Cognitive flexibility and reaction time improvements after cognitive training designed for men perpetrators of intimate partner violence: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial

Purpose. 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 to cognitive changes after the intervention. Method IPV perpetrators who agreed to participate were randomly allocated to receive SIP + cognitive training or SIP + placebo training. Several cognitive variables were assessed before and after the interventions with a complete battery of neuropsychological tests assessing processing speed, memory, attention, executive functions, and emotion decoding abilities. Moreover, we also assessed the risk of recidivism. Results Our data pointed out that only the IPV perpetrators who received the SIP + cognitive training improved their processing speed and cognitive flexibility after this intervention. Furthermore, these participants presented the lowest risk of recidivism after the intervention. Nonetheless, cognitive improvements and reductions in the risk of recidivism after the intervention were unrelated. Conclusions Our study reinforces the importance of implementing cognitive training to reduce risk of recidivism after SIP. Hence, these results might encourage professionals to incorporate neuropsychological variables in IPV intervention programs

Reduced salivary oxytocin after an empathic induction task in intimate partner violence perpetrators: importance of socio-affective functions and its impact on prosocial behavior

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has been linked to difficulties in socio-affective functions. Nevertheless, the underlying psychobiological mechanisms that might be responsible for them remain unclear. Oxytocin (OXT) stands out as an important hormone that may favor the salience of social information, due to its relevance in empathy and prosocial behavior. Thus, the study of salivary OXT (sOXT) may provide further information about potential impairments in social cognition in IPV perpetrators. This study analyzed the effects of an empathic induction task, performed through negative emotion-eliciting videos, on endogenous sOXT levels, mood state, and emotional perception in 30 IPV perpetrators compared to 32 controls. Additionally, we explored their performance on prosocial behavior after the empathic induction task, using Hare's donation procedure. Lower sOXT levels were found in IPV perpetrators after the task compared to controls, along with a general decreasing tendency in their sOXT levels. Additionally, IPV perpetrators exhibited no change in their mood state and perceived others' emotions as more positive and less intense. Moreover, the mood state response and alexithymia traits, respectively, positively and negatively predicted the sOXT levels after the empathic induction task in the entire sample. Finally, we did not observe a lower appearance of prosocial behaviors in IPV perpetrators; however, higher sOXT levels after the empathic induction task were found in subjects who donated when considering the whole sample. In sum, IPV perpetrators exhibited differences in their sOXT levels when empathizing, compared to controls, with alexithymia and the emotional response potentially explaining the sOXT levels after the task. Furthermore, prosocial behavior was more related to these sOXT levels than to IPV. As our knowledge about the emotional processing of IPV perpetrators increases, we will be better able to develop and include coadjutant treatments in current psychotherapeutic programs, in order to focus on their emotional needs, which, in turn, would reduce the future risk of recidivism

Deterioro de las funciones socioafectivas en personas con un Accidente Cerebrovascular.

Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Psicologia General Sanitària. Codi: SBF018. Curs: 2018/2019.Stroke is a neurological disorder characterized by alterations in two areas of great importance, the cognitive and motor functions. However, the literature in this regard is quite limited with respect to the affective and social functions, being relegated to the comorbidity with affective disorders. Socio-affective functioning is a fundamental capacity by which we perceive, process and interpret affective and social information and whose risk involves a decrease in the quality of life of patients. In this investigation, we discuss whether various specific functions required for socio-affective functioning are impaired in a sample of stroke patients compared to a control group. In addition, we also explore the presence of other clinical features such as alexithymia (difficulty in emotion identification and emotional expression) and lack of anger control. Secondly, we focus on the hemispheric specificity of stroke in relation to possible socio-affective damage. All this is carried out through a battery of socio-affective evaluation that has self-records and an affective perception test. The results point to a decrease in the capacity for empathy, social perception and affective ToM in patients with stroke with respect to the normative population. In sum, patients who find a higher rate of alexithymia and anger management problems. No differences were found at the level of hemispheric specificity. Thus, it is concluded that stroke could be associated with difficulties in socio-affective functioning.El accidente cerebrovascular (ACV) es un trastorno neurológico que se caracteriza por alteraciones en dos areas de gran importancia, las funciones cognitivas y motoras. Sin embargo, la literatura al respecto está bastante limitada respecto al area afectiva y social quedando relegada a la comorbilidad del ACV con los trastornos afectivos. El funcionamiento socioafectivo es una capacidad fundamental por la cual percibimos, procesamos e interpretamos la información afectiva y social y cuyo deterioro cursa con una disminución en la calidad de vida de los pacientes. En esta investigación, discutimos si diversas funciones específicas necesarias para el funcionamiento socioafectivo se encuentran deterioradas en una muestra de pacientes con ACV en comparación con ungrupo control. Además, también exploramos la presencia de otras características clínicas como la alexitimia (dificultad en la identificación y expresión emocional) y la falta del control de la ira. Secundariamente, nos centramos en la especificidad hemisférica del ACV en relación al posible deterioro socioafectivo. Todo ello se realiza a través de una batería de evaluación socioafectiva que cuenta con autorregistros y un test de percepción afectiva. Los resultados apuntan a una disminución en la capacidad empatica, en la percepción social y en la ToM afectiva en pacientes con ACV respecto a la población normativa. En suma, los pacientes muestran un mayor índice de alexitimia y problemas de gestión de la ira. No se encontraron diferencias significativas a nivel de especificidad hemisférica. De este modo, se concluye que el ACV podría asociarse a dificultades en el funcionamiento socioafectivo

Evaluación de los factores de riesgo y protección en agresores de violencia de género desde una perspectiva biopsicosocial. Importancia del procesamiento emocional y la conducta prosocial

La violencia de género constituye una violación de los derechos humanos que atenta contra la integridad de millones de mujeres. Es un fenómeno complejo que integra factores socioculturales e individuales, y demanda una aproximación que aborde los diversos elementos implicados. Recientemente, ha aumentado el interés por el enfoque biopsicosocial de los factores de riesgo que predisponen al ejercicio de la violencia de género. La empatía, la capacidad de comprender y compartir la experiencia emocional ajena, se ha propuesto como un factor de protección que favorece la reducción de la violencia y el incremento de conductas prosociales. Por ello, es crucial ahondar en los déficits empáticos en agresores de violencia de género, combinando la evaluación psicosocial con biomarcadores menos susceptibles a sesgos y manipulación. La literatura ha documentado que un desajuste en marcadores endocrinos, como la oxitocina, la testosterona o el cortisol; y fisiológicos, como una actividad anómala del sistema nervioso autónomo o una respuesta facial desajustada, podrían interferir en funciones relevantes para la empatía. En agresores de violencia de género, se han observado mayores niveles de testosterona y una menor respuesta del cortisol ante el estrés en comparación a hombres sin antecedentes. Respecto a la oxitocina, se han obtenido resultados inconsistentes que la relacionan con una reducción o un incremento de la violencia, dependiendo de características individuales. Además, se ha observado que estos agresores presentan una menor actividad del sistema nervioso autónomo en respuesta al conflicto interpersonal y al sufrimiento ajeno. Por último, ningún estudio ha analizado la respuesta facial en estos agresores. Considerando la investigación existente, el objetivo principal de la presente Tesis Doctoral es evaluar la respuesta psicológica, endocrina, del sistema nervioso autónomo y de la expresión facial a una tarea de inducción empática; y estudiar su relación con la realización de conductas prosociales en un grupo de agresores de violencia de género en comparación con hombres sin antecedentes penales. Para llevar a cabo este objetivo, la tesis consta de cuatro estudios. Como resultado, se halló un patrón endocrino y fisiológico diferencial en estos agresores tras la inducción empática, caracterizado por una menor oxitocina, mayor testosterona, una actividad atenuada del sistema nervioso autónomo y respuestas faciales desajustadas, lo que se vinculó con dificultades en funciones relevantes para la empatía. Además, se destaca que el hecho de ser agresor de violencia de género no influyó en la capacidad de mostrar conductas prosociales; más bien, se relacionó con correlatos biológicos asociados con la empatía, como una mayor oxitocina o una mayor activación del sistema nervioso autónomo ante el sufrimiento ajeno. Como conclusión, sugerimos que un enfoque de intervención centrado en la empatía podría ser útil para reducir la violencia de género.5 - Igualtat de Gènere16 - Pau, Justícia i Institucions Sòlide

The Interaction between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Neuropsychological Deficits for Explaining Dropout and Recidivism of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators

Objective: Even though previous research has identified the negative impact of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, less is known regarding the moderator factors that explain this association. In this study, we first aimed to assess whether there would be differences in terms of specific neuropsychological variables (e.g., IQ, working memory, executive functioning, and emotion decoding) between different groups of IPV perpetrators, affected or not by ADHD, and also compared with non-violent men (without ADHD). Second, we evaluated differences in dropout and recidivism among the subgroups of IPV perpetrators. Third, we assessed whether ADHD interacts with neuropsychological functioning to explain treatment compliance (dropout) and official recidivism among IPV perpetrators. Method: We administered a set of neuropsychological tests and self-reports to a group of IPV perpetrators with ADHD (n = 161), without ADHD (n = 163), and non-violent men (n = 103). Data on IPV perpetrators’ treatment compliance and official recidivism were collected after treatment. Results: Our results indicated that all the groups of IPV perpetrators presented worse performance in all cognitive domains than controls. Furthermore, ADHD IPV perpetrators also showed worse performance in all cognitive domains than IPV perpetrators without ADHD, except for emotion decoding abilities. Most importantly, the combined subtype of ADHD IPV perpetrators presented the highest rate of dropout and official recidivism. Lastly, ADHD diagnosis and neuropsychological impairments separately offered a considerable explanation of treatment compliance and recidivism but their combination did not increase the amount of explained variance. Conclusions: Our study highlights the need to implement good screening processes for correctly diagnosing IPV perpetrators and, consequently, designing more effective intervention programs