The Personality Assessment Screener as a Predictor of Self-Injuring Thoughts and Behavior Crisis Events in a Male Prison Sample

• Author: Tiffany N. Truong,Morgan N. Mccredie,John F. Edens,Leslie C. Morey
• Published date: 01 September 2022
• Date: 01 September 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00938548221082656
• Subject Matter: Articles

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR, 2022, Vol. 49, No. 9, September 2022, 1311 –1322.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548221082656

Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions

© 2022 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology

1311

THE PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT SCREENER

AS A PREDICTOR OF SELF-INJURING

THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIOR CRISIS EVENTS IN

A MALE PRISON SAMPLE

TIFFANY N. TRUONG

MORGAN N. McCREDIE

JOHN F. EDENS

LESLIE C. MOREY

Texas A&M University

Mental disorder is widespread in correctional settings, as is the potential for suicide and self-harm among detained individu-

als. The ability of the Personality Assessment Screener (PAS) to identify potential mental health problems has been the focus

of recent research in corrections, but few studies have examined the prediction of crisis events related to self-injuring

thoughts and behaviors. We explored the utility of repeated PAS administrations among men incarcerated in prison (N = 270)

to identify those at risk for a subsequent crisis event involving potential self-harm. Baseline PAS total scores predicted the

odds of experiencing a crisis event (odds ratio = 3.76–4.46) and, importantly, changes in PAS total scores over time incre-

mentally predicted such events beyond scores assessed at a single time-point, t(49) = –2.14, p = .037. These preliminary

findings demonstrate promise for the PAS as an indicator of potential self-injuring crisis events when administered at intake

and regular intervals throughout incarceration.

Keywords: Personality Assessment Screener; corrections; longitudinal assessment; suicide; mental health screening

Current estimates suggest that the United States detains over 2.2 million individuals in

state and federal prisons and local jails (Carson, 2018; Zeng, 2018). The percentage

of persons with diagnosed or undiagnosed mental disorders in correctional environments

appears to be well beyond that of the general population in the United States. A national

survey conducted between 2011 and 2012 reported that more than 26% of individuals in

jails and 14% in federal prisons met the threshold for serious psychological distress within

a 30-day period (Bronson & Berzofsky, 2017). Epidemiological studies indicate that major

depression and psychotic illnesses have the highest prevalence in prisons, with approxi-

mately one in seven individuals recently experiencing a serious mental disorder (Fazel

AUTHORS’ NOTE: Leslie C. Morey is the author of the Personality Assessment Screener and derives royal-

ties from its sale. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Leslie C. Morey, Department

of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX 77840; e-mail:

morey@tamu.edu.

1082656CJBXXX10.1177/00938548221082656Criminal Justice and BehaviorTruong et al. / PAS and Risk for Self-Injury

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