Abstract
Background: The Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) is a self-report instrument designed to predict recidivism among adult criminal offenders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of this self-report in a Spanish sample of offenders. Method: The questionnaire was administered to 276 offenders recruited from various prisons in Madrid (Spain). Results: Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the underlying structure of SAQ was best explained by a one-factor solution. SAQ total scores exhibited high levels of internal consistency (.92). Correlations of the instrument with violence risk measures were statistically significant and had a moderate magnitude, indicating a reasonable degree of concurrent validity. Conclusions: After examination of its psychometric properties, it was concluded that the SAQ total score is a reliable and valid measure to estimate violence risk in Spanish offenders.
