The Use of Psychological Interventions in Tertiary Prevention Programs for Individuals Engaged in Violent Extremism: A Scoping Review and Interviews

• NCJ Number: 310333
• Date Published: March 2025
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 15PNIJ-21-GG-02727-DOMR
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Evaluability assessment and development of psychological and behavioral health approaches to prevent terrorism and facilitate reintegration of violent extremists.

Annotation

This paper examines which psychological interventions have been used in tertiary programs for the deradicalization, disengagement, and reintegration of extremists; it lays out the research methodology and findings, providing a review of scientific and gray literature on prevention programs as well as interviews with professionals in the field.

Abstract

Psychological interventions are used as part of tertiary countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts throughout the world, but it remains unclear the type of psychological treatments commonly used as part of such interventions. This study combines a scoping literature review with interviews to identify and describe the type of psychological treatments used, as well as their structure, and implementation. The scoping review identified 34 tertiary prevention programs that include a psychological intervention spanning 22 countries. Additionally, 18 interviews with mental health providers and other practitioners directly involved in delivering tertiary prevention programs allowed the authors to complement the results of the literature review. (Published Abstract Provided)