Yoga and loss: an autoethnographical exploration of grief, mind, and body

The author explores her experience of yoga as a therapeutic tool in recovering from the impact of losing a close friend to suicide. The benefits of yoga include improved emotional self-regulation, a more positive relationship with self, and the emergence of a new personal physical reality. An autoethnographical approach permits a necessarily ambiguous and messy in-depth exploration of yoga as a resource for well-being. Nevertheless, it is hoped that it will serve as a means of promoting further study into the role of cultural resources, particularly body-based practices, as means of coming to terms with traumatic loss.

Performance of protective factors assessment in risk prediction for adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

Protective factors are neglected in risk assessment in adult psychiatric and criminal justice populations. This review investigated the predictive efficacy of selected tools that assess protective factors. Five databases were searched using comprehensive terms for records up to June 2014, resulting in 17 studies (n = 2,198). Results were combined in a multilevel meta-analysis using the R (R Core Team, R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2015) metafor package (Viechtbauer, Journal of Statistical Software, 2010, 36, 1). Prediction of outcomes was poor relative to a reference category of violent offending, with the exception of prediction of discharge from secure units. There were no significant differences between the predictive efficacy of risk scales, protective scales, and summary judgments. Protective factor assessment may be clinically useful, but more development is required. Claims that use of these tools is therapeutically beneficial require testing.