Hormonal and neuropsychological impairment in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators could play a role in domestic violence. For characterizing whether there is a specific psychobiological response to stress, participants who had previously been jailed for IPV and controls were compared for testosterone and cortisol levels, tested for 2D:4D ratio (as an indicator of masculinization), and given several trait questionnaires and neuropsychological tests related to executive functions and theory of mind. After performing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), IPV perpetrators experienced decreases in salivary testosterone (T) levels, a moderate worsening of mood, slight anxiety, and a salivary cortisol (C) level increase. Moreover, high basal T was related with high levels of anger and anxiety and worse mood. However, that basal mood does not significantly alter T levels in response to stress. Nonetheless, controls experienced smaller changes in T and larger changes in C and psychological mood. With respect to neuropsychological and cognitive empathic features, IPV perpetrators showed poorer executive performance and emotional recognition than controls. In addition, deficits in both neuropsychological domains were positively associated. Regarding emotional empathy, IPV perpetrators showed higher levels of personal distress than controls. The 2D:4D ratio was lower in IPV perpetrators than in controls. Moreover, only in the former a smaller 2D:4D ratio was related to large increases in T in response to stress and poor emotional recognition. Together with social aspects involved in IPV, differences in psychobiological variables and their relationships could play a relevant role in the onset and perpetuation of violent behavior. Aggr. Behav. 9999:1-15, 2013.

Instances of sustained cooperative behaviour in humans can be considered as an adaptive strategy that enhances the probability of reaching a goal. This study investigates psychophysiological responses to cooperation in healthy subjects, while considering outcome and gender as potential moderators of these responses. Salivary cortisol levels (Csal), heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), nonspecific skin conductance responses (NSRs), and mood states were measured at different points before, during and after a Lego house-building task in undergraduate men (n = 22) and women (n = 20). Once the task was finished, the experimenter informed the participants about the outcome obtained (positive or negative). Cooperation produces an increase in HR, SCL, and NSR responses. When the outcome is positive it produces a gradual diminution in Csal levels, but when the outcome is negative there is a significant increase in Csal levels after the task followed by a progressive decrease. Men with positive outcomes showed a lower area under curve (AUC) in Csal than women with a negative outcome. Men had more NSR responses in all periods other than the rest period. Several mood states are differently affected by the combined effect of outcome and gender. Our laboratory results can be generalized to other situations in which negotiation, mediation, and cooperative strategies are relevant for taking decisions and/or solving problems. The authors wish to thank Dr Tinca Polderman and John Rawlins for the revision of the English text. This study was supported by the Ministry of Business, Research and Science of the Valencia Regional Government (GVPRE/2008/260, GVACOMP/2010/250, and PROMETEO/2011/048) and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Spanish Government (PSI2008-04408/PSIC).

Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated to be effective in reducing stress and health complaints in clinical populations. However, to our knowledge, biological health markers have not been used in studies of the effectiveness of mindfulness programs in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study aimed to assess the effects of a mindfulness intervention on mood disturbances and health complaints in this population compared with non-caregivers. The design of the study was quasiexperimental, with repeated measures. Self-reported health, cortisol awakening response (CAR), and afternoon cortisol levels before and after a mindfulness session were assessed at the beginning, middle, and end of the intervention. There was a significant reduction in mood disturbances and afternoon cortisol levels during the sessions in all participants, with the reductions being more pronounced in caregivers. Moreover, all participants showed fewer depressive and somatic symptoms at the end of the program, with an improvement in their self-perceived general health. Nevertheless, the CAR levels had not changed significantly after the program. Overall, these results indicate that mindfulness group therapy could be effective for reducing health complaints and reinforce the validity of these programs for caregivers.

Providing care for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is particularly stressful and frequently associated with disturbances in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of the caregiver. This study examined whether the stress response is modulated by factors such as age of the care recipient and number of years spent by the caregiver in providing care for the ASD individual. Caregivers of children (n = 15), adolescents (n = 12), and adults (n = 11) with ASD were exposed to two episodes of acute psychosocial stressor in a 1 day session. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained before, during, and after the stressor episodes. Psychological characteristics (states of anxiety, anger, and mood) were measured before and after the stressor episodes. The characteristics of the ASD individuals (age, degree of autism, global activity, and level of autonomy) were also registered. A difference in stress response was found when caregivers of ASD children were compared with those of ASD adolescents and adults, ε = 0.25, F(2.24,53.65) = 5.82, p < 0.004; ε = 0.23 and F(2.11,48.43) = 4.88, p < 0.01, respectively. Thus, upon acute-stressor exposure, caregivers of ASD individuals presented a stress response that correlated with the age of the patient (the older the patient, the lower the cortisol response). Additional factors, such as number of years spent providing care and level of autonomy of the recipient, also significantly contributed to the stress response. Together, the results demonstrate that recipient characteristics contribute to the detection of high-risk individuals within a caregiver population.

Abstract. Individual and shared goals can be achieved through social interpersonal interaction, cooperation and competition being two different yet similar strategies to reach such aims and objectives. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the literature analyzing the effect of these types of social interactions, especially in cooperation, on autonomic nervous system responses using noninvasive measures, such as heart rate (HR). The regulation of HR and other cardiovascular variables of the central nervous system offers information about how to encourage or discourage social engagement and prosocial behaviors. In fact, a more flexible engagement with the environment and efficient emotions regulation is enabled by an efficient cardiac control. Hence, the main aim of this study was to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) in strangers (180 healthy young participants) who were set to cooperate or compete in face-to-face dyads (between same-gender participants) or to work alone (as the control condition), considering outcomes in these tasks (positive or negative) and gender as moderating variables. We found that participants who cooperated had higher HRs and lower high frequency (HF) HRV than those who competed and/or worked alone. Regarding gender and outcome, men who cooperate and lose have lower HF-HRV levels than men on the simple task with negative outcomes. Hence, our study indicates that cooperation between strangers in face-to-face dyads may produce less parasympathetic activation than competition or working on the task without any social interaction. Research in this field may help us understand the psychophysiological basis of social interaction, providing an opportunity to establish interaction strategies that would be physiologically desirable, in order to promote well-being.