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SAPROF Assessment — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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ModerateForensic PsychiatrySAPROF AssessmentMRCPsych Paper B

Which statement best describes the primary purpose and use of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk (SAPROF)?

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Correct answer: B — A structured professional judgement tool assessing protective factors against violence alongside a risk-focused tool

SAPROF is a structured professional judgement instrument focused on protective factors against violence. It covers internal, motivational and external domains and is generally used alongside a risk-focused instrument such as the HCR-20 to provide a balanced formulation and inform treatment and risk management. Option D more closely describes the risk-focused role of the HCR-20. Option A describes the domains assessed by psychopathy instruments such as the PCL-R. Option E concerns fitness to plead rather than violence-risk formulation. Medication is one motivational consideration within SAPROF, but SAPROF is not an adherence scale and does not treat medication concordance as the sole or principal determinant of violence risk.

Reference: Burghart M, de Ruiter C, Hynes SE, et al. The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk (SAPROF): A meta-analysis of its predictive and incremental validity. Psychological Assessment. 2023;35(1):56-67. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36227302/