Examination of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk - Youth Version (SAPROF-YV) in Canadian Adolescents

The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk - Youth Version (SAPROF-YV) is a new measure of protective factors. It is used with a risk-focused tool, such as the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), to provide a more balanced and comprehensive assessment of violence risk in adolescents. Our study investigated the relationship between the SAPROF-YV and aggression in a sample of 69 adolescents. Using a retrospective follow-up study design, we reviewed files at an inpatient treatment centre and a probation office. The SAPROF-YV showed good convergent and discriminant validity with the SAVRY. The SAPROF-YV was predictive of the absence of minor verbal aggression. While the SAPROF-YV added incremental predictive validity to SAVRY Protective factors for minor verbal aggression, it did not add incrementally to SAVRY Risk factors in the prediction of any type of aggression. We discuss implications for future research and clinical applications.