Evaluación psicológica forense en el porte y la tenencia de armas: revisión sistémica
Forensic psychological assessment in firearm carrying and possession: a systematic reviewContenido principal del artículo
La regulación del acceso a armas de fuego requiere procedimientos de evaluación psicológica forense técnicamente fundamentados. El estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar como la evaluación psicológica forense influye en el porte y la tenencia de armas. Se adoptó un diseño de revisión bajo la guía PRISMA, consultando cuatro bases de datos que incluyeron 20 estudios publicados entre 2020 y 2025. Durante el estudio se reveló que en el 70 % de los artículos identificaron la impulsividad, el consumo de sustancias y la ideación suicida como factores de riesgo centrales, y el 85 % recomendó protocolos multimétodo. Se concluye que la evaluación forense es una práctica autónoma, distinta de la clínica, que exige protocolos nacionales estandarizados, formación especializada y validación local de instrumentos para garantizar decisiones administrativo-jurídicas defendibles.
The regulation of access to firearms necessitates technically sound forensic psychological assessment procedures. This study aimed to analyze how forensic psychological assessment influences firearm carrying and possession. A systematic review design was adopted, following PRISMA guidelines, and involved consulting four databases, which yielded 20 studies published between 2020 and 2025. The study revealed that 70% of the articles identified impulsivity, substance use, and suicidal ideation as central risk factors, and 85% recommended multi-method protocols. It is concluded that forensic assessment is an autonomous practice, distinct from clinical practice, requiring standardized national protocols, specialized training, and local validation of instruments to ensure defensible administrative and legal decisions.
Descargas
Detalles del artículo
Arbach, K., Barboni, L., & Mercurio, E. (2024). Prácticas de evaluación psicológica en ámbitos jurídicos: Una encuesta a profesionales de Latinoamérica. Ciencias Psicológicas, 18(1), e-3652. https://doi.org/10.22235/cp.v18i1.3652
Areh, I., Verkampt, F., & Allan, A. (2022). Critical review of the use of the Rorschach in European courts. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 29(2), 183–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2021.1894260
Arellano, L. A. & Rivera, M. E. (2021). Dilemas éticos en la práctica psicológica forense: Revisión sistemática y análisis bibliométrico. Psicumex, 11. https://doi.org/10.36793/psicumex.v11i2.380
Blandino, A., Galante, N., Cuppone, F., Giriodi, M. & Travaini, G. V. (2025). Firearm ownership and suicide: has the time come to discuss uniformity of health and social assessments in aid of regulation? Reflection from a retrospective study on a forensic case series. Annali Di Igiene Medicina Preventiva E Di Comunità, 37(2), 215-224. https://doi.org/10.7416/ai.2024.2648
Bleyer, A., Siegel, S. E., Estrada, J. & Thomas, C. R. (2024). Fallacy of attributing the US firearm mortality epidemic to mental health. PLoS one, 19(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290138
Bowden, J., Logan, C., Robinson, L., Carey, J., McDonald, J., McDonald, R., . . . Leonard, S. (2024). Clinicians’ use of the structured professional judgement approach for adult secure psychiatric service admission assessments: a systematic review. PLoS one, 19(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308598
Castellanos, B. & Lezcano, M. (2024). Retos y oportunidades de la psicología forense en la investigación y sanción de la violencia de género en el sistema de justicia mexicano. Revista DYCS Victoria, 6(1), 67-78. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=10071009
Cerdá, M., Hamilton, A. D., Tracy, M., Branas, C. C., Fink, D. & Keyes, K. M. (2022). Would restricting firearm purchases due to alcohol-and drug-related misdemeanor offenses reduce firearm homicide and suicide? An agent-based simulation. Injury epidemiology, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-022-00381-x
Choi, N. G., Marti, C. N. & Choi, B. Y. (2023). Firearm use risk factors and access restriction among suicide decedents age 75 and older who disclosed their suicidal intent. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1255519
Echeburúa, E., Muñoz, J. M. & Loinaz, I. (2011). La evaluación psicológica forense frente a la evaluación clínica: propuestas y retos de futuro. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 11(1), 141-159. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/337/33715423009.pdf
Goldenson, J., Brodsky, S. L., & Kukor, T. (2025). Toward aspirational forensic mental health practice. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 53(2), 183–192. https://jaapl.org/content/53/2/183
Greenberg, B., Bennett, A., Naveed, A., Petrut, R., Wang, S. M., Vyas, N., . . . Dryburgh, N. (2024). How firearm legislation impacts firearm mortality internationally: A scoping review. Health Policy Open, 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpopen.2024.100127
Grene, K. L., Dharani, A. S. & Siegel, M. B. (2023). Gun violence prevention policy: Perceived and actual levels of gun owner support. Preventive medicine reports, 35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102324
Henson, M., Weerakoon, S. M., Peskin, M., Baumler, E., Testa, A., Malthaner, L., . . . Temple, J. R. (2025). Examining longitudinal associations between polysubstance use and firearm-related risk behaviors from adolescence into emerging adulthood: a group-based multi-trajectory modeling approach. Injury epidemiology, 12(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-025-00627-4
Juárez, J. R. & Lira, G. (2020). Buenas prácticas, tensiones y desafíos ético-deontológicos en la evaluación psicológica forense del maltrato y abuso sexual infantil. Revista de bioética y derecho(49), 41-58. https://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?pid=S1886-58872020000200004&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
Kagawa, R., Charbonneau, A., McCort, C., McCourt, A., Vernick, J., Webster, D., & Wintemute, G. (2023). Effects of comprehensive background-check policies on firearm fatalities in 4 states. American Journal of Epidemiology, 192(4), 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwac222
Kleeven, A. T. H., de Vries Robbé, M., Mulder, E. A., & Popma, A. (2022). Risk assessment in juvenile and young adult offenders: Predictive validity of the SAVRY and SAPROF-YV. Assessment, 29(2), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191120959740
LaDuke, C., DeMatteo, D., Brank, E. M. & Kavanaugh, A. (2024). Training, practice, and career considerations in forensic psychology: results from a field survey of clinical and non-clinical professionals in the United States. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1439874
Matthay, E. C., Gobaud, A. N., Branas, C. C., Keyes, K. M., Roy, B. & Cerdá, M. (2025). Assessing links between alcohol exposure and firearm violence: a scoping review update. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 45(1). https://doi.org/10.35946/arcr.v45.1.01
McInnis, M. G., Thompson, S. B., Merajver, S. D., & Schneider, C. E. (2021). Suicide prevention and mood disorders: Self-exclusion agreements for firearms as a suicide prevention strategy. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 13(3), e12455. https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12455
Mitchell, K. J., Banyard, V., Taylor, B. G., Mumford, E. A., Liu, W. & Turner, H. A. (2025). Prevalence of exposure to someone else’s firearm violence, threats, and risky behavior among a national sample of young people in the United States. Frontiers in Public Health, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1451268
Muñoz, J. M., González, L., Andrés, A., Graña, J. L., Barber, V. & Echeburúa, E. (2024). La Psicología Forense en España: razones para su reconocimiento como especialidad oficial. Papeles del psicólogo, 45(3), 118-126. https://doi.org/10.23923/pap.psicol.3040
Nassar, S. A. (2021). La evaluación psicológica forense como un diseño paralelo convergente desde los métodos mixtos de investigación. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología, 14(3), 39-46. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/7423/742380757004.pdf
Navas, E. F. & Villacrés, J. M. (2024). Análisis de la legitima defensa frente al uso civil de armas de fuego en el Ecuador. Revista Ciencia UNEMI, 17(45), 19-35. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=10285492
Neal, T. M. S., & Grisso, T. (2014). The cognitive underpinnings of bias in forensic mental health evaluations. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 20(2), 200–211. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035824
Ogonah, M., Seyedsalehi, A., Whiting, D. & Seena, M. D. (2023). Violence risk assessment instruments in forensic psychiatric populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10, 780-789. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00256-0
Pirelli, G., Wechsler, H., & Cramer, R. J. (2015). Psychological evaluations for firearm ownership: Legal foundations, practice considerations, and a conceptual framework. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 46(4), 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000023
Price, M., & Norris, D. M. (2010). Firearm laws: A primer for psychiatrists. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 18(6), 326–335. https://doi.org/10.3109/10673229.2010.527520
Rassin, E. (2022). ‘Anyone who commits such a cruel crime, must be criminally irresponsible’: Context effects in forensic psychological assessment. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 29(4), 506–515. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2021.1938272
Roess, A. A., Henderson, L. F., Adams, L. M. & Renshaw, K. D. (2024). Association between firearm purchasing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, August 2021. AJPM focus, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focus.2023.100171
Ross, E., O'Reilly, D. & Aideen, M. (2022). Mental health, firearm ownership, and risk of death by suicide: a population-wide data linkage study. International Journal of Population Data Science, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v7i3.1935
Rozel, J. S. & Mulvey, E. P. (2017). The link between mental illness and firearm violence: implications for social policy and clinical practice. Annual review of clinical psychology, 13, 445-469. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093459
Savarino, J. R., Rubin, E., Masiakos, P. T., McLellan, R., Rolle, M. L., Nanda, P., Stapleton, C. J., & Sacks, C. A. (2024). The experience of survivors of firearm suicide attempts: A retrospective case series. Annals of Surgery Open, 5(2), e418. https://doi.org/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000418
Sellbom, M. (2025). MMPI-3 assessment of externalizing psychopathology in targeted community and university samples. Assessment, 32(7), 995–1007. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911241293939
Silva, E. (2020). The HCR-20 and violence risk assessment–will a peak of inflated expectations turn to a trough of disillusionment? BJPsych bulletin, 44(6), 269-271. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.14
Thomson, N. D., Kjaervik, S. L., Neumann, C. S. & Hare, R. D. (2025). The role of psychopathy in subtypes of aggression and gun violence. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 47(3), 69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-025-10247-3
Tobin, E. (2023). Intimate partner violence, firearm injuries and homicides: A health justice approach to two intersecting public health crises. Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, 51(1), 64-76. https://doi.org/10.1017/jme.2023.41
Tsai, J., Testa, A., Pietrzak, R. H., & Elbogen, E. B. (2023). Prevalence and characteristics associated with firearm ownership among low-income U.S. veterans. Military Psychology, 35(2), 132–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2022.2086415
Tuñón Escobar, M. G. (2021). Salud mental y porte de armas en personas que laboran para el Estado como agentes de seguridad. Sapientia, 11(4), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.54138/27107566.31
Turton, E., Myles, L., Lee, J., Saffin, V., & Lawson, A. (2022). Improving awareness of the HCR-20 and risk assessment process. International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, 33(1), S79–S83. https://doi.org/10.3233/JRS-227029
Uttl, B., Sikma, K., & Tat, M. (2025). Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI): Obsolete norms identify psychopathology in nearly everyone. PeerJ, 13, e20340. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20340
Vargas Espinosa, N. M., Norza Cespedes, E. H., Amaya Corredor, L. J., Cárdenas Mariño, L. M., Delgado Gonzalez, E. C., González Beltran, K. J., Henao Martinez, L. M., Medina Sequeda, D. C., Pinzón Martinez, K. M., & Zamora Moreno, M. F. (2019). La evaluación psicológica en los campos de la psicología jurídica en Colombia: Psicología forense. Diversitas: Perspectivas en Psicología, 15(2), 315–333. https://doi.org/10.15332/22563067.5403
Vásconez Fuentes, J. L., & Cortez Ocaña, M. P. (2023). Legalización del porte o tenencia de armas de fuego en población civil, implicaciones jurídicas, psicológicas y sociológicas. Polo del Conocimiento, 8(5), 828–843. https://polodelconocimiento.com/ojs/index.php/es/article/view/5607
Vecchi, M. & Cruz, R. M. (2023). Risk Predictors Associated with Firearm Use: A Scope Review. Paidéia, 33. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-4327e3303
Verde, A. & Gritti, E. S. (2026). Psychological assessment in forensic settings: new methodological conceptions and ethical considerations. Frontiers in Psychology, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1825338
Weber, K., Magnenat, L., Morier, S., Menu, C., Bertschy, P., Herrmann, F. R. & Giannakopoulos, P. (2025). Dynamic risk and protective factors in mentally disordered offenders: forensic psychiatry treatment monitoring, prison release and length of stay. BMC psychiatry, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-06958-2
Yıldız, A., & Arda, B. (2024). Being a psychiatrist in the evaluation process of a gun license report: Morally challenging experience – A qualitative study from Turkey. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 31(5), 873–895. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2023.2222401