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Levantini V, Muratori P, Bertacchi I, Grilli V, Marzano A, Masi G, Milone A, Kimonis ER. The "Measure of Empathy in Early Childhood": Psychometric Properties and Associations with Externalizing Problems and Callous Unemotional Traits. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2024:10.1007/s10578-024-01673-7. [PMID: 38261151 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-024-01673-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Empathy is crucial to the development of socio-emotional skills in youth and empathy development is central to understanding and subtyping youth with externalizing problems. This study explored for the first time the psychometric properties of the Measure of Empathy in Early Childhood (MEEC) in a sample of 652 Italian children aged 6 to 8 years. The gender invariance of MEEC scores and their associations with other measures of empathy and prosocial behavior, and children's externalizing problems and callous-unemotional (CU) traits were also evaluated. Results indicated that with some modifications, a 5-factor structure of the Italian version of MEEC scores fitted the data and was invariant across gender. Results further supported the reliability and validity of MEEC total and subscale scores. Practical implications of these results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Levantini
- Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Pietro Muratori
- Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Iacopo Bertacchi
- Accademia di Neuropsicologia dello Sviluppo (A.N.Svi), Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Virginia Grilli
- Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Gabriele Masi
- Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Annarita Milone
- Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Eva R Kimonis
- Parent-Child Research Clinic, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM) impairment is associated with poor social functioning in some psychological disorders (e.g., autism and schizophrenia). ToM deficits have also been linked with offending behavior in the theoretical literature. However, no review has examined the empirical evidence for such a link. We carried out a systematic review to provide a critical overview of studies involving ToM ability in offenders. We included studies published in English that used an instrument to measure at least one aspect of ToM. Twenty-eight eligible studies were identified and coded. Our findings reveal a generally mixed literature. Taking study quality into account, our findings suggest that offenders and nonoffenders do not differ in their first-order ToM. For second-order ToM, findings are mixed, even when only the highest quality studies are examined. Studies exploring advanced ToM showed mixed results overall, though the highest quality research appeared to indicate that offenders have impairments in advanced ToM which means that they may have difficulty understanding various mental states such as pretense, white lies, irony, double bluffs, and sarcasm. We suggest that well-controlled future studies, which also measure other facets of ToM (e.g., distinguishing between cognitive and affective ToM or examining ToM content), are needed to fully understand the role of ToM in offending.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilda Karoğlu
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | | | - Caoilte Ó Ciardha
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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3
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Barnes N, Sanchez-Vives MV, Johnston T. On the Practical Use of Immersive Virtual Reality for Rehabilitation of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators in Prison. Front Psychol 2022; 13:787483. [PMID: 35651568 PMCID: PMC9150755 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.787483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) allows the user to be immersed in environments in which they can experience situations and social interactions from different perspectives by means of virtual embodiment. In the context of rehabilitation of violent behaviors, a participant could experience a virtual violent confrontation from different perspectives, including that of the victim and bystanders. This approach and other virtual scenes can be used as a useful tool for the rehabilitation of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators, through improvement of their empathic skills or for training in non-violent responses. In this perspective, we revise and discuss the use of this tool in a prison environment for the rehabilitation of IPV perpetrators with a particular focus on practical aspects based on our experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Barnes
- Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,General Directorate of Prison Affairs, Department of Justice, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria V Sanchez-Vives
- Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tania Johnston
- Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
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Escrig-Espuig JM, Martí-Vilar M, González-Sala F. Criminal Thinking: Exploring its Relationship with Prosocial Behavior, Emotional Intelligence, and Cultural Dimensions. ANUARIO DE PSICOLOGÍA JURÍDICA 2022. [DOI: 10.5093/apj2022a2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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5
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Palix J, Abu-Akel A, Moulin V, Abbiati M, Gasser J, Hasler C, Marcot D, Mohr C, Dan-Glauser E. The Utility of Physiological Measures in Assessing the Empathic Skills of Incarcerated Violent Offenders. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2022; 66:98-122. [PMID: 33567952 PMCID: PMC8609505 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x21994056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Since lack of empathy is an important indicator of violent behaviors, researchers need consistent and valid measures. This study evaluated the practical significance of a potential physiological correlate of empathy compared to a traditional self-report questionnaire in 18 male violent offenders and 21 general population controls. Empathy skills were assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) questionnaire. Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) was assessed with an electrocardiogram. The RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive beat-to-beat Differences), an HRV index implicated in social cognition, was calculated. There were no group differences in IRI scores. However, RMSSD was lower in the offender group. Positive correlations between RMSSD and IRI subscales were found for controls only. We conclude that psychometric measures of empathy do not discriminate incarcerated violent offenders, and that the incorporation of psychophysiological measures, such as HRV, could be an avenue for forensic research on empathy to establish translatable evidence-based information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Palix
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Valérie Moulin
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Milena Abbiati
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jacques Gasser
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Christine Mohr
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elise Dan-Glauser
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
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Neuroanatomy of complex social emotion dysregulation in adolescent offenders. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1083-1100. [PMID: 33973160 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00903-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Social emotions require the correct integration of emotional, cognitive, and social processes and are critical for complex social interactions. Adolescent criminal offenders (AOs) show abnormalities in the experience of basic emotions. However, most research has focused solely on basic emotions, neglecting complex social emotions that could be critical for social reintegration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral and neural correlates of social emotions (envy and Schadenfreude) in AOs. We explored the experience of complex social emotions, as well as their anatomical correlates, in AOs (n = 19) and a nonoffenders control group (NOs, n = 20). Additionally, we assessed the relationship between social emotions, executive functions (EFs), and fluid intelligence (FI). Structural brain imaging was obtained in all participants. The results showed that AOs had significantly lower envy and Schadenfreude ratings and exhibited lower performance in EFs compared with NOs. The measurement of EFs relied on the INECO frontal screening (IFS). Experiencing fewer social emotions was associated with diminished EFs but not with FI. Moreover, in AOs, reduced levels of envy and Schadenfreude were linked with reduced gray matter volumes in regions subserving mentalizing abilities (inferior parietal lobe and precuneus) and socioemotional processing (inferior and middle temporal regions), as well as key hubs of the executive frontoparietal network (inferior parietal lobule, orbital and rectus gyri). Additional analysis on the AOs revealed no associations between the type of crime and our variables of interest (EFs, FI and social emotions). Our findings are the first to provide evidence on abnormalities in the experience of social emotions in AOs that are associated with neurocognitive markers of social cognition and EFs. Understanding social emotions and their abnormalities (under-experience) as complex intertwined processes may have important future translational implications, including risk prediction for social adaptation/reintegration, sociocognitive targeted interventions, and skill training for social emotions in vulnerable populations.
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Miguel FK, Machado GM, Pianowski G, Carvalho LDF. Compliance with containment measures to the COVID-19 pandemic over time: Do antisocial traits matter? PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2021; 168:110346. [PMID: 32863507 PMCID: PMC7441860 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the relationships between antisocial traits and compliance with COVID-19 containment measures. The sample consisted of 1578 Brazilian adults aged 18-73 years who answered facets from the PID-5, the Affective resonance factor of the ACME, and a questionnaire about compliance with containment measures. Latent profile analyses indicated a 2-profile solution: the antisocial pattern profile which presented higher scores in Callousness, Deceitfulness, Hostility, Impulsivity, Irresponsibility, Manipulativeness, and Risk-taking, as well as lower scores in Affective resonance; and the empathy pattern profile which presented higher scores in Affective resonance and lower scores in ASPD typical traits. The latent profile groups showed significant differences between them and interaction with the containment measures and weeks. The antisocial and empathy groups showed significant differences. These differences were sustained in the interaction with the containment measures and weeks separately, but not when all were interacting together. Our findings indicated that antisocial traits, especially lower levels of empathy and higher levels of Callousness, Deceitfulness, and Risk-taking, are directly associated with lower compliance with containment measures. These traits explain, at least partially, the reason why people continue not adhering to the containment measures even with increasing numbers of cases and deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiano Koich Miguel
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, Pr 445 Km 380, Londrina, PR 86057-970. Brazil
| | - Gisele Magarotto Machado
- Universidade São Francisco, R. Waldemar César da Silveira, 105, Jardim Cura D'ars, Campinas, SP 13045-510. Brazil
| | - Giselle Pianowski
- Universidade São Francisco, R. Waldemar César da Silveira, 105, Jardim Cura D'ars, Campinas, SP 13045-510. Brazil
| | - Lucas de Francisco Carvalho
- Universidade São Francisco, R. Waldemar César da Silveira, 105, Jardim Cura D'ars, Campinas, SP 13045-510. Brazil
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Mazza M, Pino MC, Vagnetti R, Peretti S, Valenti M, Marchetti A, Di Dio C. Discrepancies between explicit and implicit evaluation of aesthetic perception ability in individuals with autism: a potential way to improve social functioning. BMC Psychol 2020; 8:74. [PMID: 32650841 PMCID: PMC7350653 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-020-00437-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The capacity to evaluate beauty plays a crucial role in social behaviour and social relationships. It is known that some characteristics of beauty are important social cues that can induce stereotypes or promote different behavioural expectations. Another crucial capacity for success in social interactions is empathy, i.e. the ability to understand and share others’ mental and emotional states. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have an impairment of empathic ability. We showed in a previous study that empathy and aesthetic perception abilities closely related. Indeed, beauty can affect different aspects of empathic behaviour, and empathy can mediate the aesthetic perception in typically developing (TD) individuals. Thus, this study evaluates the ability of aesthetic perception in ASD individuals compared to TD individuals, using the Golden Beauty behavioural task adapted for eye-tracking in order to acquire both explicit and implicit evidences. In both groups, the relationship between empathic and aesthetic perception abilities was also evaluated.
Methods
Ten ASD individuals (age ± SD:20.7 ± 4.64) and ten TD individuals (age ± SD:20.17 ± 0.98) participated in the study. Participants underwent empathy tasks and then the Golden Beauty task. To assess differences in the participants’ performance, we carried out a repeated measures general linear model.
Results
At the explicit level, our behavioural results show an impairment in aesthetic perception ability in ASD individuals. This inability could have relevance for their ability to experience pleasure during social interactions. However, at the implicit level (eye-tracking results), ASD individuals conserved a good ability to feel aesthetic pleasure during the Golden Beauty task, thus indicating a discrepancy between the explicit and implicit evaluation of the beauty task. Finally, beauty perception appears to be linked to empathy when neither of these capacities is compromised, as demonstrated in the TD group. In contrast, this link is missed in ASD individuals.
Conclusion
Overall, our results clearly show that individuals with autism are not completely blind to aesthetic pleasure: in fact, they retain an implicit ability to experience beauty. These findings could pave the way for the development of new protocols to rehabilitate ASD social functioning, exploiting their conserved implicit aesthetic perception.
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Innamorati M, Ebisch SJH, Gallese V, Saggino A. A bidimensional measure of empathy: Empathic Experience Scale. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216164. [PMID: 31034510 PMCID: PMC6488069 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is a key notion in the study of sociality. A phenomenological perspective on empathy as intersubjective understanding offers a common ground for multiple dimensions. Corresponding to the dichotomy between perceptual and cognitive levels, two constructs can be distinguished: vicariously experiencing and intuitively understanding others’ emotions. We developed and validated a new questionnaire for the assessment of individual differences in empathy. In a first study (N = 921), we created a questionnaire measuring empathy consisting of a pool of 75 items. Exploratory factor analysis suggested to retain two factors (“Intuitive Understanding” and “Vicarious Experience”), whereas a 30-item version of the questionnaire had satisfactory psychometric properties. In a second study (N = 504), we administered the 30-items questionnaire and several concurrent/divergent measures. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a two-factor structure best represented its latent factor structure. The results show that our questionnaire could be considered a reliable and valid measure of empathy with internal consistencies of 0.93 and 0.95 for Vicarious Experience and Intuitive Intuitive Understanding, respectively. Whereas our questionnaire mostly showed the expected convergence with existing scales of empathy, the correlations also suggest that it adds valuable new information to the assessment of empathy. The two-factor structure suggests that the perceptual (vicarious) experience and the basic (non-effortful) cognitive awareness of others’ emotions can be assessed as distinct constructs. This bidimensional structure that distinguishes between the perceptual experience and the basic cognitive awareness of others’ emotional states connects theoretical, empirical, and clinical data from psychology and neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Innamorati
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Department of Human Sciences, Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Sjoerd J. H. Ebisch
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Vittorio Gallese
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aristide Saggino
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Martí-Vilar M, Serrano-Pastor L, Sala FG. Emotional, cultural and cognitive variables of prosocial behaviour. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-019-0168-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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11
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Wang Y, Su Q, Wen Z. Exploring Latent Profiles of Empathy Among Chinese Preschool Teachers: A Person-Centered Approach. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/0734282918786653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In view of the shortcomings of previous research on empathy (e.g., no dimensional differentiation, predominantly variable-centered approaches, and a lack of sample diversity), we adopted a person-centered approach to identify distinct profiles of empathy among Chinese preschool teachers, and we examined how these profiles relate to certain outcomes. We identified three profiles—moderate empathy, high cognitive empathy–moderate affective empathy, and high empathy—that varied in the level and shape of the profile indicators. Subsequent analyses showed that participants with higher levels of overall empathy scored higher in sympathy, while those with higher levels of affective empathy and lower levels of cognitive empathy scored higher in emotional exhaustion. Finally, we discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and the limitations of the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application/School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qin Su
- Guangdong Polytechnic of Science and Trade, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhonglin Wen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application/School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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Peretti S, Tempesta D, Socci V, Pino MC, Mazza M, Valenti M, De Gennaro L, Di Dio C, Marchetti A, Ferrara M. The role of sleep in aesthetic perception and empathy: A mediation analysis. J Sleep Res 2018; 28:e12664. [PMID: 29405533 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The ability to experience aesthetics plays a fundamental role in human social interactions, as well as the capacity to feel empathy. Some studies have shown that beauty perception shares part of the neural network underlying emotional and empathic abilities, which are also known to affect sleep quality and duration. In this study, we evaluated for the first time the effects of sleep on the relation between aesthetic perception and empathic abilities in healthy subjects using a mediation analysis approach. One-hundred and twenty-six subjects participated in this study. One-hundred and one subjects slept at home (Sleep Group). The remaining 25 subjects were tested as controls after 1 night of sleep deprivation to assess the effects of lack of sleep on aesthetic perception and empathy (Sleep-Deprived Group). All participants underwent one testing session in which they performed a battery of empathy tests and an aesthetic perception task (Golden Beauty). The results showed that sleep duration mediates the relationship between empathy and aesthetic perception in the sleep group. The mediation effect of sleep was more evident on the emotional empathy measures. Conversely, in the sleep deprivation group the lack of correlations among empathy, aesthetic perception and sleep variables did not allow to perform the mediation analysis. These results suggest that adequate sleep duration may play a significant role in improving cognitive and emotional empathic abilities as well as the capability to give accurate aesthetic judgements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Peretti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
| | - Daniela Tempesta
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
| | - Valentina Socci
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
| | - Maria C Pino
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
| | - Monica Mazza
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
| | - Marco Valenti
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
| | - Luigi De Gennaro
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cinzia Di Dio
- Department of Psychology, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Marchetti
- Department of Psychology, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Ferrara
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito (L'Aquila), Italy
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Mestre-Bach G, Steward T, Granero R, Fernández-Aranda F, Talón-Navarro MT, Cuquerella À, Baño M, Moragas L, del Pino-Gutiérrez A, Aymamí N, Gómez-Peña M, Mallorquí-Bagué N, Vintró-Alcaraz C, Magaña P, Menchón JM, Jiménez-Murcia S. Gambling and Impulsivity Traits: A Recipe for Criminal Behavior? Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:6. [PMID: 29434553 PMCID: PMC5796889 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Gambling disorder (GD) is a psychiatric condition that was recently recategorized as a non-substance-related addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders. Criminal activity is commonly associated with gambling; however, few empirical studies to date have examined sociodemographic and psychological variables in this population. In this study, we explored criminal behavior history in a sample of consecutively recruited treatment-seeking gamblers (n = 382) and compared subjects with a history of illegal acts (n = 103, 26.9%) to those with no criminal record (n = 279, 73.1%). Impulsivity and personality traits were specifically explored, along with other gambling-related severity factors. We found that gamblers who engaged in illegal activity were more likely to endorse high levels of urgency (i.e., the tendency to act out when experiencing heightened emotional states) and increased lack of premeditation. Gamblers with a history of criminal behavior also had greater GD severity levels and gambling-related debts. Additionally, these gamblers reported lower levels of self-directedness, which is characterized by difficulty in establishing and redirecting behavior toward one's goals. Likewise, gamblers who had conducted criminal acts showed a tendency to engage in greater risk-taking behavior. These results shed new light on this understudied population and provide insights for developing targeted harm-prevention interventions and treatment protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Mestre-Bach
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Trevor Steward
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roser Granero
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department de Psicobiologia i Metodologia, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fernando Fernández-Aranda
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Àngel Cuquerella
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Baño
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Moragas
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amparo del Pino-Gutiérrez
- Nursing Department of Mental Health, Public Health, Maternal and Child Health, Nursing School, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neus Aymamí
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mónica Gómez-Peña
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Mallorquí-Bagué
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Vintró-Alcaraz
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Magaña
- Department of Law, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Manuel Menchón
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Jiménez-Murcia
- Pathological Gambling Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Institut d’Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
- Ciber Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Winter K, Spengler S, Bermpohl F, Singer T, Kanske P. Social cognition in aggressive offenders: Impaired empathy, but intact theory of mind. Sci Rep 2017; 7:670. [PMID: 28386118 PMCID: PMC5429629 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00745-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggressive, violent behaviour is a major burden and challenge for society. It has been linked to deficits in social understanding, but the evidence is inconsistent and the specifics of such deficits are unclear. Here, we investigated affective (empathy) and cognitive (Theory of Mind) routes to understanding other people in aggressive individuals. Twenty-nine men with a history of legally relevant aggressive behaviour (i.e. serious assault) and 32 control participants were tested using a social video task (EmpaToM) that differentiates empathy and Theory of Mind and completed questionnaires on aggression and alexithymia. Aggressive participants showed reduced empathic responses to emotional videos of others' suffering, which correlated with aggression severity. Theory of Mind performance, in contrast, was intact. A mediation analysis revealed that reduced empathy in aggressive men was mediated by alexithymia. These findings stress the importance of distinguishing between socio-affective and socio-cognitive deficits for understanding aggressive behaviour and thereby contribute to the development of more efficient treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korina Winter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Krankenhaus d. Maßregelvollzugs Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Spengler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Bermpohl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapie, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tania Singer
- Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
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Mazza M, Mariano M, Peretti S, Masedu F, Pino MC, Valenti M. The Role of Theory of Mind on Social Information Processing in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Mediation Analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:1369-1379. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3069-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Pino MC, Mazza M. The Use of "Literary Fiction" to Promote Mentalizing Ability. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160254. [PMID: 27490164 PMCID: PMC4973931 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy is a multidimensional process that incorporates both mentalizing and emotional sharing dimensions. Empathic competencies are important for creating interpersonal relationships with other people and developing adequate social behaviour. The lack of these social components also leads to isolation and exclusion in healthy populations. However, few studies have investigated how to improve these social skills. In a recent study, Kidd and Castano (2013) found that reading literary fiction increases mentalizing ability and may change how people think about other people’s emotions and mental states. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of reading literary fiction, compared to nonfiction and science fiction, on empathic abilities. Compared to previous studies, we used a larger variety of empathy measures and utilized a pre and post-test design. In all, 214 healthy participants were randomly assigned to read a book representative of one of three literary genres (literary fiction, nonfiction, science fiction). Participants were assessed before and after the reading phase using mentalizing and emotional sharing tests, according to Zaki and Ochsner’ s (2012) model. Comparisons of sociodemographic, mentalizing, and emotional sharing variables across conditions were conducted using ANOVA. Our results showed that after the reading phase, the literary fiction group showed improvement in mentalizing abilities, but there was no discernible effect on emotional sharing abilities. Our study showed that the reading processes can promote mentalizing abilities. These results may set important goals for future low-cost rehabilitation protocols for several disorders in which the mentalizing deficit is considered central to the disease, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Pino
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Monica Mazza
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
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