A pilot for validation of the eco-system of extremist violence conceptual model using practitioner perceptions

Purpose The eco-system of extremist violence (ES-EV) is a preliminary conceptual model to aid with the risk formulation of extremist violence. The approach complementing established risk assessments originated from clinicians’ need for guidance to navigate mental health issues in radicalised forensic populations, as well as the overlap of their risk factors with general non-extremist violence. The ES-EV is based on a variety of multi-methodological studies but awaits validation. Design/methodology/approach Out of 80 international professionals, such as psychologists and law enforcement, attending a 7-h online training, 39 completed pre- and post-surveys. These included ratings of their confidence, overall knowledge, knowledge about specific risk factors and competence regarding general risk assessment and the assessment of extremist violence specifically. The post-survey also offered the opportunity for qualitative feedback on the ES-EV. Findings Paired t-tests yielded significant positive changes for all radicalisation-related indexes (p < 0.001), with large effect sizes (d = −1.52 to −1.72). This was mirrored by three themes derived from the reflexive thematic analysis: strengths of the ES-EV, limitations of the ES-EV and recommendations for application. Practical implications The findings not only offer preliminary evidence for the utility of the ES-EV but also show the improvement participants experienced by understanding extremist violence in the wider group-based violence bracket. This is especially important, as the initial knowledge and competence indices were a standard deviation lower than for general violence, highlighting the need for training in the field. The study lends further credibility to the use of the ES-EV in practice. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the utility of the ES-EV with practitioners, inviting future independent exploration.