[Personality profile and psychic deviations in offenders examined for psychiatric-forensic appraisal]

Abstract

Personality is one factor within the multidimensional structure of conditions involved in the development of an offender. The aim of this study is to contribute to a better accuracy of discrimination of risk factors and prediction of delinquent behaviour. For psychiatric-forensic opinions, social, forensic and psychiatric history as well as type of the last offence and its course for adjudged delinquents (n=128) was recorded. For determining personality structure, the "Freiburger Personlichkeitsinventar" (FPI-R) and the "Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Aggressivitatsfaktoren" (FAF) was used. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on criteria of ICD-10. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis including the dimensions of the FPI-R, three personality profiles could be separated. First offenders and re-offenders could be discriminated by family environment and age at the first delict. The importance of classification for risk estimation of delinquent behaviour and its significance for providing forensic opinions is discussed.