Bárbara Pereira

There is little research exploring the grey area of sexual violence (SV), considered in the literature as being a more subtle manifestation of SV, and therefore tending to be trivialized, legitimized, and normalized by society. This study aimed to compare students’ perceptions of the grey area of SV based on the gender of those involved, in a cis-hetero context, as well as potential sex differences in these perceptions. A vignette methodology was employed to gain valuable insights into the topic. The sample consisted of 164 university students living in Portugal, 71.3% (n = 117) female, with an average age of 23 (SD = 5.84). The thematic analysis revealed a central theme, Severity, reflecting participants’ perceptions of the seriousness of sexual violence within the “grey area”. This theme is expressed through four sub-themes: Attribution of severity, referring to how seriousness is assigned depending on context and beliefs; Identifying sexual violence, highlighting difficulties in recognizing certain behaviors as abusive; Frequency, capturing perceptions of how often such situations occur; and Report, addressing the barriers and facilitators to formal reporting. Our results indicated that while some participants minimized the scenario, the majority of the sample considered the situation as somewhat or very serious. Only few participants trivialized subtle forms of SV, perceiving incidents without overt physical force as less severe. Notably, sex differences emerged, despite being in the minority of the sample, female participants were more inclined to recognize these behaviors as abusive and to view the allegations as credible, whereas male participants tended to downplay the severity.

Despite the increase in the study of women and crimes committed by them, investigations continue to be scarce. Self-control and psychopathy have been widely studied in incarcerated populations, though more frequently in males than females. This study examines these psychological variables related to substance use history and violent crime in a sample of 94 incarcerated women in Portugal. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Self-Control Scale, and Levenson’s Self-Report Psychopathy Scale—VP. We found average self-control levels, with lower scores among participants with substance use. Significant differences in self-control emerged between women who committed homicide and those who did not. Psychopathy scores were above average, with significant differences in Factor 2 (impulsivity) between those who committed homicide and those who did not. Self-control and psychopathy were negatively associated, and psychopathy predicted self-control. These findings, which are not entirely consistent with the literature, challenge common assumptions about self-control, psychopathy, and crime, particularly in incarcerated women, and suggest that different mechanisms may drive violent and non-violent crimes in women. These results reinforce the need to consider gender-specific pathways to crime, highlighting the urgency of continuing to investigate the manifestation, in women, of widely studied variables in male samples.

Childhood and adolescence are crucial stages of life, characterized by significant changes that profoundly influence overall development. While positive childhood experiences (PCEs) can help mitigate the effects of adverse events during these formative years, they have not been as thoroughly researched. Then, this systematic review aims to address this gap by organizing the existing literature on PCEs and examining their impact on both positive and negative outcomes in children and adolescents. A search through databases such as B-On, PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Scielo, as well as supplementary searches, identified 30 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The results indicate that most studies were published in the last 4 years, primarily in the USA, and focused on community populations with mixed samples. In addition, the results reveal that among children and adolescents, higher levels of PCEs were associated with better mental health outcomes (e.g., reduced depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-harm, substance use, and suicidal ideation), improved psychosocial outcomes (e.g., enhanced adult functioning and future orientation), better academic achievement (e.g., reduced absenteeism and fewer academic difficulties), and some improvements in physical health (e.g., reduced chronic pain). However, the relationship between PCEs and behavioral outcomes showed mixed results. Strengthening efforts to promote PCEs and resources that support child and adolescent resilience is crucial. Further research involving diverse samples is needed to gain a deeper understanding of the role of PCEs.

Purpose of Review: This review aimed to summarize the evidence regarding the relationship between parental psychosocial (e.g., fear of hypoglycemia, stress and family conflict) and glycemic outcomes in children between the age of 1–10 years old. Recent Findings: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in young children can be very complex to manage for their parents since they are the main individuals responsible for T1D tasks. Also, parental psychological adjustment impacts children’s glycemic outcomes. Summary: This systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. The search process was conducted in four databases from 2019 to 2024. From a total of 215 studies, 5 were included. We identified five studies that found direct associations between parental psychosocial variables and children's glycemic outcomes. These findings suggest a unidirectional perspective, evidencing the need to examine the longitudinal interplay between these variables. In sum, promoting parental psychological interventions may be fundamental for enhancing children’s glycemic outcomes.

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.

Dropout in perpetrator intervention programs (PIPs) is extensively documented in the literature, yet findings across various studies exhibit global inconsistency. This meta-analysis aimed to identify dropout rates among individuals attending PIPs and examine sociodemographic, violence-related, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and external variables related to dropout. A search was conducted across six databases, encompassing studies published between 2010 and 2022 in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Thirty manuscripts, comprising data from 31 independent samples, were included. Dropout rates varied from 9% to 67%. Bivariate analysis results indicated that younger age ( OR = 0.69), non-White ethnicity ( OR = 1.54), unemployment ( OR = 1.78), offender typology other than family only ( OR = 2.45), substance abuse ( OR = 1.78), presenting a personality disorder ( OR = 1.21), engaging in problematic leisure activities ( OR = 1.28), possessing a greater criminal history ( OR = 1.47), and experiencing more adversity in childhood ( OR = 1.44) were significantly correlated with dropout. Additionally, the inclusion of motivational strategies in treatment ( OR = 0.44) significantly decreased the likelihood of dropout. Results from multivariate analyses revealed that younger age ( OR = 0.63), presenting a personality disorder ( OR = 1.73), and experiencing more adversity in childhood ( OR = 2.16) were significantly associated with dropout. Notably, intimate partner violence characteristics established a significant negative relation with dropout ( OR = 0.59). Findings indicate that variables associated with dropout align with those related to general and intimate partner violence recidivism, suggesting that individuals requiring more intensive intervention are those who derive less benefit from it.

There are many reasons to perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV). This study analyzes the attributions and perceptions of Portuguese men who perpetrate IPV to understand their justifications for violence against their female partners. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven male perpetrators. Through thematic analysis, three main categories emerged: self, partner, and situational factors. Perpetrators identified self attributes as justifications to abuse, such as individual characteristics, emotional disturbances, and jealousy; partner attributes, such as partners’ characteristics and the use of violence against them; and situational factors, such as alcohol abuse and relational stressors. Perpetrators’ narratives evidenced a tendency to conceive violence as an unintentional and unplanned action, attributing violence to uncontrollable factors, and an attitude of non-accountability for their behaviors/actions. A deeper understanding of perpetrators’ perceptions and attributions for IPV will help to develop more effective intervention programs with offenders or to improve the existent ones, for example, in terms of dropout prevention, to reduce violence against women.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global problem with severe consequences for victims and their development, with various resulting consequences. Sentences regarding CSA crimes can be unconsciously influenced by extralegal factors. This study aimed to understand how Portuguese CSA victims are represented in judges’ sentencing of offenders. Twenty-seven sentences of CSA, from a Portuguese database, were thoroughly analyzed through thematic analysis. Six main themes pertaining to the victim, emerged from the sentences’ analysis: (i) emotional response during statements; (ii) reported details and reactions; (iii) credibility and reliability of statements; (iv) revelation and secret-keeping; (v) victim’s trajectory; and (vi) impact on the victim. The assessment of the credibility of the victim’s statements proved to be central across all sentences. Data related to external sources, namely judges’ personal beliefs, physical evidence, and witnesses, emerged. Legal and psychosocial factors were identified, with the latter consisting of victim-blaming and legitimization of sexual violence. As for the practical implications of these findings, we argue that a fair exercise of justice, and improvement of the efficacy of prosecution of CSA is only possible through identification of these sensitive issues and adequate addressal of them during magistrates’ training.