0000000001172469
AUTHOR
ÁNgel Romero-martínez
Differential cognitive profiles of intimate partner violence perpetrators based on alcohol consumption.
Despite extensive evidence of heterogeneity in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrator profiles, there has been little research into neuropsychological deficits that might help us understand differences within this violent population. Moreover, studies on this topic have not paid much attention to the role of alcohol abuse in neuropsychological domains of IPV perpetrators. Hence, the current study was designed to examine neuropsychological differences among individuals who have committed domestic violence with high (n = 28, HA) and low (n = 35, LA) levels of alcohol consumption, and non-violent individuals (n = 37) to establish differential neuropsychological profiles. An exhaustive neu…
Cooperation Between Strangers in Face-to-Face Dyads Produces More Cardiovascular Activation Than Competition or Working Alone
Abstract. Individual and shared goals can be achieved through social interpersonal interaction, cooperation and competition being two different yet similar strategies to reach such aims and objectives. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the literature analyzing the effect of these types of social interactions, especially in cooperation, on autonomic nervous system responses using noninvasive measures, such as heart rate (HR). The regulation of HR and other cardiovascular variables of the central nervous system offers information about how to encourage or discourage social engagement and prosocial behaviors. In fact, a more flexible engagement with the environment and efficient emotions regula…
A cognitive-behavioural intervention improves cognition in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study
Abstract As postulated by the stress process model, chronically stressed individuals, such as caregivers of people with chronic psychological disorders, have poorer cognitive performance and higher age-related cognitive decline than individuals not exposed to chronic stress. When analysing this topic in caregivers, the majority of research has been conducted in populations in which the care recipient has dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease, while relatively few studies have analysed cognition in caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main objective of this pilot study was to analyse the effect of a cognitive-behavioural intervention on cognition in caregivers of pe…
The relationship between 2D:4D ratio and systemizing and empathy quotients in parents of people with autism spectrum disorders
IntroductionInterdigital 2D:4D ratio has been considered as an indicator of prenatal exposure to androgens, entailing then a smaller ratio more androgenisation. Although it has been related to systemizing and empathy dimensions in the general population, it has never been studied in parents of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Objectives and aimsTo analyse the relationship between the 2D:4D ratio and these psychological variables in this population.MethodsThe sample was composed by parents of both genders of people with (n = 46) or without (n = 42) ASDs. The ratio was calculated as the mean of 3 measurements of each hand evaluated by 3 different researchers. Psychological dimensi…
Déficits neuropsicológicos asociados a la relación entre abuso de cocaína y violencia: mecanismos neuronales facilitadores
Introduccion. El abuso de la cocaina, asi como la exposicion prenatal a la misma parece ser un factor relevante en el desencadenamiento de comportamientos violentos. Los deficits neuropsicologicos, asi como el genero y la combinacion con el alcohol, serian los posibles mecanismos facilitadores. Objetivo. Revisar y recapitular los resultados obtenidos sobre los deficits neuropsicologicos debidos al abuso o a la exposicion prenatal a la cocaina y relacionarlos con la expresion de la violencia. Ademas, se enfatiza el papel del genero y el abuso del alcohol junto a la cocaina, asi como la posible existencia de dano organico cerebral como mecanismos facilitadores. Desarrollo. Se ha revisado la b…
Neuropsychological consequences of chronic stress: the case of informal caregivers.
Introduction: Caring for a family member with a long-term illness is a significant source of chronic stress that might significantly accelerate the cognitive ageing of informal caregivers. Neverthe...
¿Se benefician de los programas de intervención que no tratan específicamente el consumo de alcohol los maltratadores con problemas de consumo abusivo?
ResumenEn el ámbito de la intervención con maltratadores y de la investigación en torno a la mejora de la efectividad de estas intervenciones el consumo abusivo de alcohol ha sido uno de los factores de riesgo que ha recibido especial atención. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la relación entre el consumo abusivo de alcohol, el proceso de cambio debido a la intervención y el abandono prematuro. Para ello se utilizó una muestra de 86 hombres consumidores de riesgo y 80 hombres no consumidores de riesgo, todos ellos condenados por violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja y participando en un programa de intervención en medio comunitario que no trata específicamente el prob…
Testosterone/cortisol ratio in response to acute stress: a possible marker of risk for marital violence.
Testosterone to cortisol (T/C) ratios could be associated with feelings and expression of anger as high testosterone and low cortisol levels indicate a predisposition to violence. The basal T/C ratio has recently been proposed as a marker for proneness to social aggression; so far, however, only its value as an indicator of state anger or violence has been investigated. Given this, we aimed to establish whether the T/C ratio response to acute stress was a specific psychobiological feature in individuals with a history of violence, namely, perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). T/C ratio and anger responses were compared in men jailed for IPV and controls using the Trier Social Str…
Is Sertraline a Good Pharmacological Strategy to Control Anger? Results of a Systematic Review
Introduction: Extensive research has made it possible to conclude that dysfunctions in serotoninergic transmission are associated with a tendency toward violence and behavioral dysregulations in humans. In this regard, it has been suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline, which regulate the serotonin system, might reduce proneness to violence. Aims: This review aims to explore changes in feelings of anger-state (e.g., irritability and hostility) and anger expression as primary outcomes after sertraline treatment. Methods: Based on PRISMA quality criteria for reviews, a literature search was carried out through PubMed, PsycINFO, Dialnet, Psicodoc, We…
Blunted Cortisol Awakening Response and Poor Self-Perceived Health in Informal Caregivers of People with Eating Disorders
Caring for offspring diagnosed with eating disorders (EDs) entails being under high chronic stress, with negative consequences for health. However, most previous research has only evaluated self-report measures of health, biological markers being poorly studied. In this regard, the evaluation of the cortisol awakening response (CAR) could add significant information about the biological basis of health disturbances in this population. The main aim of the present study was to compare CAR and self-reported health between informal caregivers (ICs) of people with EDs and non-caregivers. Furthermore, we explored the effect of the nature of the diagnosis, comparing ICs of people with anorexia and…
Prenatal testosterone of progenitors could be involved in the etiology of both anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorders of their offspring
Objectives High intrauterine testosterone (T) levels seem to play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but their role in anorexia nervosa (AN) is controversial. Parents with masculinized 2D:4D ratios, a marker of the organizational effects of T, may have other relevant biological characteristics, in particular exposing their offspring to high T levels in the prenatal environment. This would increase the likelihood of their offspring developing these disorders. Methods The present study examined whether parents of offspring with AN (n=34; mean age= 51) and ASD (n=36; mean age=45) differ from control parents (n=40; mean age=43) in 2D:4D ratio, as well as by salivary …
Cognitive flexibility and reaction time improvements after cognitive training designed for men perpetrators of intimate partner violence: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial
AbstractPurpose Current interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators are designed to reduce IPV recidivism by treating risk factors and increasing protective factors. However, these interventions pay less attention to cognitive functioning in IPV perpetrators and how these variables interfere with the future risk of recidivism. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to compare the effectiveness of Standard Intervention Programs for men who perpetrate IPV [SIP] + cognitive training vs SIP + placebo training in promoting cognitive improvements and reducing recidivism. Furthermore, we also aimed to assess whether changes in the risk of recidivism would be related …
Can Attention and Working Memory Impairments of Intimate Partner Perpetrators Explain Their Risky Decision Making?
Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators commonly exhibit deficits in a wide range of cognitive domains, such as attention, memory, and executive functions. Executive dysfunctions tend to be related to a preference for disadvantageous decisions, which could be explained by a pattern of focusing on positive outcomes (gains) while disregarding negative ones. Nonetheless, it is less clear whether risk-taking and decision-making problems should be attributed to motivational and/or emotional causes or to cognitive deficits in attention and/or working memory. The main goal of the present study was to examine whether IPV perpetrators can be distinguished from non-violent controls based on the…
La ratio interdigital D2:D4 y su relación con otros indicadores de androgenización en progenitores de personas con trastornos del espectro autista
The 2D:4D ratio is the quotient between the index and ring finger lengths and is a non-direct indicator of androgenisation. If prenatal testosterone levels in the amniotic fluid are high then the probability increases of developing lower ratio values. It has been suggested that people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their parents may have highly androgenised brains, and for this reason the 2D:4D ratio is used as a marker of such idiosyncrasies. This study aims to analyse if parents of people with ASD differ from the general population in several parameters of androgenisation related to the 2D:4D ratio. The sample was composed of 43 parents of offspring with ASD and 42 controls who …
Blunted Electrodermal and Psychological Response to Acute Stress in Family Caregivers of People with Eating Disorders.
AbstractCaring for an offspring with an eating disorder (ED) is associated with high levels of distress, and health problems. Indeed, ED caregivers have to cope with a range of challenges related to their caring role, which represents a chronic stress situation. This tends to alter body homeostasis and caregivers’ health status. This study aimed to analyse the electrodermal reactivity and psychological response to acute stress in ED caregivers compared to non-caregivers. As expected, caregivers showed lower electrodermal (p < .001, η2partial = .269 for SCL and p < .01, η2partial = .214 for NSCRs) and psychological response (p < .05, η2partial = .198) to acute stress than non-caregi…
The importance of impulsivity and attention switching deficits in perpetrators convicted for intimate partner violence.
It has been stated that Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the likelihood of risky behavior such as intimate partner violence (IPV), but the cognitive mechanisms that facilitate or underlie these types of behavior remain unexplained. In this regard, several authors have established that impulsivity and inattentive symptoms might affect basic processes such as emotional decoding and set-shifting abilities, which are important processes for emotional and behavioral regulation. Hence, these symptoms entail a reduction in sensitivity to key contextual stimuli. Accordingly, the main aim of this study was to examine the involvement of impulsivity (assessed by self-reports) …
Emotional and autonomic dysregulation in abstinent alcoholic men: An idiosyncratic profile?
Men who misuse alcohol tend to experience negative affect, which may entail difficulties in regulating emotions to cope effectively with stressful or anxiety-provoking situations, thus increasing the risk of alcohol relapse. This dysphoric state has been associated with alexithymia, which compromises an individual's abilities to acknowledge, recognize, and regulate emotional states. A physiological correlate of emotional regulation is autonomic flexibility, as shown by emotional dysregulation in men who misuse alcohol being correlated with reduced parasympathetic activation to control heart rate variability during stress and/or conflict situations. Hence, the main aim of this study was to i…
Sympathetic Nervous System Predominance in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators After Coping With Acute Stress
It has been suggested that intimate partner violence (IPV) against women perpetrators present emotional dysregulations when dealing with acute stress, which in turn could help to explain their proneness to violence. Emotional regulation can be objectively measured by means of psychophysiological parameters/variables/indicators of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, such as cardiorespiratory (heart rate [HR], pre-ejection period [PEP] and respiratory sinus arrythmia [RSA]) and electrodermal (skin conductance levels [SCL]) signals. Therefore, this study aims to assess whether IPV perpetrators ( n = 107) present differential psychophysiological and psychological state changes when coping…
High testosterone levels and sensitivity to acute stress in perpetrators of domestic violence with low cognitive flexibility and impairments in their emotional decoding process: A preliminary study
Hormonal and neuropsychological impairment in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators could play a role in domestic violence. For characterizing whether there is a specific psychobiological response to stress, participants who had previously been jailed for IPV and controls were compared for testosterone and cortisol levels, tested for 2D:4D ratio (as an indicator of masculinization), and given several trait questionnaires and neuropsychological tests related to executive functions and theory of mind. After performing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), IPV perpetrators experienced decreases in salivary testosterone (T) levels, a moderate worsening of mood, slight anxiety, and a saliv…
Depressive Mood and Testosterone Related to Declarative Verbal Memory Decline in Middle-Aged Caregivers of Children with Eating Disorders
Caring for children diagnosed with a chronic psychological disorder such as an eating disorder (ED) can be used as a model of chronic stress. This kind of stress has been reported to have deleterious effects on caregivers' cognition, particularly in verbal declarative memory of women caregivers. Moreover, high depressive mood and variations in testosterone (T) levels moderate this cognitive decline. The purpose of this study was to characterize whether caregivers of individuals with EDs (n = 27) show declarative memory impairments compared to non-caregivers caregivers (n = 27), using for this purpose a standardized memory test (Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test). Its purpose was also to e…
Violent and/or delinquent women: a vision from the biopsychosocial perspective
Violence and/or delinquency in women have been masked to some extent by society. Thus, the main goal of this work is to deeply analyse the published works on these matters, in order to understand this phenomenon from a neurobiological perspective. Firstly, the theory of the cycle of violence as a facilitating mechanism of violence in women will be analysed, with a special emphasis on neuroanatomical correlates. Subsequently, the relation between drug consumption and violence in women will be explained. Finally, the main biological correlates known as facilitating mechanisms of violence in women will be exhaustively described. The main risk factors for the facilitation of violence and/or del…
¿Se benefician de los programas de intervención que no tratan específicamente el consumo de alcohol los maltratadores con problemas de consumo abusivo?
En el ámbito de la intervención con maltratadores y de la investigación en torno a la mejora de la efectividad de estas intervenciones el consumo abusivo de alcohol ha sido uno de los factores de riesgo que ha recibido especial atención. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la relación entre el consumo abusivo de alcohol, el proceso de cambio debido a la intervención y el abandono prematuro. Para ello se utilizó una muestra de 86 hombres consumidores de riesgo y 80 hombres no consumidores de riesgo, todos ellos condenados por violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja y participando en un programa de intervención en medio comunitario que no trata específicamente el problema de…
Alexithymia as a Predictor of Arousal and Affect Dysregulations when Batterers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cope with Acute Stress
Empirical research has stated that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) might underlie intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) perpetration. Even though there is a clear relationship between these two variables, it is still unknown how ADHD facilitates violence proneness. In this regard, psychophysiological variables such as skin conductance levels (SCL) might offer information about emotional regulation when individuals cope with stress. Furthermore, alexithymia traits might be a strong candidate in explaining the above-mentioned emotional dysregulations. Hence, we compared the SCL response to acute cognitive stress in IPVAW perpetrators with and without ADHD symptoms to…
Cardiovascular response to psychosocial repeated stress in caregivers of offspring with schizophrenia.
AbstractTaking care of offspring suffering a long-term illness such as schizophrenia is one of the more stressful life experiences. Care conditions may act as a protective factor in the health of the caregiver. The present study assesses heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and mood responses to psychosocial stress in 16 mothers receiving specialised support for the care of their offspring (CARE+) and in 11 mothers caring for their offspring without support (CARE−). The CARE− group take care of less functional and more symptomatic offspring; and display higher basal, but lower HR, responses after stress than the CARE+ group. No significant group effects were found for BP. For mood states, …
Acceptability of Intimate Partner Violence among Male Offenders: The Role of Set-Shifting and Emotion Decoding Dysfunctions as Cognitive Risk Factors.
Attitudes towards the acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) contribute to an increased risk of IPVAW perpetration, and these attitudes are common among IPVAW offenders. Research suggests that IPVAW offenders present cognitive deficits related to information processing. Little is known, however, about how these deficits are related to the acceptability of IPVAW. The main aim of this study was to explore the relationship between specific cognitive deficits (i.e., deficits in attention switching, set-shifting, and emotion decoding abilities) and the acceptability of IPVAW in a sample of 84 IPVAW offenders. Results revealed that IPVAW offenders with deficits in attent…
Is It Easy to Synchronize Our Minds When We Are Forced to Cooperate?
There is increasing scientific interest in elucidating the biological mechanisms underlying cooperative behaviors. Humans have developed a high degree of complexity in their cooperativity, which has been defined as hyper-cooperativity. An interesting biological marker to study how two individuals are emotionally linked when they cooperate is their psychophysiological synchronization (the overlapping of signals as indicators of Autonomous Nervous System activation). Hence, the main aim of this study was to explore participants&rsquo
Relación entre empatía y respuesta matutina de cortisol
Con la finalidad de prevenir la conducta antisocial, el estudio de las bases biológicas de la empatía ha cobrado especial relevancia en los últimos años. Diversos estudios han resaltado la implicación del eje hipotálamo-hipófisis-adrenal (HHA) y el cortisol en la empatía, pero son escasos los que han estudiado la relación entre esta y la respuesta matutina de cortisol (CAR, por su nombre en inglés Cortisol Awakening Response) como indicador de la actividad basal del HHA. Este estudio analiza la asociación entre la empatía, tanto cognitiva como emocional, y la CAR en 39 hombres y 91 mujeres (47 fase folicular y 44 fase lútea del ciclo menstrual). La CAR se obtuvo a partir de muestras de sali…
High Anger Expression is Associated with Reduced Cortisol Awakening Response and Health Complaints in Healthy Young Adults
AbstractThe extant evidence suggests a robust positive association between expression (anger expression-out) and suppression (anger expression-in) of anger and compromised health. Nevertheless, the underlying psychobiological mechanisms which explain these relationships are not well understood. This study examined whether anger expression would predict general health, cortisol awakening response (CAR) and evening cortisol levels in a community sample of 156 healthy young adults of both genders. Participants were distributed into two groups according to their anger expression scores: high and low anger expression (HAE and LAE, respectively). Findings indicated that those with HAE had worse s…
Long-Term Drug Misuse Increases the Risk of Cognitive Dysfunctions in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: Key Intervention Targets for Reducing Dropout and Reoffending
Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a major public health problem, with an important mortality rate in women across the world. In this regard, it has been well-established that drug misuse explains (at least in part) an increased risk of IPVAW perpetration. Even though alcohol is the most widely studied drug underlying IPVAW, other drugs, such as cannabis and cocaine also seem to be significant indicators of this type of violence. Nonetheless, little is known about mediators, such as cognitive domains that facilitate proneness to violence after drug consumption. Therefore, the primary objective of the present study was to compare drug misuse patterns and cognitive performance…
Dropout from Court-Mandated Intervention Programs for Intimate Partner Violence Offenders: The Relevance of Alcohol Misuse and Cognitive Impairments
There is considerable interest in offering insight into the mechanisms that might explain why certain perpetrators of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) drop out of interventions. Although several socio-demographic variables and attitudes towards IPVAW have been proposed as risk factors for IPVAW perpetrators&rsquo
Hacia una comprensión neurocientífica del trastorno por estrés postraumático en las víctimas del atentado terrorista del 11 de septiembre de 2001
Resumen Introduccion De todas las personas expuestas a un evento traumatico, solo un pequeno porcentaje de ellas desarrollaran un trastorno por estres postraumatico (TEPT). Las neurociencias han sugerido la existencia de cierta predisposicion genetica que elevaria la vulnerabilidad para desarrollar el trastorno, asi como la desregulacion de multiples sistemas neuroquimicos como correlatos del trastorno. Asimismo, se ha hipotetizado sobre la posible transmision intergeneracional del mencionado trastorno. Material y metodo Revisar y sintetizar los resultados obtenidos sobre los factores psicobiologicos que aumentan la vulnerabilidad para desarrollar el TEPT tras el atentado terrorista de las …
A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques to Reduce Violence Proneness by Interfering in Anger and Irritability
The field of neurocriminology has proposed several treatments (e.g., pharmacological, brain surgery, androgen-deprivation therapy, neurofeedback) to reduce violence proneness, but unfortunately, their effectiveness has been limited due to their side-effects. Therefore, it is necessary to explore alternative techniques to improve patients’ behavioural regulation with minimal undesirable effects. In this regard, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, which are based on applying changing magnetic fields or electric currents to interfere with cortical excitability, have revealed their usefulness in alleviating the symptomatology of several mental disorders. However, to our knowledge, there …
Alcohol Abuse Mediates the Association between Baseline T/C Ratio and Anger Expression in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators.
The imbalance between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels has been proposed as a possible marker of risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). Moreover, it could be related to a high probability of adopting risky behaviors such as alcohol abuse which, in turn, promotes the onset of IPV. This study tested the potential mediating effect of alcohol consumption on the relationship between baseline T/C ratio and anger expression in IPV perpetrators and non-violent controls. Alcohol consumption was higher in the former than controls. A high baseline T/C ratio was only associated with high anger expression in IPV perpetrators, and this association was mediated by high alcohol consumption. Thus…
The Use of Testosterone/Cortisol Ratio in Response to Acute Stress as an Indicator of Propensity to Anger in Informal Caregivers
AbstractCaring for an offspring diagnosed with a psychological chronic disorder is used in research as a model of chronic stress. Indeed, it is usually associated with disturbances in the salivary cortisol (Csal) levels of the caregiver. An imbalance between salivary testosterone (Tsal) and Csal levels is a marker of proneness to social aggression. Given this, we aimed to establish whether the salivary testosterone/cortisol (Tsal/Csal) ratio response to acute stress could be employed as a marker of proneness to anger in informal caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum (ASD). Tsal/Csal ratio and anger responses to a set of different cognitive tasks as well as anger trait and expression …
Caregiving increases health complaints in middle-aged caregivers of autistic offspring: the role of years caring
IntroductionCaregiving of offspring with a chronic illness is a highly stressful vital experience. Previous studies with parents of schizophrenic persons revealed that these situations increase health complaints (González-Bono et al., 2009), with the duration of caring being a relevant variable (Contell-Montaña et al., 2010). The higher age of the caregivers of schizophrenia can contribute to this health unbalance, but little is known in younger samples.Aim/objectiveTo test whether middle-aged caregivers (parents of autistic persons) present higher health disturbances than controls and to investigate the moderating role of duration of caringMethodsHealth complaints and resting levels of imm…
High cognitive sensitivity to activational effects of testosterone in parents of offspring with autism spectrum disorders
Abstract The existence of mild forms of autistic-like characteristics in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been defined as a broader autistic phenotype (BAP). Excessive prenatal exposure to testosterone (T) seems to play a role in its development. The aims of this study were to characterize whether ASD parents show masculinized brains or high T prenatal exposure compared to a normative population, using cognitive questionnaires, and also to examine the T level changes in response to different cognitive tasks. ASD parents were found to present higher autistic and lower empathic trait scores than controls. They also have higher T levels and magnitude of T response …
Reduced cardiovascular activation following chronic stress in caregivers of people with anorexia nervosa.
Caring for offspring diagnosed with eating disorders (EDs) puts caregivers under high levels of chronic stress, which have negative consequences for their health. Unfortunately, caregivers have received little attention from mental health professionals. Chronic stress experienced by informal caregivers has been associated with the alteration of body homeostasis, and therefore, the functioning of various physiological systems. This could be the basis of health problems in informal caregivers of people with EDs. The main objective of this study was to analyze physiological response, in terms of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), to an acute laboratory stressor in a sample of in…
Immunoglobulin A response to acute stress in intimate partner violence perpetrators: the role of anger expression-out and testosterone.
Aggressive behavior and immune activity are shown to be positively associated in perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). This relationship follows an inverted-U curve, with the most violent individuals showing lower levels of immunocompetence than those with a history of moderate violence. Moreover, the activational and organizational effects of testosterone (T) may indirectly stimulate the immune response. Given this, we used the Trier Social Stress Test to establish whether the salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) response to acute stress was a specific psychobiological feature in perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV perpetrators showed higher sIgA levels than control…
Improving empathy with motivational strategies in batterer intervention programmes: Results of a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVES Empathy (i.e., the ability to decode emotions, as well as cognitive and emotional empathy) is involved in moral reasoning, prosocial behaviour, social and emotional adequacy, mood and behaviour regulation. Hence, alterations in these functions could reduce behaviour control and the adoption of specific types of violence such as intimate partner violence (IPV). Although interventions for IPV perpetrators focus on reducing IPV risk factors and increasing protective factors to prevent this kind of violence, the study of the effectiveness of these programmes in promoting changes in empathy (cognitive and emotional) has been neglected. DESIGN Hence, the main aim of this study was to c…
The Contribution of Childhood Parental Rejection and Early Androgen Exposure to Impairments in Socio-Cognitive Skills in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators with High Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol consumption, a larger history of childhood parental rejection, and high prenatal androgen exposure have been linked with facilitation and high risk of recidivism in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. Participants were distributed into two groups according to their alcohol consumption scores as high (HA) and low (LA). HA presented a higher history of childhood parental rejection, prenatal masculinization (smaller 2D:4D ratio), and violence-related scores than LA IPV perpetrators. Nonetheless, the former showed poor socio-cognitive skills performance (cognitive flexibility, emotional recognition and cognitive empathy). Particularly in HA IPV perpetrators, the history of chi…
Declarative verbal memory impairments in middle-aged women who are caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorders: The role of negative affect and testosterone.
Caring for offspring diagnosed with a chronic psychological disorder such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is used in research as a model of chronic stress. This chronic stress has been reported to have deleterious effects on caregivers' cognition, particularly in verbal declarative memory. Moreover, such cognitive decline may be mediated by testosterone (T) levels and negative affect, understood as depressive mood together with high anxiety and anger. This study aimed to compare declarative memory function in middle-aged women who were caregivers for individuals with ASD (n = 24; mean age = 45) and female controls (n = 22; mean age = 45), using a standardised memory test (Rey's Auditory V…
Masculinization in Parents of Offspring With Autism Spectrum Disorders Could Be Involved in Comorbid ADHD Symptoms
OBJECTIVE: People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have comorbid ADHD symptoms. ASD and ADHD are both associated with high intrauterine testosterone (T) levels. This study aims to investigate whether masculinization predicts inattention symptoms in parents, and in their ASD-affected offspring.METHOD: The sample consisted of 32 parents with ASD-affected children (13 male, 19 female) and 32 offspring individuals (28 male, 4 female). Masculinization of parents was measured by 2D:4D finger ratio, and current T levels. Inattention in both parents and in their offspring was measured with behavior questionnaires.RESULTS: The results indicated that masculinized 2D:4D explains inattentive …
Psychophysiological responses to cooperation: The role of outcome and gender
Instances of sustained cooperative behaviour in humans can be considered as an adaptive strategy that enhances the probability of reaching a goal. This study investigates psychophysiological responses to cooperation in healthy subjects, while considering outcome and gender as potential moderators of these responses. Salivary cortisol levels (Csal), heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), nonspecific skin conductance responses (NSRs), and mood states were measured at different points before, during and after a Lego house-building task in undergraduate men (n = 22) and women (n = 20). Once the task was finished, the experimenter informed the participants about the outcome obtained (pos…
Perfil cognitivo de los alcohólicos abstinentes durante un periodo de tiempo prolongado en comparación con un grupo de hombres que no consumen alcohol
Scarce studies have focused on the cognitive profile of chronic alcoholic men after long-term abstinence. Thus, we examined neuropsychological differences between long-term abstinent alcoholics for an average of 3.2 years ( n = 40, LTAA; age = 45.55 ± 8.99) and matched for socio-demographic variables with non-alcoholic controls ( n = 39; age = 42.05 ± 11.33). To this aim, we employed a neuropsychological assessment battery covered relevant cognitive domains: IQ, memory, attention, executive functions and empathy. LTAA presented deficits in abstract reasoning, speed processing, sustained attention, working and long-term memory (verbal and visuospatial), cognitive flexibility, inhibition and …
Stress-Induced Endocrine and Immune Dysfunctions in Caregivers of People with Eating Disorders
Caregivers have to cope repeatedly with acute stressors in their daily lives, and this is associated with disturbances in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the immune system. Such disturbances could contribute to the development of health problems in informal caregivers of people with chronic illnesses, such as eating disorders (EDs). The main objective of this study was to examine endocrine (salivary cortisol levels (Csal)), immune (immunoglobulin-A (IgA)), and psychological (anxiety, mood, and anger feelings) responses to an acute psychological stressor in a sample of informal caregivers of individuals with EDs compared to a sample of non-caregivers. In addition, it also a…
El consumo abusivo de alcohol en inmigrantes latinoamericanos que participan en programas de intervención para maltratadores: importancia de la adherencia al tratamiento
En este estudio se analizan las tasas de abandono del tratamiento en hombres inmigrantes latinoamericanos con problemas de consumo de alcohol (PCA) derivados a programas de intervención con maltratadores y se explora si aquellos que consiguen finalizar la intervención se diferencian de los que no tienen PCA en variables resultado de la intervención. La muestra la componen 107 hombres latinoamericanos condenados por violencia contra la mujer. Al contrario de lo esperado, no se confirman mayores tasas de abandono entre los participantes con PCA. Independientemente de tener o no PCA, los participantes que finalizaron el programa mostraron mejoría en todas las variables objetivo de la intervenc…
Electrodermal activity in response to a set of mental tasks in caregivers of persons with autism spectrum disorders
IntroductionAnalysing reactivity to laboratory stressor in lab is a valid model for understanding how people act in real-life situations. Electrodermal activity is a good index of emotionality, which has not been analysed in caregivers of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).Objectives and aimsThis work aims to compare the response of electrodermal activity to mental stress between caregivers of ASDs people and controls, as the former could show a different response due to their particular situation characterised by a state of continuous alert.MethodsParents of both genders of people with (n = 44) or without (n = 42) ASDs carried out a set of different mental tasks. Skin Conductanc…
Empathy Impairments in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators With Antisocial and Borderline Traits: A Key Factor in the Risk of Recidivism.
Antisocial, borderline, and narcissistic personality traits have been described as characteristics of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. Furthermore, deficits in cognitive empathy and impairments in emotional decoding processes may at least partially explain conduct disorders and social dysfunction in general. However, previous research has not explored potential associations between empathy deficits and the aforementioned traits or whether they are reflected in recidivism in IPV perpetrators. Accordingly, the main aim of this study was to explore associations between empathy deficits, antisocial, borderline, and narcissistic traits and the risk of recidivism in this population. …
Could Alcohol Abuse Drive Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators’ Psychophysiological Response to Acute Stress?
Proactively aggressive individuals have been shown to present a different pattern of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation from that of individuals characterized by reactive violence. Although attempts have been made to classify intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators based on ANS reactivity to acute stress, subsequent studies have failed to replicate this classification. Notably, the proposed classification neglected the role of chronic alcohol abuse in ANS dysregulation and the fact that this dysregulation entails an abnormal stress response. The aim of the present study was to analyze the response profile (psychological state and ANS response) of groups of IPV perpetrators wi…
The Role of Mental Rigidity and Alcohol Consumption Interaction on Intimate Partner Violence: A Spanish Study
ABSTRACTIntimate partner violence (IPV) has often been linked to alcohol consumption. Alcohol abuse affects cognitive processing through its effects on the prefrontal cortex, generating influence in mental rigidity (MR). This study analyzes the influence of MR as a predisposing factor to violence. The sample consisted of 136 men with a history of IPV. Participants with high MR had lower empathy and perception of the severity of IPV, and higher alcohol consumption and hostile sexism than participants with lower MR. These results should be considered in the development of prevention and intervention programs with the goal of increasing their effectiveness.
Alexithymic traits are closely related to impulsivity and cognitive and empathic dysfunctions in intimate partner violence perpetrators: New targets for intervention.
Clinical psychologists are interested in studying factors that interfere with the behavioral regulation of perpetrators of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW), as well as the way these factors affect the risk of future recidivism after interventions that are designed for them are completed. Although several variables have been proposed as risk factors for IPVAW, the role of alexithymia and its relationships with other cognitive and empathic variables in IPVAW perpetrators has been neglected. Thus, the main aim of this study was to compare the alexithymic and cognitive and empathic traits in a carefully selected sample of IPVAW perpetrators (
Genetic and environmental contributions to the inverse association between specific autistic traits and experience seeking in adults
Autistic traits are characterized by social and communication problems, restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities. The relation between autistic traits and personality characteristics is largely unknown. This study focused on the relation between five specific autistic traits measured with the abridged version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient ("social problems," "preference for routine," "attentional switching difficulties," "imagination impairments," "fascination for numbers and patterns") and Experience Seeking (ES) in a general population sample of adults, and subsequently investigated the genetic and environmental etiology between these traits.…
Hormonal differences in intimate partner violence perpetrators when they cope with acute stress: A pilot study
Background: Only a few studies have paid attention to the ability of perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPVAW) against women to cope with acute stress, including hormonal pa-rameters. In fact, previous studies assessed how salivary testosterone (Tsal) and cortisol (Csal) changed after coping with an acute emotional stressor (directly related to IPVAW), and they con-cluded that an imbalance between the two hormones might be characteristic of these men. Never-theless, they neglected to examine the role of other hormones, such as salivary oxytocin (OXsal), which also seemed to play an important role in behavioral regulation, and whether this response could be generalized to other types…
Testosterone and attention deficits as possible mechanisms underlying impaired emotion recognition in intimate partner violence perpetrators
Several studies have reported impairments in decoding emotional facial expressions in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. However, the mechanisms that underlie these impaired skills are not well known. Given this gap in the literature, we aimed to establish whether IPV perpetrators (n = 18) differ in their emotion decoding process, attentional skills, and testosterone (T), cortisol (C) levels and T/C ratio in comparison with controls (n = 20), and also to examine the moderating role of the group and hormonal parameters in the relationship between attention skills and the emotion decoding process. Our results demonstrated that IPV perpetrators showed poorer emotion recognition and …
Immunological and psychological responses to psychosocial stress in caregivers of autistic offspring
IntroductionCaregivers of relatives with chronic diseases has shown lower rest levels of immunoglobulin A than non-caregivers (Gallagher et al., 2008). In response to mental stress, IgA levels used to be increased in healthy population (Okamura et al. 2010). Scarce studies have been focused on immunological effects of caregiving in response to stress, and the results are controversial. To our knowledge, there are no studies stressing this field in chronically stressed populations such as caregivers of autistic offspring.Objectives and aimsEvaluate whether caregivers present different psychosocial and immunological responses to acute stress than non-caregivers, as well as what is the role of…
The 2D:4D Ratio as a Predictor of the Risk of Recidivism after Court-mandated Intervention Program for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators.
Differences in aggressive behavior could be partially explained by differential prenatal exposure to testosterone (T). A peripheral marker of prenatal T exposure is the 2D:4D ratio, which has shown a negative correlation with self-reported aggression in violent men. This study tested the direct association of the 2D:4D ratio with anger expression and the risk of recidivism in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators after psychotherapeutic intervention program. The sample consisted of IPV perpetrators, whose 2D:4D ratio was measured before the intervention. Moreover, after the intervention, anger expression and risk of recidivism in IPV were assessed. Smaller 2D:4D ratio, especially of …
The testosterone/cortisol ratio moderates the proneness to anger expression in antisocial and borderline intimate partner violence perpetrators
AbstractSeveral studies have provided evidence that antisocial, borderline and narcissistic personality traits of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators significantly increase proneness to violence. In addition, an imbalance between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels has been observed in this population, making individuals prone to violence. We aimed to establish whether IPV perpetrators differ in personality traits, T/C ratio and anger expression from controls, and also to examine the moderating role of the T/C ratio in the relationship between personality traits and anger expression. The sample consisted of 16 IPV perpetrators and 20 controls. T/C ratio was obtained as the quo…
The Importance of Considering Alexithymia during Initial Stages of Intimate Partner Violence Interventions to Design Adjuvant Treatments
Empirical evidence supports that individuals with alexithymia might be prone to certain types of violence, such as intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW). Moreover, considering that alexithymia is directly involved in behavior regulation, problems due to identifying and regulating emotional states might be postulated as responsible, at least in part, for the success of psychotherapeutic treatments designed for decreasing the future risk of reoffending. Therefore, we assessed whether alexithymia was a good predictor of the discontinuation of treatment (dropout) and the risk of recidivism during the initial stages of intervention in a sample of men convicted of IPVAW perpetration (n …
Lower cortisol response in high-resilient caregivers of people with autism: the role of anger
Caring for an offspring with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been related to high stress levels and health disturbances. However, a protective effect against these negative health outcomes has been described in high-resilient caregivers. In this context, the main aim of the present study was to assess the association between resilient coping and cortisol response to acute stress in caregivers of people with ASD. Furthermore, the study aimed to explore the mediating role of anger in this association. We exposed 40 caregivers of people with ASD to an acute psychosocial stressor in the laboratory. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained before, during, and after the stressor. Resilient c…
Childhood history of abuse and child abuse potential: The role of parent's gender and timing of childhood abuse
It has been suggested that being physically abused leads to someone becoming a perpetrator of abuse which could be associated to parents' gender, timing of the physical abuse and specific socio-demographic variables. This study aims to investigate the role the parents' gender, timing of childhood abuse and socio-demographic variables on the relationship between parents' history of childhood physical abuse and current risk for children. The sample consisted of 920 parents (414 fathers, 506 mothers) from the Portuguese National Representative Study of Psychosocial Context of Child Abuse and Neglect who completed the Childhood History Questionnaire and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. The …
High Immunoglobulin A Levels Mediate the Association Between High Anger Expression and Low Somatic Symptoms in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators.
It has been hypothesized that anger expression may be associated with increased salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels, which is associated with decreased somatic symptoms, and therefore anger expression may be associated with reduced somatic symptoms in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. This study tested the potential mediating effect of sIgA levels on the relationship between anger expression and respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms in IPV perpetrators and non-violent controls. The sample consisted of IPV perpetrators ( n = 19) and controls ( n = 21). Saliva samples were collected for assessing sIgA levels. The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory–2 was used to assess…
Alcohol Abuse in Latin American Immigrants Participating in Intervention Programs for Abusers: the Import ance of Adherence to Treatment
En este estudio, se analizan las tasas de abandono del tratamiento en hombres inmigrantes latinoamericanos con problemas de consumo de alcohol (PCA) derivados a programas de intervención con maltratadores, y se explora si aquellos que consiguen finalizar la intervención se diferencian de los que no tienen PCA en variables resultado de la intervención. La muestra la componen 107 hombres latinoamericanos condenados por violencia contra la mujer. Al contrario de lo esperado, no se confirman mayores tasas de abandono entre los participantes con PCA. Independientemente de tener o no PCA, los participantes que finalizaron el programa mostraron mejoría en todas las variables objetivo de la interve…
Does being a Stranger make it Difficult to Cooperate?
AbstractCompetition and cooperation are two somewhat opposed strategies for interpersonal social interaction that help us to achieve both individual and shared goals. The main aim of this study was to explore which type of social interaction (cooperative or competitive) is more stressful in a face-to-face same-sex dyad in healthy young participants (n = 178), considering outcome obtained in these tasks (positive or negative) and sex as moderating variables, and performance of the task alone as a control condition. Salivary cortisol (Csal) was measured in one sample obtained before task and four obtained after the task (+0, +15, +30 and +45 minutes after). Anxiety-state was assessed before a…
Relationship between Empathy and Cortisol Awakening Response
Con la finalidad de prevenir la conducta antisocial, el estudio de las bases biológicas de la empatía ha cobrado especial relevancia en los últimos años. Diversos estudios han resaltado la implicación del eje hipotálamo-hipófisis-adrenal (HHA) y el cortisol en la empatía, pero son escasos los que han estudiado la relación entre esta y la respuesta matutina de cortisol (CAR, por su nombre en inglés Cortisol Awakening Response) como indicador de la actividad basal del HHA. Este estudio analiza la asociación entre la empatía, tanto cognitiva como emocional, y la CAR en 39 hombres y 91 mujeres (47 fase folicular y 44 fase lútea del ciclo menstrual). La CAR se obtuvo a partir de muestras de sali…
Skin conductance rises in preparation and recovery to psychosocial stress and its relationship with impulsivity and testosterone in intimate partner violence perpetrators.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators were categorized into 2 groups using Gottman et al.'s (1995) typology depending on their skin conductance (SC) reactivity to stress. Overall, type I perpetrators tend to show autonomic underarousal, whereas type II perpetrators present a preparatory hyperreactivity to confront stress. Moreover, impulsivity traits and testosterone (T) levels may modulate SC responses to increase the risk of proneness to violence. In this study, SC response to stress was assessed by comparing IPV perpetrators with non-violent controls while performing a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Subjects with a history of IPV demonstrated higher non-s…
Cortisol response to stress in caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorder is associated with care recipient characteristics.
Providing care for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is particularly stressful and frequently associated with disturbances in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of the caregiver. This study examined whether the stress response is modulated by factors such as age of the care recipient and number of years spent by the caregiver in providing care for the ASD individual. Caregivers of children (n = 15), adolescents (n = 12), and adults (n = 11) with ASD were exposed to two episodes of acute psychosocial stressor in a 1 day session. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained before, during, and after the stressor episodes. Psychological characteristics (states of anxiety, anger,…
Generally Antisocial Batterers with High Neuropsychological Deficits Present Lower Treatment Compliance and Higher Recidivism
Objective: No studies have considered whether neuropsychological performance moderates the relationship between Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart's intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) offender typologies and treatment compliance and recidivism. Therefore, we first aimed to assess whether the typologies show differences in specific neuropsychological variables such as cognitive flexibility and emotion decoding processes. Second, we also assessed whether there are differences in treatment compliance and recidivism between the IPVAW offender typologies, based on their neuropsychological performance. Method: We administered a set of neuropsychological tests (e.g., Wisconsin card sorting …
Hormonal Alterations in Victimized Women Explained by Their Hostile Reactions in Coping with Couple Violence
AbstractRecent studies have highlighted the dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and its end products, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), in women with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. These studies analyzed several coping styles, but they neglected to examine the use of violent strategies to confront IPV and the way these strategies affect HPA functioning. This latter proposal would be based on the gender symmetry model of IPV, which sustains that IPV is generally symmetrical, but that women’s violence tends to be a reaction to male violence. Hence, the main objective of the present study was to examine whether women’s viol…
Cardiovascular reactivity to a marital conflict version of the Trier social stress test in intimate partner violence perpetrators
Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators have been categorized into two groups based on their heart rate (HR) reactivity to stress following Gottman's studies. Overall, type I perpetrators tend to show autonomic underarousal, whereas type II or reactive perpetrators present a hyper-reactivity in anticipation of stress. In this study, changes in HR, pre-ejection period (PEP), vagal ratio as well as psychological state variables (anxiety and anger) in response to stress were assessed, comparing a group of type II IPV perpetrators (based on violence reports and psychological assessment; n = 17; mean age = 37) with non-violent controls (n = 17; mean age = 35) using modified version of the T…
Improvements in Empathy and Cognitive Flexibility after Court-Mandated Intervention Program in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: The Role of Alcohol Abuse.
Research assessing the effectiveness of intervention programs for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators has increased considerably in recent years. However, most of it has been focused on the analysis of psychological domains, neglecting neuropsychological variables and the effects of alcohol consumption on these variables. This study evaluated potential neuropsychological changes (emotional decoding, perspective taking, emotional empathy and cognitive flexibility) and their relationship with alcohol consumption in a mandatory intervention program for IPV perpetrators, as well as how these variables affect the risk of IPV recidivism. The sample was composed of 116 individuals with hi…
The Brain Resting-State Functional Connectivity Underlying Violence Proneness: Is It a Reliable Marker for Neurocriminology? A Systematic Review
Introduction: There is growing scientific interest in understanding the biological mechanisms affecting and/or underlying violent behaviors in order to develop effective treatment and prevention programs. In recent years, neuroscientific research has tried to demonstrate whether the intrinsic activity within the brain at rest in the absence of any external stimulation (resting-state functional connectivity; RSFC) could be employed as a reliable marker for several cognitive abilities and personality traits that are important in behavior regulation, particularly, proneness to violence. Aims: This review aims to highlight the association between the RSFC among specific brain structures and the…