Therapeutic interventions in intimate partner violence: an overview

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and its prevention is a global public health priority. There is strong scientific evidence that suggests IPV and symptoms such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, chronic pain, etc. are linked. Despite recommendations and various interventions for the treatment of IPV that have been tried in these last 20 years, the rates of recurrence are still too high. Furthermore, there is a lack of research evidence for the effectiveness of the most common treatments provided for victims and perpetrators of IPVs. The purpose of this paper is to present most used, at a global level, therapeutic interventions for women experiencing IPV (as well as treatments for perpetrators). The possibility of building a preliminary theoretical and clinical model is discussed

Development and Characteristics of the Therapeutic Alliance in a Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy: A Descriptive Case Study

Despite the long tradition in psychotherapy research literature concerning the role of therapeutic alliance (TA), both in terms of process and outcome in clinical inter-vention, little is known about its specific characteristics in short term dynamic psy-chotherapy (STDP). Accordingly, the main aim of the present work is to focus on the formal features of TA in a good outcome STDP. We applied the Collaborative Interaction Scale (Colli & Lingiardi, 2009) to verbatim transcripts in order to track macro and micro evolution of TA while considering the interplay of both therapist and patient contributions. Data were analyzed in terms of TA general trend, TA climate onset and high impact session TA characteristics. Results sustain the STDP theory of technique (Davanloo, 1990) concerning the general process, the onset fea-tures and patient therapist interplay from a TA perspective

Diagnosi e valutazione della personalit alleanza terapeutica e scambio clinico nella ricerca in psicoterapia

Questo contributo si propone di fornire una breve rassegna delle principali linee di ricerca seguite negli ultimi anni dal gruppo coordinato da Vittorio Lingiardi. Tra queste, ci soffermeremo in particolare su: a) valutazione e diagnosi della personalità con SWAP-200 e PDM (Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual); b) sviluppo e validazione di strumenti clinician-report per operazionalizare l'uso del PDM; c) valutazione dei meccanismi di difesa e degli stili difensivi mediante DMRS e sua versione Q sort; d) studio del processo e della relazione terapeutica (alleanza terapeutica, rotture e riparazioni dell'alleanza controtransfert); in particolare, in quest'area di ricerca, ci siamo impegnati nello sviluppo e validazione di nuovi strumenti per la valutazione dei processi di rottura e riparazione dell'alleanza (Collaborative Interaction Scale) e della qualità dell'attaccamento tra paziente e terapeuta (Patient-Therapist Attachment Q Sort); d) sviluppo della ricerca clinica e applicativa sui temi dell'identità di genere, dell'orientamento sessuale e dell'omofobia sociale e interiorizzata

Diagnosi e valutazione della personalit alleanza terapeutica e scambio clinico nella ricerca in psicoterapia

Questo contributo si propone di fornire una breve rassegna delle principali linee di ricerca seguite negli ultimi anni dal gruppo coordinato da Vittorio Lingiardi. Tra queste, ci soffermeremo in particolare su: a) valutazione e diagnosi della personalità con SWAP-200 e PDM (Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual); b) sviluppo e validazione di strumenti clinician-report per operazionalizare l'uso del PDM; c) valutazione dei meccanismi di difesa e degli stili difensivi mediante DMRS e sua versione Q sort; d) studio del processo e della relazione terapeutica (alleanza terapeutica, rotture e riparazioni dell'alleanza controtransfert); in particolare, in quest'area di ricerca, ci siamo impegnati nello sviluppo e validazione di nuovi strumenti per la valutazione dei processi di rottura e riparazione dell'alleanza (Collaborative Interaction Scale) e della qualità dell'attaccamento tra paziente e terapeuta (Patient-Therapist Attachment Q Sort); d) sviluppo della ricerca clinica e applicativa sui temi dell'identità di genere, dell'orientamento sessuale e dell'omofobia sociale e interiorizzata

Therapist’s interventions and ruptures and resolutions of therapeutic alliance in patients with and without personality disorders

This study explores the relationship between therapist’s interventions and ruptures and resolutions processes of the therapeutic alliance in patient with and without personality disorders. We also present the revised version of the Collaborative Interactions Scale Revised (CIS-R; Colli, Gentile, Condino, & Lingiardi, 2017), an observer-rated measure for the assessment of therapeuticalliance ruptures and resolutions. Our aim is to investigate the predictive effect of the therapist’s techniques on the patient’s collaborative processes in relation to session’s depth and patient’s insight. Specifically, we hypothesize that the effect of expressive interventions (focus on the affects, on the relational patterns, on the “here and now” of the relationship) on the patient’s collaboration is influenced by the level of depth and insight. Method: three raters conducted a blind evaluation of a sample of 130 sessions (390 segments; 7,214 narrative units) with 65 patients (33 had a PD diagnosis and 32 had a DSM–5 clinical syndrome diagnosis without a PD). Measures: CIS-R (Colli, et al., 2014, 2017) to evaluate the ruptures and collaborative processes in the session; CPPS (Hilsenroth et al., 2005; Gentile & Tanzilli, 2015) to assess therapist’s interventions; SEQ-D (Stiles & Snow, 1984a) to describe the session’s depth of elaboration. Results: The linear regression evidenced that the expressive interventions are predictive of alliance ruptures in patients with PDs in presence of low level of insight and session’s depth. The expressive interventions are predictive of collaborative processes in patients without PDs in presence of good level of insight and session’s depth. Conclusions: The application of the scale seems to confirm that — as evidenced by the former version (Colli & Lingiardi, 2009) — also the CIS-R is a reliable rating system that is useful for both empirical research and clinical assessments. Clinical implications of these results will be discussed

Proceedings XX National Congress AIP Urbino 2018, Symposium Session

XX NATIONAL CONGRESS ITALIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CLINICAL AND DYNAMIC SECTION URBINO – 7/9 SEPTEMBER 2018No

Proceedings XX National Congress AIP Urbino 2018 Poster session

XX NATIONAL CONGRESS ITALIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CLINICAL AND DYNAMIC SECTION URBINO – 7/9 SEPTEMBER 201

Referential process and intimate partner violence: a preliminary investigation

Several studies (Henderson, et al., 2005; Levendosky et al., 2011), found a prevalence of unresolved/disorganized attachment in people with a history of traumatic loss or abuses, and a strong intergenerational transmission of attachment representations and styles. In accordance with Multiple Code Theory (Bucci, 1997), we suppose that the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) victims are more involved in the narration of the attachment experiences rather than control group. The traumatic events lead to impose an activation of their referential process. The opportunity to tell their experience should start to reflect of themselves. We suppose also that IPV victims are more open to reflect on their experiences, less defended speaking more fluently approaching to interview protocol because they are starting a self-protecting process in anti-violence centers. We hypothesize to highlight different linguistic patterns in the sample of IPV victims. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI, George et al., 1984) was administered to 15 Italian female victims of IPV, recruited in some anti-violence centers, and to 15 Italian women with no history of IPV. On the AAI transcripts we applied the Italian version of the linguistic measures (Mariani, et al., 2013) to detect the referential process between subsymbolic and symbolic systems. Compared with control group, the IPV group presents different linguistic styles, in particular greater levels of emotional activation and higher referential process (WRAD, t = 4,913, p < .01; DF t = -4,7168, p < .01) and more capacity to reorganization of the narrative (WRRL, t = 3,410, p < .05). The results show IPV victims are more connected to their attachment experience than the control group and more capability to be involved in their specific experience even though is strongly traumatic. They use the AAI protocol as an opportunity to tell to someone their experience

"My mother was nothing to me". A qualitative study of childhood memories, perceptions and experiences of women victims of intimate partner violence

Clinical research suggests that there is a relationship between victimization in childhood and victimisation in adulthood. Witnessing IPV between parents could be a risk factor for suffering from it in the next generation, since it would encourage tolerance of violence due to the learning process taking place during childhood. The intergenerational transmission of violence theory refers to the influence of the family environment on children who after being exposed to violence, learn to use it or tolerate it (Martínez, et al., 2014). Exposure to violence between parents and experience of child abuse therefore appears to be related to the subsequent perpetration of and victimisation from IPV. The aim of the research is to explore thoughts and experiences about the models which characterize the representations of childhood experiences and relationships of women victims ofIPV. A semi-structured interview was constructed. The interview explored the history of women with regard the maternal and paternal representations, the role of childhood maltreatment and the relationship between childhood trauma and IPV. Interviews' transcripts have been analyzed with the method of Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR). 15 women victims of IPV were interviewed. Several themes emerged, among those: descriptions of negative parental representations. Mother figures are represented as weak, rejecting, emotionally involved but not able to provide suitable emotional support. Paternal figures are represented as more neglectful than the maternal figures. The disciplinary aspects used in the family context are described as particularly hard and violent. It is also useful to reflect on the fact that the IPV sample is not characterized by events of premature loss or a high frequency of sexual abuse, confirming that a central aspect of victimization in adulthood is prolonged exposure to cumulative forms of maltreatment. Implications of findings for clinical assessment are discussed