Violence Research Articles

A framework for detecting fighting behavior based on key points of human skeletal posture

Detecting fights from videos and images in public surveillance places is an important task to limit violent criminal behavior. Real-time detection of violent behavior can effectively ensure the personal safety of pedestrians and further maintain public social stability. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to detect real-time violent behavior in videos. We propose a novel neural network model framework based on human pose key points, called Real-Time Pose Net (RTPNet). Utilize the pose extractor (YOLO-Pose) to extract human skeleton features, and classify video level violent behavior based on the 2DCNN model (ACTION-Net). Utilize appearance features and inter frame correlation to accurately detect fighting behavior. We have also proposed a new image dataset called VIMD (Violence Image Dataset), which includes images of fighting behavior collected online and captured independently. After training on the dataset, the network can effectively identify skeletal features from videos and locate fighting movements. The dataset is available on GitHub (https://github.com/ChinaZhangPeng/Violence-Image-Dataset). We also conducted experiments on four datasets, including Hockey-Fight, RWF-2000, Surveillance Camera Fight, and AVD dataset. These experimental results showed that RTPNet outperformed the most advanced methods in the past, achieving an accuracy of 99.4% on the Hockey-Fight dataset, 93.3% on the RWF-2000 dataset, and 93.4% on the Surveillance Camera Fight dataset, 99.3% on the AVD dataset. And with speeds capable of reaching 33fps, state-of-the-art results are achieved with faster speeds. In addition, RTPNet can also have good detection performance in violent behavior in complex backgrounds.

The impact of violent behavior on co-offender selection: Evidence of behavioral homophily

PurposeResearch into adolescent co-offending has predominantly focused on individual differences in co-offender selection, with less attention to diversity in offending behavior. Research suggests that offenders with a violent history may be less desirable as co-offenders, potentially leading to homophily based on offending behavior. This study aims to examine homophily based on violent offending behavior among co-offenders. MethodsWe applied social network analysis to a Belgian co-offending network (N = 33,815) using police data and introduced a measure of individual violence level based on offense types. We hypothesized that suspects tend to co-offend with suspects who share a similar violence level, and examined the relationship between network structure and the suspects' violence level. ResultsThe results demonstrate a significant degree of homophily based on violence, with a more pronounced effect among non-violent suspects. This effect was consistent across different age groups. ConclusionsOur findings reveal behavioral homophily in violent offending behavior and highlight the importance of including older suspects to fully understand network dynamics. Intervention strategies should consider the broader criminal social environment to prevent the escalation of violence. Future research should employ dynamic network analyses to better understand the influence of violent behavior in co-offending networks over time.

The Influence of Cecal Microbiota Transplantation on Chicken Injurious Behavior: Perspective in Human Neuropsychiatric Research.

Numerous studies have evidenced that neuropsychiatric disorders (mental illness and emotional disturbances) with aggression (or violence) pose a significant challenge to public health and contribute to a substantial economic burden worldwide. Especially, social disorganization (or social inequality) associated with childhood adversity has long-lasting effects on mental health, increasing the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders. Intestinal bacteria, functionally as an endocrine organ and a second brain, release various immunomodulators and bioactive compounds directly or indirectly regulating a host's physiological and behavioral homeostasis. Under various social challenges, stress-induced dysbiosis increases gut permeability causes serial reactions: releasing neurotoxic compounds, leading to neuroinflammation and neuronal injury, and eventually neuropsychiatric disorders associated with aggressive, violent, or impulsive behavior in humans and various animals via a complex bidirectional communication of the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis. The dysregulation of the MGB axis has also been recognized as one of the reasons for the prevalence of social stress-induced injurious behaviors (feather pecking, aggression, and cannibalistic pecking) in chickens. However, existing knowledge of preventing and treating these disorders in both humans and chickens is not well understood. In previous studies, we developed a non-mammal model in an abnormal behavioral investigation by rationalizing the effects of gut microbiota on injurious behaviors in chickens. Based on our earlier success, the perspective article outlines the possibility of reducing stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens through modifying gut microbiota via cecal microbiota transplantation, with the potential for providing a biotherapeutic rationale for preventing injurious behaviors among individuals with mental disorders via restoring gut microbiota diversity and function.

Case Study on the Implementation of Implementation Strategies: Verbal Methods in Patients at Risk of Violent Behavior

Case Study on the Implementation of Implementation Strategies: Verbal Methods in Patients at Risk of Violent Behavior

Exposure to Childhood Adversity and Intimate Partner Violence in a Sample of Incarcerated Women in Australia.

Women who use violence represent one of the fastest growing groups within the Australian prisoner population, including Aboriginal women who are more likely to be incarcerated than non-Aboriginal women for violent crimes. Many incarcerated women report histories of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intimate partner violence. This exploratory study examines baseline data from a sample of 167 women in 3 Western Australia women's prisons enrolled in a gender-specific violent behavior program. It describes their exposure to intimate partner violence, head injury, and childhood adversities. Overall, 94% of women had experienced at least one childhood adversity (median 6), and 94% reported being a victim of physical violence by a current or former intimate partner. Aboriginal women were more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report that a family member was incarcerated as a child (p = .001). There was an association between an increased number of ACEs and head injury with a loss of consciousness (p = .008). Overall, these results present a harrowing picture of childhood exposure to adversity and violence in adulthood. Successful rehabilitation of women incarcerated for violent crimes should be cognizant of the histories of extreme violence endured by most of these women.

Video Game Addiction in Young People (8-18 Years Old) after the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Grey Area of Addiction and the Phenomenon of "Gaming Non-Pathological Abuse (GNPA)".

In the literature, video game addiction in youths is correlated with dysfunctional symptoms of anxiety, emotional disorders, and mood disorders, and the pandemic period of 2020-2022 has favored the aggravation of this behavioral addiction. Therefore, we identified the need to analyze this phenomenon with an emphasis on the risks and correlates related to deviance and maladjustment from a prospective perspective, seeking to understand the impact of the individual variables examined. To demonstrate whether the condition of "gaming non-pathological abuse" (GNPA) promotes psychopathological features of clinical interest, in the absence of a diagnosis of "gaming disorder" (GD). A search performed on PubMed and administration of an ad hoc sociological questionnaire were used to investigate individual variables of criminological interest in a representative population sample (531 males/females, 8-18 years old, M: 14.4, SD: 2.5). Statistical analysis showed that after the pandemic period, digital video game addiction was reinforced, feeding psychopathological traits consistent with anxiety, emotional disorders, and mood disorders. Variables correlated with impulsive, aggressive, and violent behavior related to age, gender, socio-environmental and economic background, and the severity of digital video game addiction. In the youth population (8-18 years), "gaming non-pathological abuse" (GNPA) is related to aggressive, impulsive and violent behaviors that foster phenomena of social maladjustment and deviance, especially in individuals living in disadvantaged or otherwise complex socio-economic and family contexts. Looking forward, the study of structural and functional personality profiles is essential in order to anticipate and reduce the future risk of psychopathological and criminal behavior.

The Context and Meaning of Živko Nikolić’s Film Beasts

The course of the film describes three successive states, two states at night and one state during the day. What divides the night into two parts is the arrival of the Beauty on the island. The habitual behavior during the night consists of various types of verbal and physical violence. During these events, the Beauty lands on the island. Her appearance on the island leads to the reinforcement of the usual mischief, with her being mainly the center of events, for they mostly revolve around conflicts over her. Therefore, the night, which lasts almost the entire film, is divided into two parts: 1) before the arrival of the Beauty (the usual, normal licentious and violent behavior of the islanders) and 2) after the arrival of the Beauty (extraordinary, intensified violence). The very end of the film belongs to a bright and sunny day, and the characters are portrayed quite differently in the tranquility of family life. The key opposition in the film is the night, characterized by violence, and the day, filled with peace and harmony. The mediating function of the film itself indicates that the beasts are not some other people, but that violence and evil also reside in those who are seemingly upstanding members of the community. However, the analysis of the meaning in the film Beasts shows that there are obstacles to evil and violence found in missionary work, science and art, and even in madness.

Application of Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory Network Model in Laboratory Violation Behavior Detection

Application of Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory Network Model in Laboratory Violation Behavior Detection

Hostile Attribution Bias and Working Memory in the Link Between Trauma Exposure and Violence in Justice-Involved Youth

Background Youth involved with the justice system are more vulnerable to trauma exposure and engaging in violent behavior. Trauma exposure is linked to increases in youth violence, however, the pathway from trauma to violence, including neurocognitive and neuropsychological mechanisms, is not well understood. The current study sought to test the influence of hostile attribution bias (HAB) and working memory on violence and whether these factors play a role in the link between trauma and violence among justice-involved youth. Methods Participants included 237 detained youth (Male = 81.0%, Mage = 15.22) who completed self-report surveys and working memory tasks. Results Trauma was significantly associated with violent behavior. HAB was related to physical violence; however, when trauma exposure was entered into subsequent models, HAB was no longer associated with violence. Lower levels of working memory were found to interact with HAB to increase the risk of physical violence. Mediation was not supported. Implications The current study supports universal trauma screening and trauma-informed care in justice facilities and suggests that neurocognitive functioning assessment and remediation are important to consider in treatment programming.

Hormones, autonomic nervous system activity, and criminal behavior

ABSTRACT Evidence that hormones and autonomic nervous system activity exert a joint influence on antisocial behavior suggests that they may work together to explain risk for criminal behavior. Thus, the current study explored the interactive effects of hormones (testosterone, cortisol) and ANS activity (heart rate, skin conductance) on impulsive and violent criminal behavior in a large sample of university students (n = 495). Initial analyses found positive direct associations between impulsive and violent crime and both testosterone and cortisol and a negative direct association between heart rate reactivity and impulsive and violent crime. Subsequent analyses revealed a statistically significant interaction between testosterone and heart rate in association with impulsive and violent criminal behavior. The positive association between testosterone and crime became statistically significant at −.29 standard deviations below the mean (HR = 76.44) and grew stronger as heart rate decreased from this point. The interaction between testosterone and heart rate remains statistically significant after the inclusion of controls for constructs that feature prominently in contemporary criminological theories. Other interactions between hormones and ANS activity were present but were not consistent across alternative model specifications.

Terrorism New Wave: The Same Style but New Ways in the Context of Online Radicalization

Radicalization, which is influenced by social, cognitive, and economic variables, is the mental process that justifies violence or violent behavior. Since the invention of the Internet radical organizations have modified their tactics in order to fit the new environment. The Internet has evolved into more than simply a platform for extremist activity; it has also taken the place of the main operating environment and arena where political beliefs are developed, assaults are planned, and exceptional social movements start to take shape. Members of the group meet up online to discuss their religious beliefs and utilize these forums to broaden the scope of action at the individual and organizational levels in order to disseminate their political ideology, hire employees, and organize assaults. The conceptual framework, individual and group dynamic reasons of radicalization, metaphors for describing radicalization, radicalization driven by religion, internet radicalization, and case studies are highlighted in the current study.

The Relationship between Cognitive Impairment and Violent Behavior in People Living with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Critical Review and Treatment Considerations.

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Violent and aggressive behavior represents a complex issue in psychiatry, and people with SSD have been shown to be at risk of being both victims and perpetrators of violence. In this review, the complex relationship between cognitive impairment and violent behavior is explored, also considering the usefulness of treating cognitive impairment to improve violence-related outcomes. Several studies report that cognitive impairment is linked to violent behavior, but significant differences between domains and conflicting results are also present, leaving the identification of specific cognitive profiles predicting violent behavior in SSD as an important aim for future research. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of treating cognitive impairment to improve violent behavior, while heterogeneous, provides more consistent results: cognition-targeting interventions appear to provide significant benefits also in the prevention of aggression in people living with SSD, and preliminary evidence shows cognition-focused interventions targeting violent behavior improve both cognition- and violence-related outcomes. Implementing these interventions in clinical practice could be of great usefulness, particularly in forensic contexts. Physical exercise, which improves cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in SSD, appears to reduce violent behavior in healthy individuals, but requires further studies in clinical samples.

“It Became No Man’s Land”: The Burden of Moderating Online Harassment in Newswork

ABSTRACT Online harassment against media workers has been on the rise, prompting academic and international organizations to call for comprehensive measures that could protect journalists from intimidation and threats on social media platforms. Despite these efforts, research shows little success in curbing the issue of hostility towards media professionals. With this article, we aim to explore journalists’ perceptions regarding online harassment and the responsibility that they attribute to the media organizations they work for, as well as digital platforms for allowing violence to spread online. Our study is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in two Chilean newsrooms, including interviews with media professionals responsible for moderating hate. This article discusses the experiences of reporters who have faced online threats and attacks while reporting the news. Our findings show that digital platforms have provided new opportunities for violent behavior against journalists. More remarkably, some journalists are worried that their media organizations might prefer to benefit from the increased engagement and metrics that come with such aggressive actions. Our findings shed light on the challenges journalists face in the digital age and the need for more significant protection measures.

Violent attitudes in Portugal and Canada: Measurement invariance and psychometric properties of the Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire.

Theory and evidence suggest that attitudes toward violence are relevant for the explanation, prediction, and reduction of violent behavior. The purpose of the present study was to adapt a measure of violent attitudes-the Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire (EVQ)-for use in Portugal, test the cross-country equivalence, and test the validity of both versions. We found the expected one-factor structure, high internal consistency, and cross-country measurement invariance for the Portuguese and original EVQ with men in Portugal (N = 320) and Canada (N = 298). We also found the expected pattern of correlations with measures of more versus less theoretically relevant constructs: both versions of the EVQ showed the strongest correlations with overall aggression and reactive aggression; slightly lower correlations with proactive aggression; negative correlations with self-control; and the smallest correlations with self-esteem. Our results support the equivalence, reliability, and validity of the Portuguese and original versions of the EVQ.

Investigation of peripheral inflammatory biomarkers in association with violence in schizophrenia

BackgroundViolent behavior carried out by patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) is a public health issue of increasing importance that may involve inflammation. Peripheral inflammatory biomarkers, such as the systemic immune inflammation index (SII), the neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the monocyte lymphocyte ratio (MLR) are objective, easily accessible and cost-effective measures of inflammation. However, there are sparse studies investigating the role of peripheral inflammatory biomarkers in violence of patients with SCZ.Methods160 inpatients diagnosed with SCZ between January and December 2022 were recruited into this study. Violent behavior and positive symptoms of all participants were evaluated using Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), respectively. The partial correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship of inflammatory indices and positive symptoms. Based on machine learning (ML) algorithms, these different inflammatory indices between groups were used to develop predictive models for violence in SCZ patients.ResultsAfter controlling for age, SII, NLR, MLR and PANSS positive scores were found to be increased in SCZ patients with violence, compared to patients without violence. SII, NLR and MLR were positively related to positive symptoms in all participants. Positive symptoms partially mediated the effects of peripheral inflammatory indices on violent behavior in SCZ. Among seven ML algorithms, penalized discriminant analysis (pda) had the best performance, with its an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) being 0.7082. Subsequently, with the use of pda, we developed predictive models using four inflammatory indices, respectively. SII had the best performance and its AUC was 0.6613.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that inflammation is involved in violent behavior of SCZ patients and positive symptoms partially mediate this association. The models built by peripheral inflammatory indices have a good median performance in predicting violent behavior in SCZ patients.

Superhero Films’ Impacts on Prosocial Behavior: The Mediating Role of State-Empathy and Violence Justification

The present research aimed to observe superhero films’ impacts on prosocial behavior, mediated by state-empathy (cognitive, affective and associative empathy) and moral justification. To achieve this goal, two online experiments were conducted, each with 200 Brazilian volunteers (Study 1: 70.5% women, mean age = 28.82, SD = 9.22. Study 2: 52.5% men, mean age = 27.63, SD = 9.25). We used a scene from Batman v Superman as the stimulus in the experimental groups. Prosocial behavior was measured using a food allocation task. Data from both studies showed that even when featuring violent elements, superhero films positively impacted prosocial behavior. These effects were indirect, mediated by associative empathy in Study 1 and moral justification in Study 2. Results highlight the complex relationship between prosocial violent media (aggressive content with prosocial goals) and behavior. We also emphasize the research’s novelty, as studies that investigate media content that is both negative and positive are still scarce.

Treatment of Acts of Verbal Violence by Teachers Against Students

This study investigates the issue of Verbal violence perpetrated by educators against students during the learning process in schools, highlighting that such behavior contradicts humanitarian values. The research aims to uncover: (1) the forms of violence committed by educators in the classroom, (2) the factors contributing to this violence, and (3) strategies to prevent violent behavior in educational settings.The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research. The population consists of teachers and students from vocational schools in Padang City, with samples drawn using Multistage Random Sampling. Key informants include students, subject teachers, counseling teachers, school principals, parents, and the head of the Education Office. Data collection methods include observation, interviews, questionnaires, and documentation, followed by descriptive analysis and qualitative analysis.The findings reveal that: (1) forms of violence by teachers include (a) physical violence, (b) psychological or mental violence, (c) verbal violence, and (d) professional violence; (2) factors leading to violence include (a) imbalanced relationships between teachers and students, (b) incorrect educational practices stemming from flawed educational understanding and philosophy, and (c) a lack of authority principles in teaching; (3) strategies to prevent violence involve (a) enhancing teachers' competencies—personal, social, pedagogical, and professional, (b) implementing authority principles in teaching, including recognition, compassion, guidance, reinforcement, disciplinary actions that educate, and modeling, (c) educating about Human Rights, particularly children's rights, and (d) ensuring that teachers adhere to ethical codes and principles in their teaching practices.

The Effect of Wudhu Spiritual Therapy in Controlling Emotions in Patients at Risk of Violent Behavior

In the Limboto Health Centre working area, the behavioral changes of patients at risk of violent behavior were found to be that these patients had never received spiritual ablution therapy and were only given medication as prescribed or recommended. Mental disorders affect 970 million people worldwide. This study aims to determine whether ablution spiritual healing helps patients at risk of violent behavior in the Limboto Health Centre working area to control their emotions. Pre exploratory examination plan with one collection pretest-posttest configuration approach, the population of patients in danger of violent behavior in the working area of Limboto Community Group Welfare Centre, number of tests 15 people with complete examination procedures, information collected using the perception of signs and side effects sheet of patients in danger of violent behavior and tried using matched t-test measured parametric test. Results showed that before being given medication for otherworldly bathing treatment, all patients gave indications and side effects that generally appear in patients in danger of violent behavior. Still, after intercession, patients have the option to get mediation. control their feelings after being given bathing treatment given the consequences caused by paying attention to the symptoms and side effects. The p.value obtained from the paired t-test was 0.001 which is smaller than the value of 0.05. It was established in the Limboto Health Centre working area that the spiritual therapy of ablution helps patients at risk of violent behavior to control their emotions. Therefore, the health center is expected to support medical treatment to achieve more effective results in addition to using medical therapy which includes the administration of drugs

Effect of male partners' involvement and support on reproductive, maternal and child health and well-being in East Africa: A scoping review.

East African countries have high rates of maternal and child mortality and morbidity. Studies have shown that the involvement of male partners in reproductive health can benefit maternal and child health (MCH). This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the evidence across East Africa that describes male partner involvement and its effect on maternal, reproductive, and child well-being. Ten databases were searched to identify quantitative data on male's involvement in East Africa. Studies reporting qualitative data, "intention to use" data or only reporting on male partner's education or economic status were excluded. Studies were organized into five a priori categories: antenatal care (ANC), human immunodeficiency virus, breastfeeding, family planning, and intimate partner violence with further categories developed based on studies included. A total of 2787 records were identified; 644 full texts were reviewed, and 96 studies were included in this review. Data were reported on 118,967 mothers/pregnant women and 15,361 male partners. Most of the studies (n = 83) were reported from four countries Ethiopia (n = 49), Kenya (n = 14), Tanzania (n = 12) and Uganda (n = 10). The evidence indicates that male partner involvement and support is associated with improved reproductive, MCH across a wide range of outcomes. However, the studies were heterogeneous, using diverse exposure and outcome measures. Also, male partners' lack of practical and emotional support, and engagement in violent behaviors towards partners, were associated with profound negative impacts on MCH and well-being. The body of evidence, although heterogeneous, provides compelling support for male involvement in reproductive health programs designed to support MCH. To advance research in this field, an agreement is needed on a measure of male partner "involvement." To optimize benefits of male partners' involvement, developing core outcome sets and regional coordination are recommended.

Alcohol use, civilian interference, and other possible risk factors for death during restraint

Physical restraint is usually used when trying to control and terminate a violent episode. Many causes are possible behind aggressive, agitated, and violent behavior. Some of these are such factors that can either be detected in forensic autopsies or can be evident from the person's medical records. Various causes for deaths during physical restraint have been suggested.In this study, we wanted to review all incidents in which physical restraint was employed, ending in death of the restrained person, whether the restraint was applied by police officers, security guards, police custody personnel, health care personnel or ordinary civilians. The main aim was to see if this new kind of study design would increase our knowledge in circumstances and causes leading to death in restraint situations.Data was collected retrospectively from all forensic autopsies performed in the Southern Finland area during 2010–2015. We went through 21,036 forensic autopsy cases and found 12 cases (0.06 %) in which a physical restraint was employed before death. Police officers were involved in the physical restraint in 7/12 of the cases: in two of these cases, police alone; in three cases, police and guards; and in two cases, police and health care personnel. Civilians carried out the restraint in 5/12 cases. With civilians responsible for the restraint, the cause of death was more likely considered to be a result of the restraint itself than in cases where police and other authorities were responsible for the restraint. This could be because civilians aren't educated about safe restraint methods, and they might themselves be intoxicated. Alcohol was the most common psychoactive substance found in this study and could be a risk factor for not only aggressive behavior but also death, since alcohol use can provoke cardiac arrhythmias and even sudden death. Based on this study, and previously published studies, we see restraint deaths as a varying spectrum of deaths, in which the death is often possibly a result of many factors, including the effects of agitation and restraint, intoxication, and cardiac and other illnesses.