Treatment effectiveness for male intimate partner violence perpetrators depending on problematic alcohol use.

BACKGROUND: Problematic alcohol use (PAU) is highly correlated with intimate partner violence perpetration (IPV). However, when treatments for male IPV perpetrators that address alcohol consumption are evaluated, the results are varied. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to assess the differential long-term effectiveness of a standard individual treatment programme for male IPV perpetrators depending on the presence of PAU. METHODS: The sample was composed of 641 male IPV perpetrators who completed a specialized individual treatment programme for gender violence perpetrators. All of the participants were followed for one year after treatment completion. RESULTS: The effects of PAU on treatment success were evaluated by means of multiple logistic regression analyses. The full model was reliable (χ2 = 10.243; df = 3; p = .016), and overall, 88.8% of the predictions were accurate. The findings indicated that the probability of successful treatment does not depend on the presence of PAU. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between IPV perpetration and PAU is highly complex, and several underlying mechanisms should be further evaluated. Accordingly, interventions should not only screen for alcohol consumption but also for all individual characteristics that might necessitate tailored treatment.

What Differentiates Batterer Men with and without Histories of Childhood Family Violence?

The goals of this study were to explore the prevalence of childhood family violence (CFV) (both suffered and witnessed) among male batterers in treatment, and to analyze the specific psychological profile of those perpetrators with CFV. A sample of 1,421 men recruited from a specialized batterer treatment program was assessed. A description of the sociodemographic, violence, and psychopathological characteristics of the sample was carried out. Moreover, a comparison of all the variables studied between batterer men with and those without CFV was conducted. The results showed that 35.2% (n = 500) of the sample reported having been victims of CFV (67.2% of them directly suffered abuse, and 32.8% witnessed violence between their parents, mainly from father to mother). Batterers with CFV presented with more irrational beliefs both about women and about violence as a strategy to cope with everyday difficulties. Moreover, they had significantly higher scores than batterers without CFV on all psychopathological symptoms as assessed by the SCL-90-R, as well as on most of the STAXI-2 subscales. In the logistic regression analysis, the main variables related to having a history of CFV were low education level, voluntary access to the program, having a previous psychiatric history, being an immigrant, having children, and presenting a greater number of psychopathological symptoms. According to these results, batterers with CFV showed a higher severity in most of the variables studied than those without CFV. Consequently, these findings highlight the importance of tailoring batterer treatment programs to their specific characteristics, particularly those regarding childhood victimization.

Lifetime suicidal-related behaviour among patients in treatment for substance use disorder: A cross-sectional study.

Suicidal-related behaviours are an important concern in individuals who present with substance use disorders (SUDs). The distinction among the specific characteristics of the different patients might help to improve prevention strategies. We describe and compare the sociodemographic characteristics, severity of addiction, and psychopathology of the participants depending on the severity of their lifetime suicidal behaviour. In addition, we examine whether the number of suicide attempts can be estimated based on the variables that differentiate the groups. A sample of 318 men and 86 women who sought treatment for addiction were assessed. The sample was divided into: no ideation or attempts, suicidal ideation, one suicide attempt, and two or more suicide attempts. The group with two or more suicide attempts exhibited a greater severity in the addiction profile. The group with one suicide attempt presented a higher psychopathological symptomatology at the time of the assessment. The severity of the Psychiatric area was related to the group with two or more attempts and to the number of suicide attempts. The presence of any number of attempts is associated with greater severity of addiction. Providing specific intervention strategies for SUD patients depending on their suicidal behaviours is promising for clinical application.

Adolescents Adjudicated for Sexual Offending: Differences Between Sexual Reoffenders and Sexual Non-Reoffenders.

Although a very small group of adolescents adjudicated for sexual offending (ASO) will persist into adulthood, the use of official records of sexual recidivism after long-term follow-up periods underrates the repetition of sexually coercive behaviors during adolescence. Additionally, limited research has considered sexual reoffending as a criterion to classify this heterogeneous population. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of ASO who engaged in repetitive sexual offending before their adjudication, and to use it as a classification criterion to examine the differential characteristics associated with each group. A sample of 73 adjudicated ASO in Spain was examined. They were divided into sexual reoffenders (SR) (n = 34) and sexual nonreoffenders (SNR) (n = 39). An ex post facto research design was carried out. Assessments included reviews of official files, interviews with professionals in charge, and interviews with the ASO in which the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was administered. Descriptive analyses were conducted for all variables and Odds Ratio (OR) was used to compare intergroup differences. Results showed that SR had 12.95 times the odds of sexual victimization, 6.91 times the odds of having lived in a sexualized family environment, and 3 times the odds of bullying victimization. Deviant sexual fantasies were exclusively present among SR (44%). Significant differences between groups were also found in some sexual crime variables but not on the empathy scale. These results have implications for the distinction between ASO who have repeatedly engaged in sexually coercive behavior and those who engaged in a single event of sexual offending. The identification of specific risk factors and criminogenic needs for each group would benefit court decisions and more tailored interventions.

Differential psychopathological profile of male intimate partner violence perpetrators depending on Problematic alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the differential psychopathological profile between male perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) with and without problematic alcohol use (PAU). METHOD: A sample of 981 men was recruited from a specialized IPV perpetrators treatment programme. All of them were assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2), and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III). Comparisons between perpetrators with (n = 125) and without (n = 856) PAU on all the variables studied were carried out. RESULTS: Perpetrators with PAU were less frequently employed and had higher rates of previous psychiatric history and childhood family violence. Moreover, they presented with higher levels of cognitive biases about women and violence. On a psychopathological level, participants with PAU reported significantly higher scores on the SCL-90-R, on the STAXI-2, and on almost all the MCMI-III scales than did those without PAU. The multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the main variables related to PAU were as follows: higher levels of previous psychiatric history, distorted thoughts about women, depression, drug dependence, and various personality disorders (bipolar, dysthymia, antisocial, avoidant, borderline, and schizotypal); and lower scores on internal control, anger reaction, paranoid ideation, and schizoid personality disorders. DISCUSSION: IPV perpetrators with PAU have a more severe psychopathological profile than those without PAU. Additionally, several variables along with PAU may have contributed to the development of IPV. Therefore, tailored interventions should be developed for those perpetrators with PAU.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance use disorder (SUD): A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The long-term negative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their impact on physical and mental health has been widely studied. However, research about the relationship between ACEs and substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis in adolescence and adulthood is still scarce. Therefore, this scoping review was conducted to collect the existing research findings to explore the relationship between the experience of ACEs and the diagnosis of SUD later in life. METHODS: The PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. After identifying the records based on eligibility and exclusion criteria, 12 studies were finally selected for inclusion. RESULTS: Most of the studies were conducted in the USA with adult male and female participants. All studies were cross-sectional in nature and assessed ACEs retrospectively. The main conclusions of the studies were that there is a higher prevalence of ACEs in the population with SUD than in the general population, and a positive association between ACEs and the development and severity of SUD in adolescence and adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: It is difficult to make comparisons between studies and to draw solid conclusions because of the lack of standardized criteria for evaluating ACEs and due to the heterogeneity in the substance types examined. More research is needed to fully elucidate the underlying mechanism of the relationship between ACEs and SUD.

Differential MCMI-III psychopathological profiles between intimate partner violence perpetrators with and without childhood family violence.

This study explored the differential prevalence of personality disorders (PD) and clinical syndromes between male perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) with and without a history of childhood family violence (CFV). A sample of 981 perpetrators of IPV was assessed with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III). Comparisons of sociodemographic characteristics and MCMI-III scales' scores between perpetrators with (n = 293) and without (n = 688) CFV were carried out. Results showed that IPV perpetrators with CFV had a lower level of education, were less frequently employed, and had higher rates of previous psychiatric history than perpetrators without CFV. Statistically significant differences between groups in almost all the MCMI-III scales were found. Perpetrators with CFV presented with higher scores on most of the evaluated scales and showed a more severe psychopathological profile than perpetrators without CFV. The multivariate analysis showed that the main MCMI-III domains related to CFV were higher scores on the disclosure and alcohol dependence scales and lower scores on the passive-aggressive scale. These findings reveal that CFV is associated with a more severe psychopathological profile in perpetrators of IPV. In order to develop tailored interventions, the presence of CFV and psychopathological symptoms should be assessed in IPV perpetrators.

Characteristics and risk factors in juvenile sexual offenders.

BACKGROUND: It is estimated that juvenile sexual offences constitute about 7% of the total annual rate of sexual offences in Spain. Nevertheless, research on Spanish juvenile sex offenders (JSO) is virtually non-existent. This paper analyzes the risk factors related to sexual violence committed by adolescents. METHOD: The participants were 73 adolescents (M = 15.68 years, SD = 1.12) aged between 14 and 18, who were serving a sentence for committing a sexual offence in various Spanish Autonomous Regions. In this descriptive study multiple methods were used to collect the data: court records, self-reports, along with an interview with the JSO and with the professionals involved. RESULTS: Risk factors related to family history, certain personality characteristics, and the development of "inadequate sexualisation" (96% of cases) were analyzed. This latter variable was mainly related to an early onset of pornography consumption (70%), to a sexualized family environment (26%), and to sexual victimization during childhood (22%). CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with international research on juvenile sex offending, so we can conclude that the process of development of sexualization from infancy onwards should be deeply examined with regard to sexual violence.