Reduced salivary oxytocin after an empathic induction task in Intimate Partner Violence perpetrators: Importance of socio-affective functions and its impact on prosocial behavior

Comes-Fayos, Javier; Blanco-Gandía, M. Carmen; Moreno, Isabel Rodríguez; Rodrı́guez-Arias, Marta; Lila, Marisol; Sarrate-Costa, Carolina; Romero‐Martínez, Ángel

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105644

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, we intend to analyze differences in endogenous sOXT, sT, and sC levels, as well as the quotient between levels of the above-mentioned hormones (hormonal ratios), of a group of IPV perpetrators compared to controls following an empathic induction task. As stated before in this field of research [25][26][27]36,41], we hypothesize that IPV perpetrators will display lower levels of sOXT and sC and higher levels of sT after the empathic induction task compared to the control group. Furthermore, IPV perpetrators will also show lower sOXT/T and sOXT/C ratios and higher sT/C ratios in response to this task than controls.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…However, the differential functioning of OXT has been proposed in IPV perpetrators. For instance, a decrease in sOXT levels was reported in IPV perpetrators after an empathic induction task involving strangers, compared to the control group that increased their sOXT levels [26]. Another study found that intranasal administration of OXT increased IPV inclinations toward partners in violence-prone individuals [61].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Meanwhile, Procyshyn et al [25] found that increased sOXT, following the same empathic induction task, was related to improved perspective taking. In IPV perpetrators, a study concluded that IPV perpetrators presented lower sOXT levels than controls at a specific moment after an empathic induction task [26]. Thus, these results posit a positive relationship between OXT and socioaffective functions that facilitate empathy and suggest that the relationship between OXT and IPV could be mediated by difficulties in these functions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Following the guidelines of previous studies [24][25][26], the empathic induction task was carried out using a battery of emotion-provoking videos validated for the Spanish population (PIE) [43]. Because the procedure is focused on negative emotional content, four scenes where the main character was receiving violence were selected among the entire battery based on their high arousal and negative affect.…”

Section: Measures 231 Empathic Induction Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this regard, emotion induction tasks help to evoke the required affective experience in an experimental situation through various methods (e.g., images, sounds, or both, among others) [24,25]. In fact, these methods can be centered on one's own or another's affective state, enabling in situ characterization of empathy and gaining access to the natural study of other variables of interest, such as associated hormone levels [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Hormonal Profile in Response to an Empathic Induction Task in Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: Oxytocin/Testosterone Ratio and Social Cognition

Comes-Fayos

Romero‐Martínez

Moreno

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Empathy deficits have been proposed to be an important factor for intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV perpetrators have shown a differential change in salivary oxytocin (sOXT), testosterone (sT), and cortisol (sC), following empathic and stress tasks, compared to non-violent men. However, the influence of empathic deficits in those hormones after an emotion-induction task in IPV perpetrators remains unclear. We analyzed the effects of an empathic induction task on endogenous sOXT, sT and sC levels, as well as their hormonal ratios, in IPV perpetrators (n = 12), and compared them to controls (n = 12). Additionally, we explored the predictive capacity of empathy-related functions (measured with the interpersonal reactivity index) in the hormonal responses to the task. IPV perpetrators presented lower sOXT changes and higher total sT levels than controls after the task, lower sOXT/T change and total sOXT/T levels, as well as higher total sT/C levels. Notably, for all participants, the lower the perspective taking score, the lower the total sOXT levels and sOXT changes and the higher the sT changes were. Low perspective taking also predicted smaller sOXT/T and sOXT/C changes in the empathic induction task, and higher total sT/C levels for all participants. Therefore, our results could contribute to furthering our ability to focus on new therapeutic targets, increasing the effectiveness of intervention programs and helping to reduce IPV recidivism in the medium term.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Measures 231 Empathic Induction Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Hormonal Profile in Response to an Empathic Induction Task in Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: Oxytocin/Testosterone Ratio and Social Cognition

Comes-Fayos

Romero‐Martínez

Moreno

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Weakened sympathetic response and lower parasympathetic activity in intimate partner violence perpetrators when empathizing: Influence of autonomous activation in affective approach and prosocial behavior

Comes‐Fayos,

Moreno,

Lila

et al. 2024

Aggressive Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning has been proposed as a relevant method to characterize the therapeutic needs of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. Nevertheless, research has neglected the influence of the ANS on socio‐affective functions in this population. The aim of the present study was to analyze the psychophysiological activity of IPV perpetrators (n = 52) compared to controls (n = 46) following an empathic induction task, performed through negative emotion‐eliciting videos. We employed two general ANS markers (heart rate [HR] and respiratory rate [RR]), two sympathetic‐related indexes (pre‐ejection period [PEP] and skin conductance level [SCL]) and a parasympathetic biomarker (respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]). Additionally, we explored the impact of psychophysiological activity on prosocial behavior using Hare's donation procedure. Compared to controls, IPV perpetrators reported lower HR and SCL following the task, as well as longer PEP, suggesting an attenuated sympathetic response to others' distress. No differences in the RSA response pattern were found, however, IPV perpetrators displayed lower overall RSA levels throughout the protocol, indicative of reduced parasympathetic activity. Besides, while no differences in prosocial performance were observed, greater sympathetic responses and overall parasympathetic activity predicted increased donations across the sample. Thus, a high sympathetic and parasympathetic activity might influence the occurrence of prosocial behavior. The present study provides further evidence supporting that IPV perpetrators cope differently with others' negative emotions. In line with this biopsychosocial perspective, insights are gained on the emotional processing of IPV perpetrators which, in turn, could contribute to improve IPV psychotherapeutic programs.

show abstract

Salivary Testosterone, Cortisol, and Oxytocin Interlinking Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Stress

Romero‐Martínez

2022

Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reduced salivary oxytocin after an empathic induction task in Intimate Partner Violence perpetrators: Importance of socio-affective functions and its impact on prosocial behavior

Cited by 10 publications

References 63 publications

Hormonal Profile in Response to an Empathic Induction Task in Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: Oxytocin/Testosterone Ratio and Social Cognition

Hormonal Profile in Response to an Empathic Induction Task in Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: Oxytocin/Testosterone Ratio and Social Cognition

Weakened sympathetic response and lower parasympathetic activity in intimate partner violence perpetrators when empathizing: Influence of autonomous activation in affective approach and prosocial behavior

Salivary Testosterone, Cortisol, and Oxytocin Interlinking Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Stress

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About