Methods, models and evaluation in the psychological autopsy: a bibliographic revision in Ibero-America

The Psychological Autopsy (PA) is a retrospective evaluation technique useful in the clinical forensic field that since its beginning of application has been used to reconstruct the psychologic profile and the mental status of deceased people, allowing, furthermore, to clarify the cause or circumstance of a death, but that, despite the diversity of instruments used, today it still presents some methodological lacks and does not count on a standardized tool that facilitates its use. That is why, through a study of theoretical design, a bibliographic revision to analyze the existing literature in Ibero-America was performed,by means of the following categories:methods of application and study, models and evaluation. With them one can identify 37 studies selected from seven scientific databases that show the results of studies developed during the 2001-2017 period. As significant findings are evinced a greater production of theoretical investigation, oriented to define and clarify the objective and process of application of the PA, and the implementation of semi-structured interviews as main way to collect the information. Finally, one highlights the importance of generate investigations centered in the validation of instruments of PA that allows consolidate its scientific character.