Dr. Irena Bošković

Researcher

People often engage in health deception, particularly when they perceive potential benefits of such action. This involves falsely claiming to have non-existent symptoms, exaggerating existing complaints, or hiding mental or physical health issues. Such behaviour can have serious consequences in both clinical and forensic settings. For example, feigning a serious mental health disorder can help avoid criminal responsibility, while concealing the issue can lead to individual benefits that may endanger others' safety, such as parole hearings. Beyond health reports, in my research I also focus on the issue of traumatic experiences, such as sexual assaults.

You can find my published research articles, as well as book chapters and books, by following the link below.

Educator

Disseminating knowledge about legal and forensic psychology is essential, not only for mental health professionals working in legal contexts, but also for law enforcement officers, judges, and lawyers.

At the university level, I have taught more than fifteen courses across clinical, legal, and forensic psychology programs in both bachelor’s and master’s curricula. My primary teaching interests lie at the intersection of clinical and forensic psychology, with a focus on diagnostic assessment of psychopathology, psychological treatments, and cognitive and response biases. In addition to my university teaching, I regularly provide lectures and workshops for external institutions.

A detailed overview of the courses I have taught or continue to teach, as well as the universities where I deliver guest lectures and seminars, can be found below.

Columnist

Writing down my observations and opinions about the world around me was always an outlet for me. I was a columnist for Erasmus Magazine and Observant, Maastricht University paper. If you are interested in reading some of my previously published work, as well as my current texts, follow the link below.