Parental personality disorder and child maltreatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Parental pathology may affect parenting capacity and is deemed a risk factor for child maltreatment. Especially parental personality disorder (PD) can significantly burden the relationship and interaction between parents and their children. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analytic review aims to summarize and quantify the influence of parental PD on the occurrence / the risk of child maltreatment. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Studies had to meet the following inclusion criteria: They had to analyze a sample of parents with a diagnosed PD and the occurrence / risk of maltreating their children. To be included in the narrative synthesis and/or meta-analysis, they had to be case-control, cross-sectional, or longitudinal studies. Literature research was conducted in the databases Web of Science, Psychinfo, and Google Scholar up to January 2023. METHODS: First, studies were analyzed on a narrative level, and eligible studies for the meta-analysis were identified. Studies were grouped according to the diagnosed PDs. Five different groups were included: borderline PD, antisocial PD, narcissistic PD, nondifferentiated PDs, and Cluster B PDs. Three different random-effects meta-analyses were computed (borderline PD, antisocial PD, Cluster B PDs). Meta-analyses were controlled for publication bias and different covariates (e.g., study quality, sample size). RESULTS: After screening 41 full texts, 17 studies were included in the narrative synthesis, out of which 14 samples from 11 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Analysis of borderline PD showed an association with the occurrence / risk of child maltreatment (OR = 8.08; 95 % CI [2.51, 25.93]). However, after taking into account possible publication bias, this association was no longer significant. We found a significant and stable association between antisocial PD and the occurrence of / risk of child maltreatment (OR = 4.92; 95 % CI [3.26, 7.43]). Analysis of Cluster B PDs (antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic) revealed a significant overall association (OR = 4.23; 95 % CI [2.75, 6.5]), indicating that the presence of Cluster B PDs in parents significantly increases the occurrence of / the risk of child maltreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses indicated a significant association between of Cluster B PDs, and specifically between antisocial and borderline PD, with the occurrence of / the risk of child maltreatment. However, methodological limitations have to be taken into account, because results for borderline PD were no longer significant after controlling for possible publication bias. Moreover, the number of studies included was rather small, and results showed a substantial amount of heterogeneity. OTHER: This work was not supported by any funding.

International perspective on guidelines and policies for child custody and child maltreatment risk evaluations: A preliminary comparative analysis across selected countries in Europe and North America.

Little knowledge exists on how evaluators in child custody and child maltreatment cases are informed by guidelines, the kinds of qualifications required and the types of training provided in different countries. The purpose of this paper is to provide an international preliminary comparison on how child custody and child maltreatment risk assessments are conducted in selected Western countries, and how the assessments are informed by best practice guidelines. Another aim is to increase knowledge on how the guidelines and best-practice standards could be developed further to reflect recent research findings. A total number of 18 guidelines were included in the analyses: four from Canada, five from the United States, three from the United Kingdom, three from the Netherlands, two from Finland, and one from Germany. We conducted a content analysis of the included guidelines in the database, focusing on how the guidelines address the best interest of the child criteria, guidelines for conducting the assessments, considerations for evaluative criteria, and specific guidance for conducting specific assessment procedures (e.g., interviews and observations). Findings show that the qualifications of and training provided to evaluators in child custody and child maltreatment risk evaluations are largely heterogeneous across the countries represented. Guidelines differ in whether and how they highlight the importance of evidence-based practices and scientifically validated assessment measures. Implications are drawn from the review and contextualized by international expert authors in the fields of forensic psychology, and family law. After the content analysis, discussion sessions within the expert group were held. The authors provide both commentaries and suggestions to improve the development of standard methods for conducting both child custody and child maltreatment risk evaluations and to consider a more transparent and judicious use of social science research to guide methods and the recommendations offered within these assessments.

Conceptualizing callous-unemotional traits in preschoolers: Associations with social-emotional competencies and aggressive behavior.

BACKGROUND: Extensive empirical evidence suggests that high Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits in childhood and adolescence can reliably identify individuals at risk for antisocial outcomes. The present study addresses research gaps by investigating the factor structure of CU traits in children at preschool age. METHODS: The sample includes 371 children (49.6% female, M age = 4.7, SD = 0.69). Using the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional-Traits (ICU), six alternative confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to find the best fitting model for our preschool sample. Children's level of emotional competence and aggressive behavior was assed using a German questionnaire, the Behavior Rating Scales for Preschoolers (Verhaltensskalen für das Kindergartenalter, VSK) in a preschool teachers' rating. Post hoc cluster analytic strategies and ANOVA were applied to identify groups of children with regard to their combination of social-emotional competences and CU traits, and to examine associations with aggressive behavior. RESULTS: Results indicate that a two-factor model revealed the best fit to our data, including a callous and an uncaring factor using 12 of the original 24 ICU items. Cluster analytic strategies reveal a risk group of children demonstrating high rates of callousness and uncaring combined with weak emotion knowledge/empathy and social competence. ANOVA shows that children in the risk group demonstrate the highest levels of aggressive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Group characteristics indicate that the construct of CU traits in early childhood may be nothing other than a social-emotional developmental deficit.

What Judges Want to Know From Forensic Evaluators in Child Custody and Child Protection Cases: Analyzing Forensic Assignments With Latent Dirichlet Allocation.

This study analyzes the questions on aspects of child custody, visitation rights, or child endangerment that judges pose to forensic psychologists in family law proceedings. Before conducting a psychological evaluation, the legal question in the referral has to be translated into case-specific, forensically relevant issues. The only overarching principle guiding this process is the "best interests of the child" criterion. Literature indicates that judges often struggle to define what variables should be specified for a psychological evaluation in their referral questions. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the information judges would like to ascertain from psychological evaluators in child custody and child protection proceedings-an understanding allowing a clearer determination of whether forensic psychologists as experts can deliver this information. Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is used to analyze the referral questions that these judges pose to forensic evaluators in terms of (a) underlying topics (latent dimensions) that can be identified within the referral questions and (b) the probability distributions of legal terms and forensic issues contained in the referral questions. This analysis is based on unclassified text data extracted from German court files. Five topics (latent dimensions) were identified within referral questions resembling cases when the issue was as follows: (a) potential child endangerment in the context of visitation contacts, (b) a possibly limited parenting capacity and its potential effects on child well-being, (c) an impairment of the child has already occurred or could occur, (d) a better option concerning custody and residence, and (e) an unclear topic addressing questions on custody, residence, and visitation in which no specific psychological constructs are involved. In four of the five topics, judges utilize their referral questions to ask for case-group-specific psychological information. In one topic addressing questions on custody, residence, and visitation, judges seem to struggle to define criteria that forensic evaluators should assess. Overall, results help to identify and define more clearly the relevant constructs that forensic experts should examine from the perspective of the courts with the goal of making clearer and more accurate recommendations.

[Parenting capacity: Definitions, indicators, and assessment]. / Elterliche Erziehungsfähigkeit: Definitionen, Indikatoren und Erfassungsmöglichkeiten.

Parenting capacity: Definitions, indicators, and assessment Abstract. Parenting capacity is a broadly defined term that refers to the ability of parents to meet their children's needs. The assessment of parenting capacity is crucial to child-protection concerns and often an essential task in psychological evaluations for family law proceedings. Despite the relevance of the construct as a factor influencing child development and its frequent use in normative legal decisions, there is little consensus in the psychological literature regarding the definition of the construct. This literature review identifies, analyzes, and systemizes the national and international definitions of parenting capacity and the associated indicators. Following a comprehensive literature search, we included the work of 12 authors in this analysis. After checking for overlaps in content, we were able to categorize 58 indicators of parenting capacity into 29 different groups of indicators. The literature review also identifies German instruments that assess the construct of parenting capacity and its limitation. No instrument exists in the German literature which explicitly measures the parenting capacity as a construct. We did, however, identify five instruments that measure related constructs. We evaluated these instruments for their psychometric quality and their applicability in the context of psychological evaluation in family law. We discuss the diagnostic relevance of the identified definitions and indicators of parenting capacity as well as the practicality of the assessment instruments for psychological evaluations in family law proceedings.

Predictors of psychological recommendations in child protection evaluation.

Child protection matters from an important social and legal challenge, in which psychologists may be called upon to address a series of questions relevant for judicial decision-making. In an explorative manner, the current study investigates variables that influence psychological evaluators' recommendations in child protection cases. The data is based on a quantitative content review of 103 psychological evaluation reports, conducted at an institute of forensic psychology in Germany. Using bivariate and logistic regression analyses, the following predictors were analyzed in this study: Child-related factors, familial risk factors, and general custody criteria. The outcome measure was the evaluator's recommendation regarding long-term placement of the child and long-term custody arrangements. Evaluators were more likely to recommend permanent foster placement if the child showed insecure or disorganized attachment patterns, especially when combined with developmental delays, or if the child was temporarily in institutional or foster placement at the time of evaluation. The results support the conclusion that the most important factors for psychological expert recommendations refer to the "harm of the child" criterion in terms of developmental and psychological maladaptation.

[Predictors of Psychological Evaluation Recommendations in Child Custody and Access Proceedings]. / Prädiktoren psychologischer Empfehlungen in der familienrechtspsychologischen Begutachtung bei Verfahren zum Sorge- und Umgangsrecht.

Predictors of Psychological Evaluation Recommendations in Child Custody and Access Proceedings Psychologists can make an important contribution to decision making in custody and access proceedings by providing expert opinions to the courts, addressing the best interests of the child. This study aims to investigate quantified effects of indicators on recommendations of psychological evaluators in custody and access proceedings. This data is based on 179 psychological evaluations that were conducted from 2008 to 2012 at an evaluator association in Bremen, Germany. The data is assessed in a quantitative content analysis. Using logistic regression analysis, the influence of child- and parent-related factors on the recommendations of the evaluators is investigated both in custody and in access proceedings. In cases addressing child custody, substance abuse and dependency of the mother and a child's preference for living with the father are significant predictors for the evaluators' recommendation. In cases concerning visitation rights, the child refusing contact with the father and the child experiencing physical abuse are identified as significant predictors. In the present study, the effects of relevant factors on the recommendation of psychological evaluators in family proceedings were first examined on a German sample. This study thus makes an important contribution to the empirical research in the field of psychology and family law.

[Psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in family law proceedings. Empirical analyses from psychological expert assessment]. / Psychische Auffälligkeiten von Kindern und Jugendlichen in familienrechtlichen Verfahren. Empirische Analysen aus psychologischen Sachverständigengutachten

Objective: This study examined the frequency and distribution of mental health problems in children and adolescents who had previously been psychologically evaluated in family law proceedings. Method: The data stem from psychological evaluations (N=298) conducted between 2008 and 2012 at an evaluation institute in Bremen, Germany. The reports included were analyzed for indications of mental health problems by means of a content analysis. The total sample consisted of 496 children and adolescents. Results: At least one mental health problem (according to ICD-F) was found in 39.5% of the children and adolescents. The comorbidity rate was 38.7%. Developmental deficits appeared in 12.3%, emotional or conduct problems in 22.8% of the sample. Furthermore, 11.5% were reported as having been victims of violence. Frequency distributions of mental health problems with respect to the juridical issues in question are given. Conclusions: These results provide a first empirical overview of mental health problems in psychologically evaluated children and adolescents. Our findings highlight the need for future studies to further examine mental health problems of children and adolescents in family court proceedings with respect to the juridical issues in question.