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

Abstract

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.

The role of intimate partner violence perpetrators' resting state functional connectivity in treatment compliance and recidivism

“…Attending to these results, and in combination with the conclusions pointed out by Lee et al 57 and the importance of the ITG and OfusG for facial processing 59 – 61 , we can speculate that these regions, which underlie the visual and verbal encoding of social relevant information such as faces, constitute one of the foundations for explaining dysfunctional schemas and cognitive distortions present in some IPV perpetrators. These theories establish that IPV proneness might be explained, at least in part, by the maintenance of these cognitive distortions (e.g., sexism, hostile attributions to other intentions, and self-schemas, among others) 62 and a failure to recognize faces expressing emotions 33 . Therefore, it would be relevant to measure whether this intrinsic resting-state activity is linked to previous research in this field.…”

“…Therefore, it would be relevant to measure whether this intrinsic resting-state activity is linked to previous research in this field. Concretely, if it is connected to alterations in emotion decoding processes or other cognitive alterations such as executive dysfunctions, which have been related to IPV proneness 33 , 34 . Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of analyzing this spontaneous brain activity along with other relevant factors of IPV perpetration, such as emotion regulation, which has also been linked to IPV perpetration 3 .…”

“…The calculation of the intelligence quotient (IQ) was based on the application of the Spanish validated version of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test 31 . It has been previously noted that this instrument is effective at measuring both verbal and nonverbal intelligence with good sensitivity and specificity 32 and has been applied to measure these in IPV perpetrators and non-violent men 33 , 34 .…”

“…This tool shows a high level of sensitivity and specificity to distinguish between individuals who have misused cannabis and cocaine and those who have not 42 , 43 . Furthermore, it has been previously employed with IPV perpetrators to measure cannabis and cocaine misuse 33 , 34 .…”

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

“…Anger management techniques such as time-out could be practiced at home and monitored through feedback in group sessions specifically for those perpetrators whose self-determined goal is related to improving their anger problems (Lila et al, 2019; Maiuro & Eberle, 2008). For those participants with alcohol and/or drug use problems, motivational treatment plans that address their identified risk factors beyond substance use (e.g., high levels of impulsivity and borderline personality disorder) could help to target their specific treatment needs more sensitively and responsively (Expósito-Álvarez et al, 2021; Romero-Martínez et al, 2022). With regards to the core category “motivation to change,” action-oriented behavioral techniques and motivational strategies could be helpful to enhance motivation and resolve ambivalence about change in these participants (Eckhardt et al, 2013).…”