Ustinavičiūtė-Klenauskė, Laura

Previous research has shown that simulated interviews with avatars can improve question quality, but evidence regarding long‐term effects and the role of experience remains limited. We investigated both short‐ and long‐term impacts of avatar training with feedback in Child Protection Services (CPS) worker and student groups. Thirty‐one CPS workers and 35 novice students interviewed four child avatars, with half receiving feedback after each interview. After 4 months, the training was repeated with all participants receiving feedback. Training with feedback improved investigative interview quality in the short term, with no substantial decline after 4 months. Experience had no effects on interview quality, nor did it moderate training impact. These findings suggest that avatar‐based interview training with feedback could effectively improve investigative interviewing skills across different experience levels, maintaining its effects over a 4‐month period.

When interviewing children in suspected child sexual abuse (CSA) cases, a common mistake is for interviewers to only ask questions that aim at confirming their initial assumption. Here, we sought to investigate whether experienced emotional states and psychophysiological parameters measured when following a (simulated) CSA interview would be associated with confirmation bias in subsequent question formulation. Psychology students ( N  = 60, M age = 22.75) followed a (simulated) CSA interview while their facially expressed emotions (anger, sadness, disgust, surprize and relief), galvanic skin response, heart rate (HR), and HR variability (HRV) were registered. The interview was then interrupted, and the participants were asked to formulate additional questions they would ask of the interviewee. As predicted, we found that participants who got more (vs. less) disgusted by the interview asked more questions biased towards confirming CSA. Against our expectations, participants who got more (vs. less) surprized also asked more questions biased towards confirming CSA. We also found, as predicted, that lower HRV was associated with more abuse confirming questions. Results suggest that emotions and psychophysiological states participants experience when observing a CSA interview are associated with confirmation bias in how questions are formulated.

Introduction: In forensic settings interviewers are advised to ask as many open-ended questions as possible. However, even experts may have difficulty following this advice potentially negatively impacting an investigation. Here, we sought to investigate how emotions and psychophysiological parameters are associated with question formulation in real time in an ongoing (simulated) child sexual abuse (CSA) interview. Method: In a experimental study, psychology students (N = 60, Mage = 22.75) conducted two interviews with child avatars, while their emotions (anger, sadness, disgust, surprise and relief), GSR and heart rate (HR) were registered. Results: First, we found that general emotionality related to CSA and perceived realness of the avatars was associated with stronger overall emotional reactions. Second, we found that closed (vs. open) questions were preceded by more facially observable anger, but not disgust, sadness, surprise or relief. Third, closed (vs. open) questions were preceded by higher GSR resistance and lower heart rate. Discussion: Results suggest for the first time that emotions and psychophysiological states can drive confirmation bias in question formulation in real time in CSA.

Objective We examined the prevalence of different types of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in Lithuania focusing on how these experiences were related to victim's age and relationship to the perpetrator. Methods The participants came from a representative household survey of youth aged 18–29 and the sample consisted of 2000 participants (47.7 % women) with a mean age of 23.9 years (SD = 3.6). The ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Retrospective version (ICAST-R, Dunne et al., 2009) for young adults was used to investigate childhood exposure to CSA. Both current sociodemographic information and information on circumstances during childhood (e.g., number of siblings, family members with whom the participant lived between 7 and 12 year of age) were collected. Results The prevalence of any CSA experience before the age of 18 was 15.9 %, with higher rates for women (13.5 % and 18.5 % for men and women, respectively). Being spoken to in a sexual way or sexual things being written about the person was the most prevalent form of CSA. In contrast, number of victims that reported sexual intercourse was much lower. The most common type of perpetrator was another young person. Intrafamilial CSA was rare with higher risk in step-relationships. Conclusions Our study provides representative prevalence estimates of the CSA in a region for which such estimates were not previously available. These Lithuanian estimates correspond well with previous literature. Importantly, the findings point to peers being an important perpetrator group in CSA cases. This and other findings can inform the planning of relevant policy measures and actions to both prevent CSA and investigate cases effectively.

The current study aimed to evaluate the convergent and predictive validity of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM; Patrick, 2010) in a sample of 159 Lithuanian juvenile offenders, who were sentenced to probation, from most probation departments across Lithuania. TriPM scale scores were evaluated against various self-report questionnaires, measuring history of delinquent behavior, procriminal attitudes, and the ability to manage stressors. Such scores were also validated against adverse outcomes, including risk evaluation through structured professional judgment risk assessment. In terms of predictive validity, TriPM scores predicted outcomes related to juvenile offenders’ misconduct after a 3-month follow-up period. The TriPM scale scores were associated with concurrent measures in an expected direction, with the effect sizes ranging from small to large. The area-under-the-curve results for several forms of misconduct in a 3-month follow-up period confirmed predictive validity of the TriPM scales. These findings are discussed in the context of forensic and correctional implications for TriPM research.

The Triarchic psychopathy model was proposed by Patrick, Fowles, and Krueger (2009). The model was operationalized with Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) (Patrick, 2010). To assess the convergent and predictive validity of the TriPM in a sample of 159 Lithuanian juvenile offenders number of measures was used: Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent Version (START:AV) (Viljoen, Nicholls, Cruise, Desmarais, & Webster, 2014), Subtypes of Antisocial Behaviour Questionnaire (STAB) (Burt & Donnellan, 2009), Criminal Sentiments Scale – Modified (CSS-M) (Shields & Simourd, 1991), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) (Antonovsky, 1987). Subsequently, in the three-month follow-up period information related to juveniles’ misbehaviours was collected. The results of the research showed significant corellations with TriPM scales scores, and these relationships were consistent with results reported for Lithuanian adults offenders (Selbom, Laurinavičius, Ustinavičiūtė, Laurinaitytė, 2018). The TriPM scales were associated with concurrent measures in an expected direction, the effect sizes varied from small to large. The results of AUC for several forms of misconduct in a three-month period confirmed predictive validity of the TriPM scales: Meanness scores were associated with an occurrence of aggressive behavior, Disinhibition with unauthorized absence, Boldness – with alcohol use. The results of our research findings provide support for the validity of the TriPM in juveniles.