Psychopathy and intimate partner violence

"First published online: January 24, 2018"Several studies found that psychopathy is an important predictor of criminal behavior in general and of intimate partner violence in particular. However, these conclusions are often based on scales with less well-established validity, and some inconsistent results have emerged with regard to the contribution of specific psychopathic facets to intimate partner violence. In a sample of 152 batterers from Portugal aged between 22 and 70 years old, we examined whether Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) total scores and the four facets (scored based on a semistructured interview and on file information) predicted the frequency of intimate partner violence. Two separate linear regression analyses were conducted controlling for criminal variables. PCL-R total scores positively predicted intimate partner violence frequency, above and beyond the criminal variables. As for the four facets, only the PCL-R affective facet held a significant effect in predicting intimate partner violence frequency after controlling for criminal variables. These results support the inclusion of psychopathy in risk assessments and treatment of perpetrators of intimate partner violence, particularly with regard to the affective deficits of the construct.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was conducted at Psychology Research Center (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and cofinanced by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 partnership agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653). The study was also supported by Grant SFRH/BD/66110/2009 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology awarded to the first author

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) factor structure in male perpetrators of intimate partner violence

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is the gold standard for assessing psychopathy. However, its factorial structure has been subject of debate, and different factor models have been proposed. Furthermore, research has not focused on the PCL-R factorial structure among intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. We analyzed and compared the fit of nine alternative models of PCL-R among a sample of 242 IPV perpetrators. Results revealed PCL-R has adequate factor validity. The three-factor model without testlets provided the best fit to the current data. The three-factor model also showed good reliability, and the factors established differential associations to penal and personal variables thus revealing discriminant validity. In the current study, psychopathy was thus best conceptualized as a clinical construct comprising a particular affective functioning (e.g., shallow affect, lack of empathy), and a specific interpersonal (e.g., egocentricity, deception) and behavioral style (e.g., irresponsibility, impulsivity) among IPV perpetrators.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653). The study was also supported by Grant SFRH/ BD/66110/200

Dropout among perpetrators of intimate partner violence attending an intervention program

Batterer intervention programs (BIPs) are some of the most relevant strategies to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV). However, the rate of dropout is significantly high, which may impact the effectiveness of such strategies. Literature has identified several factors associated with BIPs’ dropout; nonetheless findings remain inconsistent. Thus, the aims of this study were to analyse the differences between perpetrators who completed the program and those who droped out, in terms of sociodemographic, violence-related and intrapersonal variables, as well as identify the predictors of dropout. Eighty-three IPV perpetrators completed a set of measures that assessed attitudes toward domestic violence, physical and psychological abuse of a partner, aggression, coping skills, and readiness to change. Variables related to past criminal history and sociodemographics were also colletected. 42.2% of IPV perpetrators failed to complete the intervention program. The results revealed that age and previous convictions by other crimes than IPV discriminated perpetrators who completed the program from those who droped out, such that, being young and having a previous conviction predicted dropout. These findings reveal a need to further analyse the impact of these factors so BIPs can be tailored to meet the specificities of IPV perpetrators and prevent treatment dropout.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

FINANCIAMENTO DA ASSISTÊNCIA SOCIAL NO CONTEXTO NEOLIBERAL DAS GESTÕES DOS GOVERNOS FHC E LULA: alivio e regulação da pobreza?

RESUMO: Esse artigo tem como objetivo analisar e refletir sobre os gastos no campo da Assistência Social nos dois governos FHC e Lula no contexto de contradições marcadas por retrocessos, continuidades e avanços nesse campo. A pesquisa ocorreu por meio de levantamento de literatura sobre a temática e apresentou como resultados: no governo Lula, a Assistência Social passa a ser consolidada no SUAS, dando a ela um caráter permanente com responsabilidades orçamentárias dos Estados, Município e Governo Federal. O governo FHC apresentou poucos investimentos na área e recuperou princípios assistencialistas. Em ambas gestões houve fortalecimento dos princípios neoliberais e dos interesses do grande capital na sua hegemonia

Molecular analysis and association with clinical and laboratory manifestations in children with sickle cell anemia

Objectives: To analyze the frequency of βS-globin haplotypes and alpha-thalassemia, and their influence on clinical manifestations and the hematological profile of children with sickle cell anemia.Method: The frequency of βS-globin haplotypes and alpha-thalassemia and any association with clinical and laboratorial manifestations were determined in 117 sickle cell anemia children aged 3–71 months. The confirmation of hemoglobin SS and determination of the haplotypes were achieved by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, and alpha-thalassemia genotyping was by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (single-tube multiplex-polymerase chain reaction).Results: The genotype distribution of haplotypes was 43 (36.7%) Central African Republic/Benin, 41 (35.0%) Central African Republic/Central African Republic, 20 (17.0%) Rare/atypical, and 13 (11.1%) Benin/Benin. The frequency of the α3.7 deletion was 1.71% as homozygous (−α3.7/−α3.7) and 11.9% as heterozygous (−α3.7/αα). The only significant association in respect to haplotypes was related to the mean corpuscular volume. The presence of alpha-thalassemia was significantly associated to decreases in mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and reticulocyte count and to an increase in the red blood cell count. There were no significant associations of βS-globin haplotypes and alpha-thalassemia with clinical manifestations.Conclusions: In the study population, the frequency of alpha-thalassemia was similar to published data in Brazil with the Central African Republic haplotype being the most common, followed by the Benin haplotype. βS-globin haplotypes and interaction between alpha-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia did not influence fetal hemoglobin concentrations or the number of clinical manifestations.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Steroid estrogens in primary and tertiary wastewater treatment plants

The concentrations of two natural estrogens (Estrone (E1) and Estradiol (E2)) and one synthetic progestin (Ethinylestradiol (EE2)) were measured for different unit operations in an advanced sewage treatment plant and in a large coastal enhanced primary sewage treatment plant. The average influent concentration to both plants was similar – 55 and 53 ng/L for E1 and 22 and 12 ng/L for E2 for the advanced and enhanced primary STPs, respectively. The activated sludge process at the advanced STP removed up to 85% and 96% of E1 and E2, respectively. The enhanced primary sewage treatment plant was mostly ineffective at removing the steroids with only 14% of E1 and 5% of E2 being removed during the treatment process. EE2 was not been detected during the study period in the influent or effluent of either STP. The difference in the observed removal between the two plants is primarily linked to plant performance but the extent to which removal of steroid estrogens is due to bacterial metabolism (i.e. the advanced STP) rather than adsorption to the bacterial biomass remains unclear. The poor removal observed for the coastal enhanced primary STP may have implications for the receiving environment in terms of a greater potential for abnormal reproductive systems in marine animals, particularly if discharges are into large bays or harbours where flushing is limited

Fate of Steroid Estrogens in Australian Inland and Coastal Wastewater Treatment Plants

A comparison of estrone (E1), 17b-estradiol (E2) and 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2) removal at a coastal enhanced primary and inland advanced sewage treatment plant (STP) is reported. The average concentration of estrogens in the raw sewage is similar to reports in other studies. The sequential batch reactor at the advanced STP removed on average 85% of the incoming E1 and 96% of the E2. Further removal was observed during later microfiltration with the estrogen concentration below detection (<0.1 ng.L-1) after reverse osmosis. Some 6% of the influent E1+E2 was removed in the waste activated sludge. The detection of EE2 in the waste activated sludge (0.42 ng.g-1 solids dry weight), undetectable in the raw sewage, suggests that EE2 is resistant to biological treatment in the sequential batch reactor and is primarily removed due to sorption. Little estrogen removal was observed at the enhanced primary with only 7% of E1 and 0% of E2 removed. Low removal is expected based on the degree of estrogens partitioning in the organic fraction given the relatively low solids concentration, but surprisingly, some 43% of E2, 24% of E1 and 100% of EE2 remains associated with the solids fraction in the treated effluent. Further research is necessary to determine whether the low level of estrogen removal for the coastal treatment plant will adversely affect the receiving marine environment

La concesión de la franquicia “The Little Gym” en el distrito de San Borja

Actualmente, las personas están tomando mayor conciencia acerca de mantenerse saludables, pero junto a esta tendencia también están los factores de “Practicidad” y “Tecnología”, es decir, ahora debido al escaso tiempo con que cuentan las familias, por temas laborales principalmente, buscan productos y/o servicios prácticos que les permitan ahorrar tiempo, entre ellos la alimentación, dando oportunidad al consumo de comidas rápidas o poco saludables; por otro lado, la tecnología sigue desarrollándose cada vez más rápido e innovador, por lo que las nuevas generaciones toman mucho interés en explorar los nuevos gadgtes (dispositivos con un propósito y una función específica, por lo general son de pequeña dimensión, novedosos y prácticos), como juegos en internet, aplicaciones, redes sociales, etc; invirtiendo más tiempo del recomendado. En ese sentido, el sector de entretenimiento está sujeto a la creciente apertura de clubes de esparcimiento y centros comerciales, esto debido al incremento de la clase media, lo que ha generado mayor demanda por opciones de entretenimiento, señala Arellano. Teniendo presente la importancia del sector entretenimiento, se desarrollaron talleres y centros de actividad para los niños, con el objetivo de combinar el juego con el aprendizaje. Podemos encontrar actualmente en el mercado, desde centros de estimulación temprana, talleres de arte o clubes de deporte, entre otros, destacando entre ellos los gimnasios para niños. Es así que nace The Little Gym, quienes diseñaron un método innovador orientado al desarrollo integral infantil, el cual fue denominado como “Método Vida” que contribuye en la formación de los niños, ya que TLG tiene presente que los niños con una autoestima alta, tienden a mostrarse más resilientes. También nos enfocamos en fomentar de un estilo de vida saludable, a través de actividades físicas que además nos permitan el desarrollo de habilidades sociales como trabajo en equipo y liderazgo. Las principales premisas del método VIDA son: - Visualizamos las necesidades de nuestros clientes y usuarios - Inspiramos con nuestra pasión y conocimiento relevante - Generamos una relación genuina de amistad con nuestros clientes y usuarios - Actuamos correctamente y nos aseguramos que ejecutamos la promesa de valor: The Springboard for Life´s Adventures (El trampolín hacia las aventuras de la vida).Trabajo de investigaciónCampus Lima Centr

PSYCHOSOCIAL REPERCUSSIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FOR MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Objective: to understand the psychosocial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic for mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Method: a qualitative study, with participation of 22 mothers. The data were collected from May to July 2022 in the inland of Paraíba, Brazil, through the Dynamics of Creativity and Sensitivity. The analysis took place through the theoretical-analytical framework of French discourse analysis.Results: fear, anxiety, anguish and concerns assumed a central place in the mothers' dialogical movement. Faced with the demands and reconfigurations in the routine, there was physical, emotional and psychological overload, with repercussions on maternal life. Loneliness can be seen in the weak or non-existent support network during the pandemic.Conclusion: the study can support reflection on the repercussions of the pandemic on the lives of mothers of children with autism and enable the development of actions that prioritize mental health, helping them to overcome moments of adversity

Cryoablation of a Mahaim Epicardial Accessory Pathway Inside Coronary Sinus Using an 8-mm Catheter

Cyoablation is a ablation technique underutilized except in parahissian pathways and atrial fibrillation ablation. Ablation inside venous coronary sinus remains a dreaded incursion, and cryoablation is rarely used. We present the case of a 43 YO female who had a recurrent wolff parkinson white syndrome due to an epicardial pathway inside the coronary sinus successfully treated with a large bore(8mm) cryocatheter. We also review literature and describe the advantages and similar reports of use of cryo in low flow recesses inside the heart