Papers by Gisli Gudjonsson
World Journal of Psychiatry
Frontiers in Psychology
Generally, the testimony of intoxicated witnesses has been considered relatively unreliable, but ... more Generally, the testimony of intoxicated witnesses has been considered relatively unreliable, but recent research has nuanced the knowledge base regarding these vulnerable witnesses.PurposeTo demonstrate the application of recent research findings regarding intoxicated witnesses to the statements made by a key witness to the murder of Olof Palme, Sweden's prime minister, in 1986. An additional purpose was to illustrate the use of a nuanced calculation of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for researchers.MethodsThe Palme murder has been debated since the crime was committed and no one has yet been sentenced. One of the witnesses was intoxicated and to estimate a range for his BAC at the time, a comprehensive BAC calculation was conducted in this study to illustrate important factors to consider in these types of cases.ResultsThrough the demonstration of the use of a nuanced BAC formula and by applying recent research results from studies on intoxicated witnesses, it was estimated ...
BMC Psychiatry
Background ADHD is neurodevelopmental disorder which persists into adulthood. Presently, therapeu... more Background ADHD is neurodevelopmental disorder which persists into adulthood. Presently, therapeutic approaches are mainly pharmacological and psychological whilst the role, scope and approaches of occupational therapists have not been adequately described. Results In this consensus statement we propose that by assessing specific aspects of a person’s occupation, occupational therapists can deploy their unique skills in providing specialist interventions for adults with ADHD. We also propose a framework with areas where occupational therapists can focus their assessments and give practice examples of specific interventions. Conclusions Occupational therapists have much to offer in providing interventions for adults with ADHD. A unified and flexible approach when working with adults with ADHD is most appropriate and further research on occupational therapy interventions is needed.
Personality and Individual Differences, 2021
The aim of the study was to investigate whether the extent of sexual trauma symptoms was negative... more The aim of the study was to investigate whether the extent of sexual trauma symptoms was negatively associated with 'no' answers to misleading questions after negative feedback. The participants were 180 children aged between 7 and 17 years who were suspected victims of sexual abuse. All children completed the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 2), a non-verbal IQ test, and The University of California at Los Angeles Child/ Adolescent Reaction Index for post-traumatic stress (UCLA-PTSD-RI-5). The findings showed that trauma symptoms, and to a lesser extent impaired source memory recall, were significantly associated with children's inability to give 'no' answers after negative feedback. The more severe the trauma, the greater the vulnerability. No such findings were found for 'don't know' and 'direct explanation' answers. The type of abuser (Intrafamilial versus Extrafamilial) did not add incrementally to the variance in 'no' answers suggesting that the impact of type of offender in terms of family links has no independent effect on 'no' answers and its effects are mediated by other factors, mainly the severity of the trauma symptoms. A 'cognitive-interpretative' model of emotional processing best explains the current findings of a relationship between trauma symptoms and 'no' answers after negative feedback.
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2021
Background: Despite evidence-based national guidelines for ADHD in the United Kingdom (UK), ADHD ... more Background: Despite evidence-based national guidelines for ADHD in the United Kingdom (UK), ADHD is under-identified, under-diagnosed, and under-treated. Many seeking help for ADHD face prejudice, long waiting lists, and patchy or unavailable services, and are turning to service-user support groups and/or private healthcare for help.Methods: A group of UK experts representing clinical and healthcare providers from public and private healthcare, academia, ADHD patient groups, educational, and occupational specialists, met to discuss shortfalls in ADHD service provision in the UK. Discussions explored causes of under-diagnosis, examined biases operating across referral, diagnosis and treatment, together with recommendations for resolving these matters.Results: Cultural and structural barriers operate at all levels of the healthcare system, resulting in a de-prioritization of ADHD. Services for ADHD are insufficient in many regions, and problems with service provision have intensified ...
Personality and Individual Differences, 2021
Abstract The study aimed to investigate the relationship between ‘don't know’(DK) responses t... more Abstract The study aimed to investigate the relationship between ‘don't know’(DK) responses to unanswerable leading questions and a response that refutes a suggestion by giving a ‘direct explanation’ (DE) on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 2). The unique feature of the DE response style is that it involves effective source monitoring, a social cognitive mechanism associated with confidence and trust in one's memory, critical strategic thinking, and self-efficacy. There were four groups of participants, three involving vulnerable samples (i.e., unemployed, ADHD, intellectual disabilities) and a normal control group. All 203 participants completed the GSS 2 and great variability in response styles was found between these groups. The findings suggested that DK and DE answers act independently and are driven by different processes and mechanisms. The intellecutal disabilities sample yielded most to leading questions indicating their relative inability to activate strategic thinking. Heavy reliance on DK answers and a very low rate of DE answers, found in the ADHD sample, suggests a weakness in source monitoring skills and judgment. Individuals with ADHD are potentially vulnerable to giving misinformation during questioning when confidence in their memory is undermined by the interviewing strategy and/or by an inability to cope with repeated and lengthy questioning.
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2017
ObjectivesTo review existing literature about university students with Attention Deficit Hyperact... more ObjectivesTo review existing literature about university students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).MethodsA framework for scoping studies and content analysis were used to source and review selected publications from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and relevant bibliographies.ResultsSeventy-four publications were reviewed and key findings were categorised under six core themes that represent the issues germane to university students with ADHD. These themes are:academic, social and psychological functioning, giftedness, new media technologies, treatment, substance misuseandthe non-medical use of prescription stimulants, andmalingering.ConclusionIn Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) young people with ADHD are unlikely to enrol into further education, and of those who do go to university, few will graduate at the same time as their non-ADHD peers. ADHD is associated with poor educational outcomes and it may be a hidden disability within institutions of higher...
Personality and Individual Differences, Jun 1, 2017
This study investigates the extent to which hyperactivity and anxiety predicts susceptibility to ... more This study investigates the extent to which hyperactivity and anxiety predicts susceptibility to false confessions compared with inattention and antisocial behavioural tendencies. The sample was comprised of 11,388 young people-5439 males and 5837 females-in further education, split into three age groups: 14-16, 17-19 and 20-24 years of age. Ordinal logistic regression models show hyperactivity to be a significant predictor of reported false confessions across age. Whilst latent inattention is a significant predictor in the youngest group (aged 14-16), that effect diminishes significantly in the older age groups. Latent anxiety seems not to exert a significant effect across age. Antisocial behaviour (ASB) however does seems to exert a significant effect on false confessions across age. Given that recklessness and impulsivity are facets of conduct disorder, it may be the recklessness and impulsive component of ASB that is most relevant in predicting false confessions across age. Latent hyperactivity may therefore be the critical susceptibility factor for false confessions across adolescence. Such a finding is novel, and raises significant questions about the potential vulnerability of adolescents scoring high on hyperactivity when questioned by police.
Personality and Individual Differences, 1990
International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 1987
BMC Psychiatry, 2016
Background: The association of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and fetal alcohol ... more Background: The association of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) results in a complex constellation of symptoms that complicates the successful diagnosis and treatment of the affected individual. Current literature lacks formal guidelines, randomized control trials, and evidence-based treatment plans for individuals with ADHD and associated FASD. Therefore, a meeting of professional experts was organized with the aim of producing a consensus on identification and treatment guidelines that will aid clinicians in caring for this unique patient population. Methods: Experts from multiple disciplines in the fields of ADHD and FASD convened in London, United Kingdom, for a meeting hosted by the United Kingdom ADHD Partnership (UKAP; www.UKADHD.com) in June 2015. The meeting provided the opportunity to address the complexities of ADHD and FASD from different perspectives and included presentations, discussions, and group work. The attendees worked towards producing a consensus for a unified approach to ADHD and associated FASD. Results: The authors successfully came to consensus and produced recommended guidelines with specific regards to identification and assessment, interventions and treatments, and multiagency liaisons and care management, highlighting that a lifespan approach to treatment needs to be adopted by all involved. Included in the guidelines are: 1) unique 'red flags', which when identified in the ADHD population can lead to an accurate associated FASD diagnosis, 2) a treatment decision tree, and 3) recommendations for multiagency care management. Conclusions: While clinically useful guidelines were achieved, more research is still needed to contribute to the knowledge base about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of those with ADHD and associated FASD.
Personality and Individual Differences, 2016
The main aim of this study was to investigate age, gender and memory effects on 'immediate' and '... more The main aim of this study was to investigate age, gender and memory effects on 'immediate' and 'delayed' suggestibility among children, and the relationship between immediate and delayed suggestibility. The participants were 1183 children aged between 7 and 16 years, who had been divided into three age band groups (7-9, 10-12, and 13-16 years). All children completed the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 2) and a non-verbal IQ test. Delayed suggestibility was measured after a one week delay. There were significant memory and suggestibility effects across the three age groups. Girls had significantly higher immediate and delayed memory scores than boys, but did not differ on suggestibility. Suggestibility predicted age after controlling for immediate recall, indicating significant incremental effects. Immediate and delayed suggestibility were significantly correlated in the two older age groups, but the effect sizes were small. The results suggest that immediate and delayed suggestibility are poorly correlated, and the effects of age and immediate recall are largely confined to immediate suggestibility, indicating that immediate and delayed suggestibility are underpinned by different processes. What they have in common is poor source monitoring (discrepancy detection), but differ in terms of how the interviewee processes the flawed source monitoring over time.
Cortex, 2017
If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination... more If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
Personality and Individual Differences, 2015
This study investigates the interplay between the reported experiences of negative life events, r... more This study investigates the interplay between the reported experiences of negative life events, reported levels of nerves, fear and tension experienced over the past 30 days, and reported false confessions. Data were obtained from 11,388 students in further education in Iceland, out of which 5439 participants were male and 5837 were female. Single level, random intercept, structural equation models were fitted showing that latent stress-sensitivity, indicated by levels of nerves, tension, fear, and the number of negative life events experienced exerted a significant direct effect on the likelihood of false confessions. Stresssensitive interviewees (those reporting high levels of nerves, fear, tension and negative events) may be more susceptible to environmental influences, due to heightened physiological responsiveness towards and a negative perception of situations and social encounters, with false confessions being a direct consequence of this. A suggestion from the findings is that the type of false confession (the reason for it) may possibly dependent upon which contextual trigger has influenced the interviewee the most-those within the police interview itself and/or pressures from the wider environment within which they reside.
Psychology, Crime & Law, 2010
Juveniles are responsible for about one-fifth of all sexual offences, yet relatively little is kn... more Juveniles are responsible for about one-fifth of all sexual offences, yet relatively little is known about the developmental pathways of their offending. The purpose of this article is to investigate the background of young sexual perpetrators within the framework of the Beech and Ward's (Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 10, 31Á 63, 2004) etiological model of risk. The participants were 10,515 students in further education in Iceland with a mean age of 17.7 years (SD01.8). They completed a detailed questionnaire about their background, behaviour and mental health. Sequential binomial logistic regression was used to determine the order of the predictor variables and the data were entered in four blocks (Developmental factors; VulnerabilityÁHistorical markers; VulnerabilityÁPsychological markers; and Triggering events/contextual risk factors). For males, the final model shows that what best distinguishes the sexual perpetrators from their contemporaries is a history of sexual abuse, violence experienced in the home, poor sexual self-regulation, and delinquent peers. The model is similar for females, except that violence in the home was not a significant predictor, and the use of sedatives and amphetamines also contributed to the model. The findings emphasize the importance of sexual abuse, poor self-regulation, and the potential influence of peers in sexual offending.
Personality and Individual Differences, 1993
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 2008
Book reviews which run along the lines of 'everyone should read this because it's really very goo... more Book reviews which run along the lines of 'everyone should read this because it's really very good' may seem to ring hollow. This is nonetheless what I want to say about Witness Testimony. Perhaps the best place to begin is with a brief discussion of what this exceptional book is not. First, as the opening line of the Foreword informs us, '[t]his is not a book about the law of evidence' (p. vii). It is instead a fascinating and thought-provoking edited collection which grapples with issues surrounding the assessment of witness testimony rather than its admissibility. Secondly, it is not, as I had initially anticipated, merely a revised and updated second edition of A. Heaton-Armstrong, E. Shepherd and D. Wolchover (eds),
The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009
BMC Psychiatry, 2013
Background: ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that persists into adulthood. Its sympto... more Background: ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that persists into adulthood. Its symptoms cause impairments in a number of social domains, one of which is employment. We wish to produce a consensus statement on how ADHD affects employment. Methods: This consensus development conference statement was developed as a result of a joint international meeting held in July 2010. The consensus committee was international in scope (United Kingdom, mainland Europe, United Arab Emirates) and consisted of individuals from a broad range of backgrounds (Psychiatry, Occupational Medicine, Health Economists, Disability Advisors). The objectives of the conference were to discuss some of the occupational impairments adults with ADHD may face and how to address these problems from an inclusive perspective. Furthermore the conference looked at influencing policy and decision making at a political level to address impaired occupational functioning in adults with ADHD and fears around employing people with disabilities in general. Results: The consensus was that there were clear weaknesses in the current arrangements in the UK and internationally to address occupational difficulties. More so, Occupational Health was not wholly integrated and used as a means of making positive changes to the workplace, but rather as a superfluous last resort that employers tried to avoid. Furthermore the lack of cross professional collaboration on occupational functioning in adults with ADHD was a significant problem. Conclusions: Future research needs to concentrate on further investigating occupational functioning in adults with ADHD and pilot exploratory initiatives and tools, leading to a better and more informed understanding of possible barriers to employment and potential schemes to put in place to address these problems.
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Papers by Gisli Gudjonsson