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Abstract
Background: Only a few studies have paid attention to the ability of perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPVAW) against women to cope with acute stress, including hormonal parameters. In fact, previous studies assessed how salivary testosterone (Tsal) and cortisol (Csal) changed after coping with an acute emotional stressor (directly related to IPVAW), and they concluded that an imbalance between the two hormones might be characteristic of these men. Nevertheless, they neglected to examine the role of other hormones, such as salivary oxytocin (OXsal), which also seemed to play an important role in behavioral regulation, and whether this response could be generalized to other types of stress not directly related to IPVAW. Methods: This study aims to assess whether IPVAW perpetrators (n = 19) present differential hormonal (Tsal, Csal, OXsal and their ratios) and psychological state (anxiety, anger, and general affect) responses when coping with an acute cognitive laboratory stressor (a set of neuropsychological tests performed in front of an expert committee) in comparison with non-violent men (n = 16). This quasi-experimental study also assessed whether the psychological state variables drive this different hormonal response. Results: Our results revealed that IPVAW perpetrators had lower Csal and higher Tsal/Csal ratio levels during the post-task period, as well as higher total levels (average) of OXsal than controls. We also found that, only in IPVAW perpetrators, high levels of baseline anxiety and negative affect were related to high rises in Csal during the stress task. Conclusions: These data present a background showing that IPVAW perpetrators and non-violent men cope differently with stress. These findings might help to identify idiosyncratic profiles of IPVAW perpetrators that can then be employed to establish their therapeutic needs. Moreover, we reinforced the importance of combining biological markers with self-reports, thus increasing the reliability of these forensic assessments.
Highlights
In recent years, numerous researchers have highlighted the importance of including biological markers to obtain a broader comprehension of violence and categorize different profiles of violent individuals in order to design better interventions to reduce violence proneness [1]
intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) perpetrators did not differ from controls on perceived stress (t(33) = 0.693, p = 0.697; 2.63 ± 2.27 and, 2.97 ± 2.81, respectively), satisfaction (t(33) = −0.488, p = 0.628; 6.45 ± 2.26 and, 6.15 ± 0.81, respectively), or the internal locus of control (t(33) = 0.809, p = 0.424; 5.65 ± 3.05 and, 6.37 ± 1.95, respectively)
IPVAW perpetrators and controls in coping with stress, it is necessary to keep in mind that these differences are subtle and temper the generalization of our conclusions
Summary
Numerous researchers have highlighted the importance of including biological markers to obtain a broader comprehension of violence and categorize different profiles of violent individuals in order to design better interventions to reduce violence proneness [1]. It is necessary to be cautious about their interpretation and consider other macro-level factors along with these individual-level factors, including biological markers [2,3]. Criminologists currently employ neuroimaging to understand brain correlates of violence proneness. There are other biological markers that are easier to collect than neuroimaging techniques and offer valuable information about violence [4]. Hormonal parameters, assessed in blood and/or saliva, are relatively easy to collect and analyze. These chemical messengers are released by hormonal
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