The contribution of brain volume to explain autonomous imbalance during recovery from acute stress in batterers.

AIM: Many authors have suggested that intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators present an imbalance between both branches of the autonomous nervous system when coping with acute stress. Concretely, there is a predominance of the sympathetic branches over the parasympathetic ones when recovering from stress. This imbalance can be explained by their tendency toward anger rumination, and more concretely, by their focus on thoughts of revenge during this period. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the scientific literature in terms of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to assess which brain structures would explain this tendency of IPV perpetrators when coping with acute stress. METHOD: The main objective of this study was to assess whether the gray matter volume (GMV) of relevant brain structures, signaled in previous scientific literature, moderates the association between thoughts of revenge and sympathetic activation during the recovery period, based on skin conductance levels (SCL) after being exposed to stress, in a group of IPV perpetrators (n = 58) and non-violent men (n = 61). RESULTS: This study highlighted that the GMV of the left nucleus accumbens, right lobules of the cerebellum, and inferior temporal gyrus in IPV perpetrators moderated the association between thoughts of revenge and SCL during the recovery period. Accordingly, the higher the thoughts of revenge, the higher the sympathetic predominance (or higher SCL levels), especially among IPV perpetrators with the lowest GMV of these brain structures. Nonetheless, those variables were unrelated in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the involvement of certain brain structures and how they explain the tendency of some IPV perpetrators to ruminate anger or, more precisely, to focus on thoughts of revenge when they recover from acute stress. These results reinforce the need to incorporate neuroimaging techniques during screening processes to properly understand how IPV perpetrators deal with stress, which in turn helps target their needs and design concrete intervention modules.

Group-Related Variables in Intervention Programs for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: A Systematic Review.

Intervention programs for male intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators mostly use the group intervention modality. Notwithstanding, the literature has neglected the study of group-related variables and their possible association with these interventions' functioning and outcomes. This systematic review aimed to analyze group-related variables, their predictors, and their relation to the functioning and outcomes of intervention programs for IPV perpetrators. The systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The following databases were searched from inception to November 2022: Web of Science, Scopus, PUBMED, and PsycINFO. Of the 5,941 identified studies, 13 were included in the review. The main predictors of group-related variables were: intervention stage, motivational strategies, and leadership (counseling approach). The group-related variables as predictors of intervention outcomes were: group management behaviors and support (facilitator behavior within the group); positive confrontation, protherapeutic behavior, active involvement, positive interaction with peers, and positive interaction with the facilitator (participant behavior within the group); and group cohesion and group climate (group dynamics). Group cohesion and participants' protherapeutic behavior stood out for their association with positive treatment outcomes (i.e., greater participation and working alliance, lower rates of violent behavior during follow-up). The findings from this review suggest that group processes are key factors in intervention programs for IPV perpetrators, and a better understanding of how these group processes are shaped, and how they can contribute to positive program outcomes, provides a new approach and insights to improve their effectiveness.

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Denial and Underreporting in Cisgender Male Couples.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators often deny their actions, limiting opportunities for intervention. Cisgender male couples experience similar IPV rates to mixed-gender couples, yet less is known about how men in same-sex relationships deny or report their IPV behavior. This study aimed to describe perpetration denial across emotional, monitoring/controlling, and physical/sexual IPV, and to identify correlates of perpetration denial, in a convenience sample of male couples (N = 848; United States, 2016-2017). Past-year victimization and perpetration were measured with the IPV-Gay and Bisexual Men (GBM) scale; perpetration deniers were men whose self-reported perpetration contradicted their partner's reported victimization. Individual-, partner-, and dyadic-correlates of perpetration denial, by IPV-type, were identified using actor-partner interdependence models. We identified 663 (78.2%) perpetrators: 527 emotional; 490 monitoring/controlling; 267 physical/sexual. Thirty-six percent of physical/sexual-, 27.7% of emotional-, and 21.43% of monitoring/controlling-perpetrators categorically denied their actions. Depression was negatively associated with denying monitoring/controlling-perpetration (odds ratio 95% confidence interval: 0.91 [0.84, 0.99]) and physical/sexual-perpetration (0.91 [0.83, 0.97]); dyadic differences in depression were associated with emotional-perpetration denial (0.95 [0.90, 0.99]). Recent substance users had 46% lower odds of monitoring/controlling-denial (0.54 [0.32, 0.92]), versus non-users. Partner-race and employment were also significantly associated with emotional perpetration denial. This study highlights IPV denial's complexities, including differences across IPV types. Further investigations into how cisgender men in same-sex couples perceive and report various types of IPV perpetration will provide valuable insight into how an underserved and understudied population experiences IPV.

Los agresores de pareja a menudo niegan sus actos, lo que reduce la posibilidad de intervención. Las parejas de hombres cisgénero presentan índices de violencia de pareja (VP) semejantes a las parejas de distinto género, aunque se sabe menos de cómo niegan la VP los hombres que están en una relación del mismo sexo. El estudio pretende describir la negación de que se ejerce VP en sus variantes emocional, vigilancia/control y física/sexual, así como conocer los correlatos de dicha negación, en una muestra de conveniencia de parejas de hombres (N = 848, EEUU, 2016-2017). Se midió la victimización y la comisión de VP durante el último año por medio de la escala IPV-GBM. Quienes negaban haber ejercido VP eran hombres cuyo comportamiento autoinformado contradecía la victimización que declaraba sufrir su pareja. Se detectaron por tipo de VP los correlatos individuales, de pareja y diádicos de la negación de haber perpetrado VP, mediante modelos de interdependencia actor-pareja. Se detectaron 663 (78.2%) perpetradores: en 527 era emocional, en 490 de vigilancia/control y en 267 física/sexual. El 36% de los que perpetraban violencia física/sexual y el 21.43% de vigilancia/control negaban sus actos categóricamente. La depresión se asociaba negativamente a la negación de haber perpetrado violencia de vigilancia/control (razón de probabilidad, 95% IC: 0.91 [0.84, 0.99]) y física/sexual (0.91 [0.83, 0.97]). Las diferencias diádicas en depresión se asociaban a la negación de haber perpetrado violencia emocional (0.95 [0.90, 0.99]). La probabilidad de los usuarios recientes de sustancias de negar la violencia de vigilancia/control era un 46% menor (0.45 [0.32, 0.92]) que la de quienes no consumían. La raza de su pareja y su empleo se asociaban también significativamente con negar que se hubiera cometido violencia emocional. El estudio destaca las complejidades de negar la violencia de pareja, como las diferencias entre tipos de VP. Seguir investigando en cómo los hombres cisgénero en las parejas del mismo sexo perciben y dan cuenta de los diversos tipos de perpetración de VP aportará un conocimiento valioso sobre cómo experimenta la VP una población minusvalorada y poco estudiada.

Neuropsychological Performance, Substance Misuse, and Recidivism in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators.

Previous research has pointed out the importance of neuropsychological impairments in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators for reoffending/recidivism once treatment ends. However, less is known about whether substance misuse is associated with impairments or deficits, which facilitate recidivism. In this study, we first aimed to assess whether IPV perpetrators with (n = 104) and without (n = 120) substance misuse showed differences in specific neuropsychological variables in comparison with non-violent men (n = 82). Second, we examined whether there were differences in IPV perpetrators' recidivism and whether these differences were explained by neuropsychological performance. Our results revealed that IPV perpetrators with substance misuse showed worse cognitive performance than controls. Furthermore, we also found differences between IPV perpetrators without substance misuse and controls, but only in terms of executive functioning. There were no differences in neuropsychological performance between the two groups of IPV perpetrators, although those with substance misuse presented higher recidivism rates than those without substance misuse. Finally, cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency, and worse attention functioning were related to high recidivism in both groups of IPV perpetrators. This study underlies the importance of performing neuropsychological assessments during the initial stages of intervention programs for IPV perpetrators in order to design coadjutant neuropsychological/cognitive training to address not only the psychological needs (including substance misuse) of IPV perpetrators, but also their neuropsychological needs.

La investigación previa ha puesto de manifiesto la importancia de los déficits neuropsicológicos para la reincidencia en los hombres penados por violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja (o maltratadores) una vez que han finalizado el tratamiento. Sin embargo, disponemos de un menor conocimiento sobre si el abuso de sustancias se relacionaría con los déficits neuropsicológicos, lo que, a su vez, facilitaría la reincidencia por parte de los maltratadores. Por lo tanto, el primer objetivo de este estudio fue el de analizar si existían diferencias entre un grupo de maltratadores con abuso de sustancias (n = 104) y otro sin consumo de sustancias (n = 120) en comparación con un grupo de hombres no violentos (n = 82). En segundo lugar, examinamos si existían diferencias en la reincidencia entre los grupos de maltratadores y si estas diferencias se explicaban por su funcionamiento neuropsicológico. Nuestros resultados pusieron de manifiesto que los maltratadores con abuso de sustancias mostraron un peor rendimiento cognitivo que los controles. Además, también encontramos diferencias entre el grupo de maltratadores sin abuso de sustancias y los controles, pero solo en las funciones ejecutivas. Del mismo modo, no hubo diferencias en el rendimiento neuropsicológico entre los dos grupos de maltratadores, aunque aquellos con abuso de sustancias presentaron tasas de reincidencia más altas que aquellos sin consumo de sustancias. Finalmente, la flexibilidad cognitiva, la fluidez verbal y el peor funcionamiento de la atención se relacionaron con una alta reincidencia en ambos grupos de maltratadores. Este estudio subraya la importancia de realizar evaluaciones neuropsicológicas durante las etapas iniciales de los programas de intervención para los maltratadores con el fin de diseñar programas neuropsicológicos o de entrenamiento cognitivo para abordar no solo las necesidades psicológicas (incluido el abuso de sustancias) de los maltratadores, sino también sus necesidades neuropsicológicas.

Neuropsychological Performance, Substance Misuse, and Recidivism in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators / [Rendimiento neuropsicológico, abuso de sustancias y reincidencia en hombres penados por violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja]

Previous research has pointed out the importance of neuropsychological impairments in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators for reoffending/recidivism once treatment ends. However, less is known about whether substance misuse is associated with impairments or deficits, which facilitate recidivism. In this study, we first aimed to assess whether IPV perpetrators with (n = 104) and without (n = 120) substance misuse showed differences in specific neuropsychological variables in comparison with non-violent men (n = 82). Second, we examined whether there were differences in IPV perpetrators’ recidivism and whether these differences were explained by neuropsychological performance. Our results revealed that IPV perpetrators with substance misuse showed worse cognitive performance than controls. Furthermore, we also found differences between IPV perpetrators without substance misuse and controls, but only in terms of executive functioning. There were no differences in neuropsychological performance between the two groups of IPV perpetrators, although those with substance misuse presented higher recidivism rates than those without substance misuse. Finally, cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency, and worse attention functioning were related to high recidivism in both groups of IPV perpetrators. This study underlies the importance of performing neuropsychological assessments during the initial stages of intervention programs for IPV perpetrators in order to design coadjutant neuropsychological/cognitive training to address not only the psychological needs (including substance misuse) of IPV perpetrators, but also their neuropsychological needs.(AU)

La investigación previa ha puesto de manifiesto la importancia de los déficits neuropsicológicos para la reincidencia en los hombres penados por violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja (o maltratadores) una vez que han finalizado el tratamiento. Sin embargo, disponemos de un menor conocimiento sobre si el abuso de sustancias se relacionaría con los déficits neuropsicológicos, lo que, a su vez, facilitaría la reincidencia por parte de los maltratadores. Por lo tanto, el primer objetivo de este estudio fue el de analizar si existían diferencias entre un grupo de maltratadores con abuso de sustancias (n = 104) y otro sin consumo de sustancias (n = 120) en comparación con un grupo de hombres no violentos (n = 82). En segundo lugar, examinamos si existían diferencias en la reincidencia entre los grupos de maltratadores y si estas diferencias se explicaban por su funcionamiento neuropsicológico. Nuestros resultados pusieron de manifiesto que los maltratadores con abuso de sustancias mostraron un peor rendimiento cognitivo que los controles. Además, también encontramos diferencias entre el grupo de maltratadores sin abuso de sustancias y los controles, pero solo en las funciones ejecutivas. Del mismo modo, no hubo diferencias en el rendimiento neuropsicológico entre los dos grupos de maltratadores, aunque aquellos con abuso de sustancias presentaron tasas de reincidencia más altas que aquellos sin consumo de sustancias. Finalmente, la flexibilidad cognitiva, la fluidez verbal y el peor funcionamiento de la atención se relacionaron con una alta reincidencia en ambos grupos de maltratadores. Este estudio subraya la importancia de realizar evaluaciones neuropsicológicas durante las etapas iniciales de los programas de intervención para los maltratadores con el fin de diseñar programas neuropsicológicos o de entrenamiento cognitivo para abordar no solo las necesidades psicológicas (incluido el abuso de sustancias) de los maltratadores...(AU)

Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Denial and Underreporting in Cisgender Male Couples / [Negar y no informar el haber ejercido violencia de pareja en parejas de hombres cisgénero]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators often deny their actions, limiting opportunities for intervention. Cisgender male couples experience similar IPV rates to mixed-gender couples, yet less is known about how men in same-sex relationships deny or report their IPV behavior. This study aimed to describe perpetration denial across emotional, monitoring/controlling, and physical/sexual IPV, and to identify correlates of perpetration denial, in a convenience sample of male couples (N = 848; United States, 2016-2017). Past-year victimization and perpetration were measured with the IPV-Gay and Bisexual Men (GBM) scale; perpetration deniers were men whose self-reported perpetration contradicted their partner’s reported victimization. Individual-, partner-, and dyadic-correlates of perpetration denial, by IPV-type, were identified using actor-partner interdependence models. We identified 663 (78.2%) perpetrators: 527 emotional; 490 monitoring/controlling; 267 physical/sexual. Thirty-six percent of physical/sexual-, 27.7% of emotional-, and 21.43% of monitoring/controlling-perpetrators categorically denied their actions. Depression was negatively associated with denying monitoring/controlling-perpetration (odds ratio 95% confidence interval: 0.91 [0.84, 0.99]) and physical/sexual-perpetration (0.91 [0.83, 0.97]); dyadic differences in depression were associated with emotional-perpetration denial (0.95 [0.90, 0.99]). Recent substance users had 46% lower odds of monitoring/controlling-denial (0.54 [0.32, 0.92]), versus non-users. Partner-race and employment were also significantly associated with emotional perpetration denial. This study highlights IPV denial’s complexities, including differences across IPV types. Further investigations into how cisgender men in same-sex couples perceive and report various types of IPV perpetration will provide valuable insight into how an underserved and understudied population experiences IPV.(AU)

Los agresores de pareja a menudo niegan sus actos, lo que reduce la posibilidad de intervención. Las parejas de hombres cisgénero presentan índices de violencia de pareja (VP) semejantes a las parejas de distinto género, aunque se sabe menos de cómo niegan la VP los hombres que están en una relación del mismo sexo. El estudio pretende describir la negación de que se ejerce VP en sus variantes emocional, vigilancia/control y física/sexual, así como conocer los correlatos de dicha negación, en una muestra de conveniencia de parejas de hombres (N = 848, EEUU, 2016-2017). Se midió la victimización y la comisión de VP durante el último año por medio de la escala IPV-GBM. Quienes negaban haber ejercido VP eran hombres cuyo comportamiento autoinformado contradecía la victimización que declaraba sufrir su pareja. Se detectaron por tipo de VP los correlatos individuales, de pareja y diádicos de la negación de haber perpetrado VP, mediante modelos de interdependencia actor-pareja. Se detectaron 663 (78.2%) perpetradores: en 527 era emocional, en 490 de vigilancia/control y en 267 física/sexual. El 36% de los que perpetraban violencia física/sexual y el 21.43% de vigilancia/control negaban sus actos categóricamente. La depresión se asociaba negativamente a la negación de haber perpetrado violencia de vigilancia/control (razón de probabilidad, 95% IC: 0.91 [0.84, 0.99]) y física/sexual (0.91 [0.83, 0.97]). Las diferencias diádicas en depresión se asociaban a la negación de haber perpetrado violencia emocional (0.95 [0.90, 0.99]). La probabilidad de los usuarios recientes de sustancias de negar la violencia de vigilancia/control era un 46% menor (0.45 [0.32, 0.92]) que la de quienes no consumían. La raza de su pareja y su empleo se asociaban también significativamente con negar que se hubiera cometido violencia emocional. El estudio destaca las complejidades de negar la violencia de pareja, como las diferencias entre tipos de VP...(AU)

Self-Determined Goals of Male Participants Attending an Intervention Program for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: A Thematic Analysis.

Treatment adherence and motivation to change are among the main challenges in intervention programs for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetrators. Motivational strategies have shown promising results in increasing the effectiveness of intervention programs for IPV perpetrators. One of these motivational strategies is goal setting. The aim of this study was to analyze and categorize the self-determined goals (n = 204) of 227 male participants attending an intervention program for IPV perpetrators. Findings of the thematic analysis suggested three levels of analysis: 4 core categories, 12 categories, and 35 codes. The four core categories were "interpersonal relationships" (39.7%), "personal resources for daily life" (29.3%), "coping strategies" (27.8%), and "motivation to change" (3.2%). Identifying the main categories of self-determined goals of IPV perpetrators could guide professionals to tailor the intervention to participants' specific needs and implement evidence-based strategies to strengthen goal attainment and improve treatment outcomes.

The Interaction between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Neuropsychological Deficits for Explaining Dropout and Recidivism of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators / La interacción entre el trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad y los déficits neuropsicológicos para explicar el abandono prematuro de la intervención y la reincidencia de los maltratadores

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. (AU)

Objetivo: Existen múltiples investigaciones que han identificado el impacto negativo del trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) en la perpetración de la violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja. Sin embargo, existen menos evidencias sobre los factores moderadores que explicarían la asociación entre dichas variables. Por lo tanto, el primer objetivo de este estudio ha sido valorar si existen diferencias en variables neuropsicológicas específicas (p. ej., cociente intelectual, memoria de trabajo, funcionamiento ejecutivo y decodificación de las emociones) entre diferentes grupos de hombres que ejercen violencia contra la mujer en las relaciones de pareja (o maltratadores), afectados o no por el TDAH, y también en comparación con hombres no violentos (sin TDAH). En segundo lugar, evaluamos las diferencias en el abandono prematuro de la intervención y la reincidencia entre los subgrupos de maltratadores. En tercer lugar, calculamos si el TDAH interactuaba con el funcionamiento neuropsicológico para explicar el abandono prematuro de la intervención y la reincidencia oficial en maltratadores. Método: Administramos un conjunto de pruebas neuropsicológicas y autoinformes a un grupo de maltratadores con TDAH (n = 161), sin TDAH (n = 163) y hombres no violentos (n = 103). Tras finalizar el tratamiento se recopilaron datos sobre el cumplimiento del tratamiento de los maltratadores y la reincidencia oficial. (AU)

Dropout and recidivism are partly explained by emotional decoding and perspective taking deficits of intimate partner violence perpetrators.

Professionals and researchers have dedicated important efforts to understanding the underlying factors that explain the failure to complete interventions (dropout) and the recidivism of men convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV) against their female partners. There is a growing interest in measuring emotional decoding and empathic deficits in IPV perpetrators to better understand dropout and recidivism proneness, due to their direct impact on behavioral regulation. In the current study, we first aimed to examine whether the emotional decoding abilities of facial expressions and empathic abilities (cognitive and emotional), as well as their interrelationships in IPV perpetrators (n = 561), would explain dropout, treatment attendance, and recidivism (risk and official) once treatment ended. Our results allowed us to conclude that emotional decoding abilities and perspective taking (cognitive empathy) were significantly and negatively associated with dropout and recidivism. Two moderation models were significant. On the one hand, participants with low emotional decoding abilities presented lower intervention doses the lower their perspective taking. Furthermore, the percentage of participants that reoffended was higher among individuals with low and moderate perspective taking who dropped out. Therefore, our study highlights the importance of conducting emotional decoding and empathic assessments during the initial stages of intervention programs to clearly outline the therapeutic needs of IPV perpetrators. This would allow designing coadjuvant and complementary training programs that can support the main interventions by increasing treatment adherence and, in turn, reducing the risk of recidivism.

Treatment Experiences Among Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: A Qualitative Analysis.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global and widespread public health issue. Knowledge on what promotes individual-level reductions in risk for IPV recidivism is limited. In order to explore how group therapy influences the ability to obtain and sustain change, the objectives were to explore how IPV perpetrators make sense of and think about their experiences of group therapy and what their experiences are regarding needs of treatment for IPV perpetration. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed with the qualitative method Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Two main themes were identified; "Experiences in group therapy" (subthemes: Ultimatum as a turning point; The guys as a powerful tool for change and Unfinished ending) and "Treatment needs" (subthemes: Violence as an addiction and Weakness as a strength). The findings highlight that group therapy is experienced positively, as well as difficulties that constitute obstacles, and need of further support after ending treatment.

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 that of controls (non-violent and unaffected), and we also assessed the presence of alexithymia traits and their role in emotional regulation. Our data point out that ADHD IPVAW perpetrators presented higher SCL and negative affect than controls, particularly during the recovery period. Moreover, ADHD IPVAW perpetrators showed higher self-reported alexithymia, and this variable was a good predictor of autonomic and psychological state dysregulations, even after controlling for the effects of alcohol and drug misuse. Therefore, our study reinforces the need to consider psychophysiological measurements when screening the therapeutic needs of IPVAW perpetrators, due to their relatively low cost and the significant contents of their results. Finally, we also highlight the key role of alexithymia in this violent population, which should be considered when designing cognitive intervention training coadjutant to current psychotherapies for IPVAW perpetrators.

More Likely to Dropout, but What if They Don't? Partner Violence Offenders With Alcohol Abuse Problems Completing Batterer Intervention Programs.

There is general consensus that alcohol abuse is a risk factor to be considered in batterer intervention programs. Intimate partner violence perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems are more likely to dropout of batterer intervention programs. However, there is little research on intimate partner violence perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems completing batterer intervention programs. In this study, we analyze drop-out rates among perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems and explore whether perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems completing a batterer intervention program differ from those who do not have alcohol abuse problems in a number of outcomes. The sample was 286 males convicted for intimate partner violence against women, attending a community-based batterer intervention program. Final (i.e., recidivism) and proximal (i.e., risk of recidivism, responsibility attributions, attitudes toward violence, sexism, psychological adjustment, and social integration) intervention outcomes were analyzed. Chi-square test, binary logistic regression, and one-way ANOVA were conducted. Results confirmed higher dropout rates among perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems. Results also showed a reduction in alcohol abuse among perpetrators with alcohol abuse problems completing the batterer intervention program. Finally, results showed that, regardless of alcohol abuse problems, perpetrators who completed the batterer intervention program showed improvements in all intervention outcomes analyzed. Perpetrators both with and without alcohol abuse problems can show positive changes after completing an intervention program and, in this regard, the present study highlights the need to design more effective adherence strategies for intimate partner violence perpetrators, especially for those with alcohol abuse problems.

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 Trier Social Stress Test. IPV perpetrators had higher HRs and lower vagal ratios than controls, particularly during the recovery period. Moreover, the former presented shorter PEPs than controls. There were no differences between groups in the magnitude of response of the HR, PEP or vagal ratio. High baseline anxiety and anger were associated with an HR increase during the preparation time in IPV perpetrators but not in controls. These findings indicate a different cardiovascular pattern of response to psychosocial stress in IPV perpetrators, especially during recovery. Thus, they contribute to understanding the biological functioning of violence sub-types, supporting the validity of cardiovascular measures as diagnostic indicators for IPV classification.