Violence risk assessment: Getting specific about being dynamic.

TLDR

Violence risk assessment has advanced with robust static risk factors and integrated prevention concepts, yet empirical study of dynamic risk factors remains scarce. The article aims to distinguish risk status from risk state, evaluate current instruments for dynamic risk capture, and identify key dynamic risk factors for future research. The authors compare static and dynamic risk components, assess existing assessment tools, and synthesize literature to extract salient dynamic risk factors. The study offers recommendations for theory refinement and research design to advance dynamic risk assessment.

Abstract

Substantial strides have been made in the field of violence risk assessment. Numerous robust risk factors have been identified and incorporated into structured violence risk assessment instruments. The concepts of violence prevention, management, and treatment have been infused into contemporary thinking on risk assessment. This conceptual development underscores the necessity of identifying, measuring, and monitoring changeable (dynamic) risk factors--the most promising targets for risk reduction efforts. However, empirical investigation of dynamic risk is virtually absent from the literature. In this article, the authors (a) differentiate risk status (interindividual risk level based largely on static risk factors) from risk state (intraindividual risk level determined largely by current status on dynamic risk factors), (b) analyze the relevance of contemporary risk assessment measures for capturing dynamic risk, and (c) distill potentially important dynamic risk factors from the literature in order to facilitate future research. Suggestions for theory development and research design are provided.