Neurobiological information – including executive functioning – is increasingly relevant for forensic clinical practice, as well as for the criminal justice system. Previous meta-analyses report that antisocial populations show impaired performance on executive functioning tasks, but these meta-analyses are outdated, have limitations in their methodological approach, and are therefore in need of an update. The current multi-level meta-analysis including 133 studies (2008-2023) confirms impaired performance in executive functioning (), but studies are heterogeneous. Several moderator analyses showed that neuropsychological test used, type of executive function component, and control group characteristics moderated the overall effect. Specifically, matching psychiatric problems in the non-antisocial control group eliminated any differences in executive functioning between groups. No moderation effects were found for assessment quality, hot or cold executive functions, and various population characteristics. These results could indicate that the assessment of executive functioning in antisocial populations may be less relevant for recidivism risk assessment than thought, although this should first be assessed in prospective longitudinal studies. Executive functioning could potentially be used to identify or screen for individuals with certain treatment needs or be used as a responsivity factor, especially in disorders which are often underdiagnosed in criminal justice settings.

中文翻译：

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反社会行为中的执行功能：多层次系统荟萃分析

神经生物学信息（包括执行功能）与法医临床实践以及刑事司法系统越来越相关。以前的荟萃分析报告称，反社会人群在执行功能任务上表现出受损的表现，但这些荟萃分析已经过时，其方法有局限性，因此需要更新。目前包括 133 项研究 (2008-2023) 的多层次荟萃分析证实执行功能受损 (1)，但研究结果存在异质性。多项调节分析表明，所使用的神经心理学测试、执行功能成分的类型和对照组特征调节了总体效果。具体来说，非反社会对照组中匹配的精神问题消除了组间执行功能的任何差异。没有发现评估质量、热执行功能或冷执行功能以及各种人群特征的调节效应。这些结果可能表明，对反社会人群执行功能的评估与累犯风险评估的相关性可能不如想象的那么高，尽管这应该首先在前瞻性纵向研究中进行评估。执行功能有可能用于识别或筛选具有某些治疗需求的个体，或用作响应因素，特别是在刑事司法环境中经常诊断不足的疾病中。