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In its early stage, the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent public health measures brought several challenges to people in general, with adolescents being one of the most affected groups. To assess the psychological reactions of Portuguese adolescents in that early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an online survey that was filled by a sample of 340 (67.6% female and 32.4% male) middle adolescents (aged 16 and 17 years). Using the Impact Event Scale-Revised and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, we found that most participants reported a normal score for depression, anxiety, and stress. However, 47.1% reported some level of pandemic-related traumatic distress, and 25.6% reported high severity values. The girls’ levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and traumatic distress were significantly higher than those of the boys. Regression models showed that gender, number of symptoms experienced in the past days, self-reported health status, and concern with family were significant predictors of these mental health indicators. Our findings underscore the need for future research on the long-term traumatic psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents, and on the gender differences in this group. This will allow the development of strategies to identify and address at-risk adolescents, since the promotion of mental health and the prevention of pathology are imperative for the health of current and future generations.

This chapter focuses on the contribution of psychological science to the improvement of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) procedures and police officers’ skills when responding to intimate partner violence (IPV). Specifically, a review of the most important violence risk factors and evidence based risk assessment tools is presented, along with the necessary safety planning and risk management procedure. Moreover, the chapter covers strategies and skills that help police officers’ in communicating effectively with IPV victims. The authors reflect on the consequences of exposure to IPV on child wellbeing and development and state that this is another facet of the problem that needs attention when responding to this crime. After presenting a study on the perceptions of victims, police officers and experts about the competencies needed when responding to IPV, the results show that LEAs need to invest more time in police training and education. The authors conclude that incorporating more psychological research in police training schemes will help in achieving more effective and coordinated responses to IPV.

Psychopathy is a complex, multifaceted construct expressing itself in affectively cold, interpersonally deceptive, behaviorally reckless and often overtly antisocial behavior. Psychopaths can be described as intra-specific predators who resort to charm, manipulation, intimidation and violence to control others and achieve immediate satisfaction of their desires. However, labeling the psychopath as a pathological liar can prove problematic in criminal justice settings, namely in the intervention of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) when confronted with a psychopath. There is a wide range of possibilities in which a police officer can interact with a psychopath, whether performing frontline police duties as a patrol officer or at the level of criminal investigation. Probably the markedly communicational contexts in which this social interaction is most likely to occur are police negotiations and the investigative interviewing. This chapter analyses both contexts (i.e., the investigative interviews and the crisis and hostage negotiations setting), by analyzing the interplay between police officers and psychopathic suspects. We can conclude that ethically based approaches to interpersonal interactions are associated with a greater likelihood of obtaining the desired outcomes. Even with psychopaths, only a human rights-compliant interpersonal interaction is acceptable and tends to lead to positive results.

s Psychopathy is an important construct for research and applied usage in forensic context. Rigorous assessment with suitable instruments is imperative for the evolution of research on etiology, risk assessment, prevention, and intervention. Since the construction of the Hare Psychopathic Scale and consequently revised versions, that are consider a reference, there has been an exponential growth in the study of psychopathy and its evaluation instruments. This chapter focus in the psychometric qualities of several instruments that assess the psychopathy and antisocial behavior.

Like previous pandemics, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has direct and indirect effects, including in mental health. To evaluate the immediate psychological impact of COVID-19, we conducted an online survey in Portugal (24-27 March 2020), using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). From the 10,529 participants (M = 31.33; SD = 9.73), 83.4% were women, had a mean age of 31.2 years, and 70.9% were active workers. Depression, anxiety, and stress were rated as moderate to severe in 11.7%, 16.9%, and 5.6% of the sample, respectively. Moreover, 49.2% of participants reported a moderate or severe psychological impact of the outbreak. Women, the unemployed, those with lower education, living in rural areas, and with flu-like symptoms or chronic disorders were risk factors. Further research is needed to identify vulnerable groups to better inform and adapt mental health policies and interventions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the main international concerns regarding its impact on mental health. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and behavioral aspects amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in a Brazilian population. An online survey was administered from May 22 to June 5, 2020 using a questionnaire comprising of sociodemographic information, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Coping Strategies Inventory. Participants comprised 3,000 people from Brazil’s 26 states and the Federal District, with an average age of 39.8 years, women (83%), married (50.6%), graduates (70.1%) and employees (46.7%). Some contracted the virus (6.4%) and had dead friends or relatives (22.7%). There was more consumption of drugs, tobacco, medication, and food (40.8%). Almost half of participants expressed symptoms of depression (46.4%), anxiety (39.7%), and stress (42.2%). These were higher in women, people without children, students, patients with chronic diseases, and people who had contact with others diagnosed with COVID-19. The existence of a group more vulnerable to situations with a high stress burden requires greater attention regarding mental health during and after the pandemic. That said, it should be emphasized that these findings are preliminary and portray a moment still being faced by many people amid the pandemic and quarantine measures. Therefore, we understand that the magnitude of the impacts on mental health will only be more specific with continuous studies after total relaxation of the quarantine.

Violent conduct is a secular phenomenon, inherent in the human condition, and present in our daily lives through a variety of intentional and accidental events and behaviors. When it occurs in the context of a relationship, it is considered domestic violence and must be viewed and analyzed in the context of a bidirectional interaction between the victim and perpetrator. Family violence is under increasing scrutiny by a diverse set of social, political, and academic interests, and these stakeholders bring a broad range of perspectives, opinions, and agendas. Despite the changing attitudes toward domestic violence around the world and the increased awareness and support services available for victims, there are still many victims of domestic violence who do not report their circumstances, for a number of reasons, and are therefore unable to access much needed support and advocacy. The socially and (increasingly) legal rejection of familial violence also means that perpetrators generally work to conceal their violent behavior in order to maintain and prolong their domination of their victims. Therefore, it is important that those dealing with domestic violence are well trained to recognize the warning signs, behaviors, and circumstances that are associated with domestic violence and its various incarnations, as well as the psychological, social, and physical consequences of this form of victimization.

Around the world, the rates of violence perpetrated against women by their partner are significant. There is an estimate that every 9 s, somewhere in the United States, a woman is assaulted by her intimate partner or ex-companion. More than 8.7 million women are assaulted every year. So, we will focus on the diverse epidemiological studies in a way that we can understand the expansion of the phenomenon that, according to the World Health Organization, is a serious public health issue. However, we are alert to the fact that silence is a relevant factor in family violence. It is estimated that the percentages could be even bigger given that many cases remain unknown.

Beyond having the mission of understanding this issue, this book bears a central dimension on intervening in spousal violence. The intervention must be interdisciplinary, integrated, and coordinated to be effective and avoid secondary victimization. A central issue regarding spousal violence is the social and individual costs, which are high, namely in the fields of physical and psychological health. Similarly to most social and health issues, the best intervention to spousal violence is prevention. Alongside family, schools are an excellent socialization context for the youth. Something that is equally fundamental is the existence of experts with specific formation, prepared to recognize signs of violence and intervene immediately. Reality shows a necessity of a merely social intervention paradigm for an integration of this psychological analysis (eg, psychotherapy). A shelter without psychological intervention is incomplete in our view.

The first chapter is dedicated to the spousal violence phenomenon, starting with a historical summary about the evolution of marriage, which began as a social contract for patrimonial and generational matters. During the first phase of the construct of “marriage,” there were no concerns regarding emotions or a woman’s right to pleasure during intercourse. She was mostly seen as a mother (housewife) and not as a woman with needs, desires and will. The conceptual difficulties associated with the various existing terminologies in terms of violence in intimate relationships are addressed, which allows a better understanding of the spousal violence outline, which focuses on relationships where a matrimonial bond exists or has existed (eg, marriage or consensual union).

This chapter constitutes the core of our analysis on the topic. Having the contributions of forensic victimology as a starting point, it focuses on personality characteristics, the molds for understanding the victim in relation to the violence, and the importance of accountability in the process of change. Through a noncondemning, scientific, and comprehensive perspective, we aim to analyze spousal violence through the victim's perspective, as in what reasons do they present to remain in the relationship, the beliefs they resort to legitimize the violence, and other variables that contribute to the average time of a female victim of spousal violence remaining in an abusive relationship being about 13 years. This chapter also analyzes other matters associated with Stockholm syndrome and spousal offenders.

There have been various ways on how to address the practice of violence in a spousal environment. In this chapter, we present an approach to violence that is split into three paths, namely physical, psychological and sexual violence. Psychological violence includes stalking, financial abuse and social isolation. However, we emphasize that these are just categories of study and analysis. In real life, they coexist within aggression. For example, when a woman is beaten (physical violence), her self-esteem suffers an impact (psychological violence). Another important topic that deserves attention and is very often neglected by experts, especially the ones who are less familiar with forensic matters, is the risk of existing malingering or dissimulation in cases of spousal violence, which can contribute to fake claims or that the aggressor remains unpunished, making it important to know their respective contexts and dynamics.

This chapter turns to the extreme manifestation of violence in the context of a relationship with two adults that share or no longer share their lives and bodies, through marriage or consensual union. We are talking about spousal homicide. What we see today as spousal homicide means that yesterday it was spousal violence. A significant number of spousal homicides imply years of violent episodes. It could also happen when the victim makes the decision to abandon the abusive relationship. Women are seven times more likely to be the victims of spousal homicide in an intimate relationship than be murdered by a stranger. Spousal homicide, being the most common type of domestic homicide, is also the most dominant in homicides that are followed by a self-destructing act like suicide or a suicide attempt.

To better understand and intervene in the area of spousal violence, it is fundamental to encourage and perform consistent scientific investigation that includes as much of a quantitative analysis as a qualitative one, like a nomothetic and idiographic analysis. Both analyses are not irreconcilable, as they can both be integrated in the same investigation project. For many years there has been a tendency to perform investigations that only include big samples. Although important, they cannot exclude the necessity of an individual focus, namely of the way the victim experiences the violence and how she understands the issue and the changes associated with the assaults. In this situation, the investigator can find important tips to go beyond the visible reactions at first sight, which contribute solely to sterile and unjustified results.

When we talk about spousal violence, we are not talking about numbers or percentages. We are talking about real people with unique backgrounds and concrete needs who watched their psychophysical integrity being strongly violated. So, we present several testimonials here, including children who were exposed to domestic violence.

Today the understanding we have of the reasons for family violence is not consensual. There are many authors with the view that there are three theoretical methods that aim to explain spousal violence, namely the intraindividual, the interpersonal and the sociocultural. There are others who prefer other typologies of analysis, namely the Duluth model, the family conflict model and the psychological model. This chapter emphasizes that when talking about spousal violence, it is relevant to consider the weight of stereotypes regarding gender and the differential socialization of men and women, beyond the factors of the individual or relational domain of indubitable importance. It is also important to analyze their relation with the disposition of power inside a family frame. That being said, the interventions with regard to domestic violence must be free of gender stereotypes and should be more positive and inclusive to all victims and less negative and exclusive.

As alterações do panorama criminal em Portugal, que entre outros aspectos, tem sofrido alterações com o aumento do número de crimes praticados, com o aparecimento de novos tipos de crimes, e com o envolvimento, cada vez maior, de indivíduos estrangeiros na prática criminosa, têm merecido destaque nos vários tipos de imprensa (e.g., escrita, televisiva). Tal relação entre a prática criminosa e a emigração levanta a necessidade de uma maior reflexão sobre estas variáveis.No respeitante à criminalidade praticada por indivíduos estrangeiros, é necessária uma análise acerca da nacionalidade destes sujeitos, da sua cultura, do tipo de crime, do género, da faixa etária, de modo a estruturar respostas adequadas à intervenção durante e pós reclusão. Ora, quando se pensa na reinserção social de indivíduos estrangeiros, não se pode pensar numa resposta apenas no país onde ocorre o crime, sendo necessário que otrabalho de reinserção contemple o país de origem. Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar, caracterizar e analisar os reclusos brasileiros a cumprir pena em Portugal, entre o ano de 2000 e 2013, bem como abordar as questões legais durante o cumprimento da pena e as hipóteses de regresso ao País de origem, enquanto factor essencial no trabalho de reabilitação social do indivíduo.Adicionalmente, importa referir que este artigonão visa uma abordagem pretensiosa das estatísticas disponíveis que reforce qualquer atitude ou comportamento xenófobo, mas sim uma abordagem compreensiva e potenciadora de intervenções mais ajustadas, isto é que promovam uma efetiva ressocialização, independentemente da nacionalidade do recluso.