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School climate (SC) reflects the culture and norms of the school community, being a potential factor linked to students' disruptive behavior (DB). This study intended to characterize the Portuguese school professionals' perception on SC, analyzing the connections to the students' DB. Another objective was to explore the differences on SC based on the functions of school professionals and school geographic location. An exploratory study with 333 school professionals was carried out. Concerning SC, the participants were asked about environmental-structural and relationships, while absenteeism, behavior problems, and incivilities were included in the students' DB. Overall, the participants generally reported positive perceptions about SC. Differences were observed on DB, based on SC ratings. The participants rating poorer environmental-structural and relationships tended to report more DB. SC differed according to the school geographic location and to functions of school professionals. Additional research about the implications of SC on students' DB is needed to develop preventive strategies., Author(s): Vanessa Azevedo [sup.1] [sup.2] , Sónia Caridade [sup.1] , Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis [sup.1] [sup.3] , Laura M. Nunes [sup.1] [sup.4] , Ana Sani [sup.1] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

Addiction behaviours, whether referring to psychoactive substances or others of a behavioural dependencies, constitute a public health problem to be addressed. This cross-sectional and comparative exploratory study aims to identify the psychosocial profile of college students in terms of chemical and behavioural addictions. This convenience sample consisted of 260 adult college students (32 male), aged between 18 and 51 years old. Life Events Checklist 5 (LEC-5), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5), Childhood History Questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures Scale (ECR-RS), Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRPS), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and Internet Addiction Test (IAT), were used. Using the Mann-Whitney U test, significant differences were found between the low-level alcohol consumers group and moderate to high-level consumers group in aggressiveness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and insecure attachment. Regarding Internet addiction, the results reveal differences in terms of aggressiveness, insecure attachment, and secondary psychopathy between subjects with normative use and subjects addicted to the Internet. When compared to subjects without addictions, subjects with addiction behaviours experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACE), more PTSD symptoms, higher levels of aggressiveness, greater avoidance and anxiety in affective relationships, and more predisposition to manifest deviant psychopathy behaviours. This study contributes to identifying different psychosocial profiles of college students concerning chemical and behavioural addictions and highlights the impact of those profiles on aggressiveness, PTSD, and insecure attachment, essential for the design of more effective prevention and intervention programs with these specific groups., Author(s): Andreia de Moura [sup.1] , Natália Castro [sup.2] , Hélder Fernando Pedrosa e Sousa [sup.3] , Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis [sup.4] , Lígia Ferros [sup.5] , Maria José Ferreira [...]

School is a privileged context to prevent specific behavior problems. Parental involvement in school activities is crucial to promote social functioning. This study aimed to access the Portuguese school personnel perception of parental involvement and students' behavior problems. A study with 333 school personnel, aged between 29 and 66 (M = 50.84, SD = 7.54), was developed. School personnel's participants rated parental involvement as low and nearly one in five professionals rated student's general behavior as bad. A significant association between parental involvement and the perception of students' general behavior was found. 80% of the professionals rating student's general behavior as bad also rating parental involvement as poor. Additional research into implications of parental involvement in school activities and school students' behavior problems is necessary aiming assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies in this area.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on women who committed crimes has not followed the same developments of males who committed crimes. The study of psychopathy and criminal lifestyle in female populations is one of the main gaps. This study aimed to better understand the construct of psychopathy among women who committed crimes, analyzing its relationship with criminal lifestyle. Sixty-three incarcerated women convicted of different crimes participated in this study. Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form-Revised (LSCF-R) were filled in. Females showed low scores on the total psychopathy score. The interpersonal and lifestyle facets were the highest scored, while the antisocial was the lowest scored. Positive correlations between criminal lifestyle and total psychopathy and lifestyle and antisocial facets were found. After controlling for age and criminal variables, total psychopathy and the lifestyle facet emerge as variables associated with a criminal lifestyle. These results are particularly relevant for the design of prevention and intervention policies in female offenses and for risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of perpetrators' intervention programs (PIPs) remains controversial. Readiness and motivation for change are associated with treatment success among intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. In this study, we aimed to verify whether adding Motivational Interviewing Techniques (MIT) during the intake phase of a standard PIP (SPIP) increases treatment adherence. We also sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the MIT plus SPIP concerning an SPIP alone. In this non-randomized clinical trial, 50 participants were assigned to one of the two conditions SPIP alone or MIT plus SPIP. Data were collected at baseline and the end of the intervention. Proximal outcomes (dropout, intervention dose, motivation, attitudes toward IPV, problem-solving skills) and final outcomes (IPV perpetration, risk of IPV) were assessed. The Reliable Change Index (RCI) was also computed. Results indicated that SPIP plus MIT participants concluded the curriculum in a more advanced stage of change, revealed more readiness to change, evidenced greater clinical improvements, and displayed higher reductions in attitudes toward IPV, IPV perpetration, and recidivism risk than SPIP participants. These findings point to MIT's ability to promote readiness to change and progression into the stages of change, enhancing intervention efficacy with IPV perpetrators. (NCT05484440) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is widely recognized as a severe public health issue. Perpetrators' Intervention Programs (PIPs) have been essential to prevent recidivism, and the incorporation of Motivational Interview Techniques (MIT) has shown to be an added value in this area. Objective: The present systematic review aims to analyze the incorporation of MIT (i.e., pre-treatment, isolated treatment, and conjoined with PIPs) in interventions with IPV perpetrators and its potential impact on their behavior and attitudes regarding motivation for change and treatment compliance. Method: The following research equation was used: "Intimate Partner Violence" AND ("Perpetrator" OR "Batterer" OR "Offender") AND ("Motivation" OR "Motivational Interview") AND ("Intervention" OR "Intervention Program" OR "Batterer Intervention Program") AND ("Effectiveness OR "Program Effectiveness"); in four separate databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Science Direct, and EBSCO. Studies in English, Portuguese, and Spanish were included, and 15 were identified according to the defined inclusion criteria. Results: Studies demonstrated that MIT increases attendance rates, treatment adherence, motivation for change, and behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. More specifically, MIT showed greater effectiveness among participants with low readiness to change and in the early stages of change. Conclusion: This systematic review corroborates the importance of incorporating MIT in PIPs to improve intervention efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]