Alexithymia as a Predictor of Arousal and Affect Dysregulations when Batterers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cope with Acute Stress

Abstract

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.

Intimate Partner Violence and Alexithymia: Do Emotions Matter? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Regarding the study area, five studies were performed in Spain (Comes-Fayos et al, 2022; Mata-Gil et al, 2021; Romero-Martínez et al, 2019, 2020, 2021), four were conducted in Italy (Craparo et al 2014; Mannarini et al, 2021; Signorelli et al, 2014, 2020), three in the United States (Berke et al, 2017; Saadi et al, 2022; Yelsma, 1996), two in Australia (Brown et al, 2010; Strickland et al, 2017), one in Romania (Popa-Velea et al, 2016), one in Dominican Republic (Vergés-Baéz et al, 2021), and one in Canada (Vignola-Lévesque & Léveillée, 2022).…”

“…With regard to the perpetrators of IPV, data on alexithymia mean levels were obtained from eight studies (Comes-Fayos et al, 2022; Mannarini et al, 2021; Romero-Martínez et al, 2019, 2020, 2021; Strickland et al, 2017; Vergés-Baéz et al, 2021; Yelsma, 1996). Three studies were not included because information on alexithymia mean levels could not be retrieved from the authors of the articles.…”

“…Data were obtained from six studies (Comes-Fayos et al, 2022; Mannarini et al, 2021; Romero-Martínez et al, 2020, 2021; Strickland et al, 2017; Yelsma, 1996) that compared the mean level of alexithymia in perpetrators of IPV with respect to controls. A total of 264 perpetrators and 291 controls were included in the analysis.…”

Psychophysiological strategies for enhancing performance through imagery–skin conductance level analysis in guided vs. self-produced imagery

“…The literature indicates that the EDA is related to the level of stress 33 and can provide information on the emotional regulation ability in situations of stress coping 34 , 35 . Research on the relationship between the SCL and emotional states suggests that increased SCL is often interpreted as an indicator of emotional reactivity 36 , 37 .…”

“…Research on the relationship between the SCL and emotional states suggests that increased SCL is often interpreted as an indicator of emotional reactivity 36 , 37 . A high SCL may indicate severe difficulties in activating the parasympathetic nervous system to regulate the emotional state 35 , 38 . On the other hand, low SCL is interpreted as an indicator of fearlessness and/or emotional insensitivity 36 .…”