices are important to completing culturally informed forensic evaluations. METHOD: We recruited two samples. Nine people with joint expertise in cultural considerations and forensic evaluations participated in a Delphi-type poll. More than half reported a minoritized racial/ethnic identity, and all identified as a man (56%) or woman (44%). Experts were surveyed regarding importance (two rounds) and relevance (one round) of recommended practices. They contributed seven additional relevant practices. Twenty-one board-certified forensic psychologists completed a one-time survey of their perceptions of best practices. These psychologists primarily identified as White (90%), and most did not identify as Hispanic or Latine (80%). They all identified as men (45%) or women (55%). This sample was asked to rate the importance of a list of practices refined during the Delphi-type poll. RESULTS: The majority of practices were considered important or very important by experts and board-certified psychologists. Consensus is most clear for 28 practices with means, medians, and modes all in the "important" to "very important" range at all time points. CONCLUSIONS: There is wide agreement on the importance of particular methods for incorporating cultural considerations in each phase of the forensic evaluation process. Forensic psychologists can use this information to self-evaluate and improve their practice and to inform training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Who comes to a self-help depression prevention website? Characteristics of Spanish- and English-speaking visitors.

OBJECTIVE: To describe demographic and clinical characteristics of Spanish- and English-speaking visitors to a "Healthy Mood" website. METHODS: An online study intended to prevent depression by teaching users mood management skills recruited participants globally using primarily Google Ads. Those who consented responded to the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the MDE Screener (Muñoz, 1998) upon entry into the study. RESULTS: 1423 participants consented, 437 English speakers and 986 Spanish speakers. Of the 1271 participants with sufficient depression symptom data, 65% screened positive for a current major depressive episode, 30% were at high risk for onset of a major depressive episode, and 5% were in the low-risk category. CONCLUSION: Websites intended to be preventive appear to attract primarily individuals who are currently experiencing enough symptoms to screen positive for a major depressive episode. Only 30% of participants were appropriate for a depression prevention intervention. Therefore, such sites must be ready to encourage those with current depression to obtain professional help as well as ensure that the online self-help interventions are appropriate for participants who could benefit from both preventive and treatment interventions.

Gender and Generational Differences in the Internalized Homophobia Questionnaire: An Alignment IRT Analysis.

Internalized homophobia (IH) refers to negative attitudes and stereotypes that a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) person may hold regarding their own sexual identity. Recent sociocultural changes in attitudes and policies affecting LGB people generally reflect broader acceptance of sexual minorities, and may influence the manner in which LGB people experience IH. These experiences should be reflected in the measurement properties of instruments designed to assess IH. This study utilized data from three different samples (N = 3,522) of LGB individuals residing in the United States to examine the invariance of a common self-report IH measure by gender identity (Female, Male) and age cohort (Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials). Multigroup item response theory-differential item functioning analysis using the alignment method revealed that 6 of the 9 Internalized Homophobia Scale items exhibited differential functioning across gender and generation. Latent scores based on the invariant items suggested that Male and Female Boomers exhibited the lowest level of latent IH, relative to the other cohorts.