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Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Nov 2022The amygdala is a key component in predominant neural circuitry models of psychopathy. Yet, after two decades of neuroimaging research on psychopathy, the... (Review)
Review
The amygdala is a key component in predominant neural circuitry models of psychopathy. Yet, after two decades of neuroimaging research on psychopathy, the reproducibility of amygdala findings is questionable. We systematically reviewed MRI studies (81 of adults, 53 of juveniles) to determine the consistency of amygdala findings across studies, as well as within specific types of experimental tasks, community versus forensic populations, and the lowest- versus highest-powered studies. Three primary findings emerged. First, the majority of studies found null relationships between psychopathy and amygdala structure and function, even in the context of theoretically relevant tasks. Second, findings of reduced amygdala activity were more common in studies with low compared to high statistical power. Third, the majority of peak coordinates of reduced amygdala activity did not fall primarily within the anatomical bounds of the amygdala. Collectively, these findings demonstrate significant gaps in the empirical support for the theorized role of the amygdala in psychopathy and indicate the need for novel research perspectives and approaches in this field.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Reproducibility of Results; Amygdala; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Magnetic Resonance Imaging
PubMed: 36116578
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104875 -
Trauma, Violence & Abuse Apr 2024Cybersexism in the context of online gaming communities, as epitomized by the Gamergate incident back in 2014, has been an issue for a while for gamer women, yet it has...
Cybersexism in the context of online gaming communities, as epitomized by the Gamergate incident back in 2014, has been an issue for a while for gamer women, yet it has not received proper attention. In this scoping review, we have aimed to assess its main characteristics, its consequences for gamer women, its triggers and predictors, and related prevention and mitigation policies provided by the existing research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were applied to the design of the scoping review. Empirical studies were accessed via database searches. The following databases were prospected: Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ACM from March to May 2021. A total of 33 studies were included in the final analysis after database searching, filtering, and snowballing. Most of the selected studies (66%, = 22) were focused on the manifestations of cybersexism in gaming communities, with gender-driven trash-talking being the main one. The main drivers and triggers behind cybersexist behaviors were also the research topic in 66% ( = 22) of the studies and the consequences and coping strategies were studied in 52% ( = 17) of the articles. Furthermore, 12% ( = 4) of the studies assessed policies and actions to prevent cybersexism. Cybersexism and its manifestations are a reality that conditions gamer women, provoking avoidance and ultimately withdrawal from gaming and, therefore, creating inequality, impairing full digital citizenship, and widening the digital gender gap.
Topics: Humans; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Coping Skills; Databases, Factual; Empirical Research; Video Games; Sexism
PubMed: 37243440
DOI: 10.1177/15248380231176059 -
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment May 2019Contingency Management is an evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders with strong potential for measurement-based customization. Previous work has examined...
Contingency Management is an evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders with strong potential for measurement-based customization. Previous work has examined individual difference factors in Contingency Management treatment response of potential relevance to treatment targeting and adaptive implementation; however, a systematic review of such factors has not yet been conducted. Here, we summarize and evaluate the existing literature on patient-level predictors, mediators, and moderators of Contingency Management treatment response in stimulant and/or opioid using outpatients - clinical populations most frequently targeted in Contingency Management research and clinical practice. Our search strategy identified 648 unique, peer-reviewed publications, of which 39 met full inclusion criteria for the current review. These publications considered a variety of individual difference factors, including (1) motivation to change and substance use before and during treatment (8/39 publications), (2) substance use comorbidity and chronicity (8/39 publications), (3) psychiatric comorbidity and severity (8/39 publications), (4) medical, legal, and sociodemographic considerations (15/39 publications), and (5) cognitive-behavioral variables (1/39 publications). Contingency Management was generally associated with improved treatment outcomes (e.g., longer periods of continuous abstinence, better retention), regardless of individual difference factors; however, specific patient-level characteristics were associated with either an enhanced (e.g., more previous treatment attempts, history of sexual abuse, diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder) or diminished (e.g., complex post-traumatic stress symptoms, pretreatment benzodiazepine use) response to Contingency Management. Overall, the current literature is limited but existing evidence generally supports greater benefits of Contingency Management in patients who would otherwise have a poorer prognosis in standard outpatient care. It was also identified that the majority of previous work represents a posteriori analysis of pre-existing clinical samples and has therefore rarely considered pre-specified, hypothesis-driven individual difference factors. We therefore additionally highlight patient-level factors that are currently understudied, as well as promising future directions for measurement-based treatment adaptations that may directly respond to patient traits and states to improve Contingency Management effectiveness across individuals and over time.
Topics: Behavior Therapy; Evidence-Based Practice; Humans; Individuality; Motivation; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Reward; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 30898330
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2019.03.001 -
PloS One 2023Smartphone use while driving (SUWD) is a major cause of accidents and fatal crashes. This serious problem is still too little understood to be solved. Therefore, the...
Smartphone use while driving (SUWD) is a major cause of accidents and fatal crashes. This serious problem is still too little understood to be solved. Therefore, the current research aimed to contribute to a better understanding of SUWD by examining factors that have received little or no attention in this context: problematic smartphone use (PSU), fear of missing out (FOMO), and Dark Triad. In the first step, we conducted a systematic literature review to map the current state of research on these factors. In the second step, we conducted a cross-sectional study and collected data from 989 German car drivers. A clear majority (61%) admitted to using the smartphone while driving at least occasionally. Further, the results showed that FOMO is positively linked to PSU and that both are positively associated with SUWD. Additionally, we found that Dark Triad traits are relevant predictors of SUWD and other problematic driving behaviors--in particular, psychopathy is associated with committed traffic offenses. Thus, results indicate that PSU, FOMO, and Dark Triad are relevant factors to explain SUWD. We hope to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of this dangerous phenomenon with these findings.
Topics: Humans; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Smartphone; Cross-Sectional Studies; Fear; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 37104387
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284984 -
Clinical Child and Family Psychology... Mar 2024Children and adolescents with psychopathic traits show deficits in emotion recognition, but there is no consensus as to the extent of their generalizability or about the... (Review)
Review
Children and adolescents with psychopathic traits show deficits in emotion recognition, but there is no consensus as to the extent of their generalizability or about the variables that may be moderating the process. The present Systematic Review brings together the existing scientific corpus on the subject and attempts to answer these questions through an exhaustive review of the existing literature according to PRISMA 2020 statement. Results confirmed the existence of pervasive deficits in emotion recognition and, more specifically, on distress emotions (e.g., fear), a deficit that transcends all modalities of emotion presentation and all emotional stimuli used. Moreover, they supported the key role of attention to relevant areas that provide emotional cues (e.g., eye-region) and point out differences according to the presence of disruptive behavior and based on the psychopathy dimension examined. This evidence could advance the current knowledge on developmental models of psychopathic traits. Yet, homogenization of the conditions of research in this area should be prioritized to be able to draw more robust and generalizable conclusions.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Humans; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Emotions; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 38240937
DOI: 10.1007/s10567-023-00466-z -
Community Mental Health Journal Aug 2014Mental health needs are common among community corrections offenders and many are enrolled in some form of supervised or mandated treatment. One category of mental... (Review)
Review
Mental health needs are common among community corrections offenders and many are enrolled in some form of supervised or mandated treatment. One category of mental health problem which may be germane to both treatment completion and recidivism among those in legally supervised treatment is the diagnosis of Personality Disorder (PD). This systematic review reports on sixteen studies comprised of full or mixed legally-supervised samples of offender in community-based treatment and examines the impact of PDs on treatment completion. These studies were difficult to compare because of the differences in program setting, definition of treatment completion, definition of PD, method of PD assessment and type of treatment, among other variables. The impact of antisocial personality disorder in treatment was a common focus, and other PDs were rarely assessed. The relevance of DSM PD categories to offender management in community corrections as well as the limitations of the current PD diagnostic categories is discussed.
Topics: Commitment of Mentally Ill; Community Health Services; Domestic Violence; Humans; Mandatory Programs; Personality Disorders; Sex Offenses; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 24068584
DOI: 10.1007/s10597-013-9649-8 -
Tijdschrift Voor Psychiatrie 2018Death threats are common in the therapist's office. Many therapists don't know how to handle these.
AIM: To provide background information and tools for the... (Review)Review
Death threats are common in the therapist's office. Many therapists don't know how to handle these.
AIM: To provide background information and tools for the practitioner who receives a homicidal threat from a patient.
METHOD: A systematic literature review of the epidemiology, diagnostics, risk assessment and treatment of homicidal threats.
RESULTS: During consultation, a death threat is not equatable with the announcement of murder. There are far more instances where the patient does not follow through with their threat. A psychotic disorder, an antisocial personality disorder, alcohol abuse, (bipolar) depression, long-existing (severe) domestic violence, possession of a weapon or a previous conviction for a death threat are important risk increasing factors. The risk assessment evaluates the motives and the proclivity to act. emdr and aggression regulation therapy appear to be effective treatments for underlying trauma and anger. However, psycho-dynamic aspects and feelings of countertransference should also be taken into account during therapy. Three Dutch guidelines about professional secrecy are important when making an assessment about whether or not one should break the rules of confidentiality.
CONCLUSION: Any practitioner who may be faced with a homicidal patient should have ready access to the relevant guidelines. Mental health institutions are encouraged to actively support this process.Topics: Aggression; Dangerous Behavior; Homicide; Humans; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Psychiatry; Psychotic Disorders; Violence
PubMed: 29638238
DOI: No ID Found -
PloS One 2019Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterised by two underlying factors. Factor 1 (affective and interpersonal deficits) captures affective deficits, whilst Factor... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterised by two underlying factors. Factor 1 (affective and interpersonal deficits) captures affective deficits, whilst Factor 2 (antisocial and impulsive/disorganised behaviours) captures life course persistent antisocial behaviours. Impaired processing of threat has been proposed as an aetiologically salient factor in the development of psychopathy, but the relationship of this impairment to the factorial structure of the disorder in adult male offenders is unclear.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether threat processing deficits are characteristic of psychopathy as a unitary construct or whether such deficits are specifically linked to higher scores on individual factors.
DATA SOURCES
A systematic review of the literature was conducted by searching PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO.
METHODS
Studies were included if they (1) reported physiological measures of threat response as the primary outcome measure (2) indexed psychopathy using a well-validated clinician rated instrument such as the PCL-R (3) investigated male offenders between 18 and 60 years of age (4) reported threat processing analyses using both Factor 1 and Factor 2 scores (5) provided sufficient data to calculate effect sizes and (6) were published in English-language peer-reviewed journals. We identified twelve studies with data on 1112 participants for the meta-analysis of the relationship with Factor 1 scores, and nine studies with data on 801 participants for the meta-analysis of the relationship with Factor 2 scores. We conducted the meta-analyses to calculate correlations using random-effects models.
RESULTS
PCL-R/SV Factor 1 scores were significantly and negatively related to threat processing indices (r = -0.22, (95%CI [-0.28, -.017]). Neither PCL-R/SV Factor 2 scores (r = -0.005, 95%CI [-0.10, 0.09]), nor PCL-R total score (r = -0.05, (95%CI [-0.15, -0.04]) were related to threat processing indices. No significant heterogeneity was detected for the Factor score results.
CONCLUSIONS
The meta-analyses of the distinct psychopathy factors suggest that the threat processing deficits observed in male offenders with psychopathy are significantly associated with higher scores on Factor 1. A similar relationship does not exist with Factor 2 scores. Our findings highlight the importance of investigating the potentially discrete relationships between aetiological variables and the two factor constructs in the disorder.
Topics: Antisocial Personality Disorder; Criminal Psychology; Criminals; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Male; Mental Disorders; Personality Disorders; Prisoners; Psychometrics; Violence
PubMed: 31661520
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224455 -
Medicine, Science, and the Law Jan 2024Psychopathy has been empirically associated with various forms of antisocial behavior including sexual assault. In fact, the lack of empathy characterizing psychopathic... (Review)
Review
Psychopathy has been empirically associated with various forms of antisocial behavior including sexual assault. In fact, the lack of empathy characterizing psychopathic offenders may facilitate the perpetration of more extreme violence. This systematic review aims to explore the relationship between psychopathy traits in male adult sex offenders and the increase in recidivism risk for any type of reoffence, with a special focus on sexual recidivism. From an initial sample of 757 articles related to the topic, only 14 were selected from the current literature at the end of the inclusion process. Each of these assessed the relation between psychopathy traits (measured by PCL-R) and recidivism risk in male sex offenders (age > 18), providing an effect size (quantitative findings). The results of their analysis agree with the currently available literature: the presence of psychopathic traits in sex offenders would seem to correlate with an increased risk of recidivism of general but non-sexual. Furthermore, almost half of the included works highlighted a positive relationship between psychopathy and violent reoffences. However, the limited availability of studies and the unevenness in their results indicate the need to expand future research in this direction.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Criminals; Recidivism; Sex Offenses; Violence; Antisocial Personality Disorder
PubMed: 37487207
DOI: 10.1177/00258024231187186 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Aug 2019The comorbidity between discrete clinical diagnosis occurs in higher levels than prevalence rates, indicating that mental disorders are systematically overcategorized.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The comorbidity between discrete clinical diagnosis occurs in higher levels than prevalence rates, indicating that mental disorders are systematically overcategorized. Dimensional models - as the Internalizing-Externalizing Spectrum - claim for a common latent structure of psychopathology. The current meta-analysis aims to evaluate whether the externalizing and internalizing latent factors of the psychopathological spectrum display common and distinctive neurobiological substrates, as unveiled by Error-Related Negativity (ERN) modulation. A systematic search of the literature was conducted and a total of 99 articles (160 studies, N = 8123) were included in the quantitative analysis. A dissociable effect was found: reduced ERN amplitude was observed in externalizing, while increased ERN amplitude was reported in internalizing. Larger effects were documented in all the externalizing dimensions (except for alcohol abuse) and were moderated by frontal electrode sites and tasks requiring inhibition. In internalizing, the overall effect was less robust. Disorder severity and tasks with punishment contingencies moderated the findings, and anxiety and obsessive-compulsive traits were the unique dimensions of internalizing accounting for the ERN increased amplitude. Overall, our findings highlight that ERN reduction interacts with the multiple phenotypic expressions of externalizing at a general level, while more specific factors - such as differences in sensitivity and aversion to errors - may explain increased ERN amplitude in internalizing.
Topics: Behavioral Symptoms; Biomarkers; Cerebral Cortex; Evoked Potentials; Executive Function; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Mental Disorders
PubMed: 31220503
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.013