Repository logo
 

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Remand prisoners’ specific needs: A systematic review
    Publication . Andrade, Joana; Sousa, Marta; Abrunhosa Gonçalves, Rui; Castro Rodrigues, Andreia de
    Remand prisoners (RP) are non-sentenced individuals who must be held in prison awaiting sentencing. The international data reported that up to a third of the detainees worldwide are in a pre-trial situation. The present systematic review aims to review the studies that assessed the remand prisoners’ mental problems during detention. Following the PICO strategy, the search identifed a total of 5427 studies, of which, 79 studies were included in the fnal analysis. Substance use disorders were the most reported problem, followed by mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and personality and behavior disorders. A smaller number of studies reported anxiety and neurotic disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder and adjustment disorders, intellectual disorders, paraphilias and sexual disorders, attention-defcit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and somatoform disorders. Our fndings contribute to the scientifc knowledge about this group of inmates’ needs, emphasizing the prevalence of mental problems within this population and supporting both professionals and academics to reform policies and practices.
  • Intra and extra-familial child sexual abuse: The role of psychopathy
    Publication . Sousa, Marta; Cunha, Olga; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; De Castro Rodrigues, Andreia
    The present study analyses the relationship between psychopathic traits, the four facets of psychopathy (i.e., interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial), and the type of crime committed (i.e., intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse; and nonsexual crimes). The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale – Short Form (SRP-SF) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale – Short Form were completed by 110 male individuals who sexually offended minors (ISOMs) and 146 individuals convicted for nonsexual crimes. Four binary logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for sociodemographic, criminal, and individual variables. ISOMs are less likely to score high in the SRP-SF total score and the interpersonal facet and more likely to score high in the affective facet than individuals with nonsexual crimes. Besides, ISOMs are less likely to have a prior history of alcohol and drug abuse and to have previous contact with the justice system but are more likely to have a history of psychological problems. Therefore, only the prior alcohol and drug abuse history emerged as predictors for ISOMs subtypes. According to our results, psychopathic traits should not be considered in the assessment and intervention of ISOMs, and the focus of the intervention should be on the affective dimension and the level of psychopathology
  • The portuguese version of victim empathy distortion scale: Adaptation and psychometric properties
    Publication . Sousa, Marta; Cunha, Olga; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa; De Castro Rodrigues, Andreia
    Victim empathy is a common intervention target in intervention programs designed for individuals who perpetrated child sexual abuse (CSA). Researchers have developed the Victim Empathy Distortion Scale (VES), an instrument designed to assess empathy for victims of CSA. The present study aims to adapt the VES for the Portuguese population and examine its psychometric properties. One hundred and twelve individuals who perpetrated CSA and 245 individuals from the community participated in this study. The confirmatory factor analysis did not show satisfactory indices for the structures previously tested. Consequently, the search for an alternative model revealed a two-factor structure, explaining approximately 50% of the total variance. Results also indicated good internal consistency, discriminant validity, and known-groups validity. Overall, the results support the claim that the Portuguese version of the VES is a valuable and psychometrically reliable instrument for measuring victim empathy in forensic and non-forensic settings. © The Author(s) 2024.
  • Validation of the revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in Portugal
    Publication . Gouveia, Cláudia; Sousa, Marta; Cunha, Olga; Seto, Michael; De Castro Rodrigues, Andreia; Gonçalves, Rui Abrunhosa
    The accurate assessment of pedophilic sexual interests is crucial for the treatment andmanagement of individuals who have sexually offended children. This study aimed tovalidate the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in a Portuguesesample of 170 men convicted of sexual offenses against children, 104 serving sentencesin the community, and 66 in prison. The findings indicated that SSPI-2 demonstratedgood convergent validity, as evidenced by its significant and positive associations withthe “sexual deviance” item of SVR-20, the number of previous convictions for sexualcrimes against children, and having 3 or more child victims, which is associated withhigh sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing men who show greater sexual arousal tochildren than to adults. Furthermore, the SSPI-2 exhibited good divergent validity, withno significant correlations observed with a self-report measure of psychopathy or witha nonsexual criminal history
  • Positive childhood experiences and adult outcomes: A systematic review
    Publication . Cunha, Olga; Sousa, Marta; Pereira, Bárbara; Pinheiro, Marina; Machado, Ana Beatriz; Caridade, S.; Almeida, Telma
    Although positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may serve as protective factors against the negative consequences of childhood adversity, they have been less extensively studied. However, more recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding the role of these experiences. This systematic review aims to address this research gap by systematizing the existing literature on PCEs and examining their relationship with both positive and negative outcomes. A comprehensive search of databases such as B-On, PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Scielo identified 87 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Different studies have employed various designs and samples to investigate the relationship between PCEs and adult outcomes. The findings suggest that higher levels of PCEs are consistently associated with better mental health outcomes, such as decreased depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors, as well as improved psychosocial well-being, including reduced perceived stress and increased life satisfaction. Conflicting results were found for behavioral outcomes, physical health, stressful life events, and parenting and family functioning. In addition, the interaction effect of PCEs on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in adulthood is inconsistent. PCEs and ACEs appear to be independent sets of experiences that often coexist, with PCEs frequently not moderating the consequences of adversity on outcomes. More research with diverse samples is needed to better understand the role of PCEs.