RT Article
T1 The Utility of Physiological Measures in Assessing the Empathic Skills of Incarcerated Violent Offenders
JF International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
VO 66
IS 1
SP 98
OP 122
A1 Palix, Julie
A1 Abu-Akel, Ahmad
A1 Moulin, Valérie
A1 Abbiati, Milena
A1 Gasser, Jacques 1956-
A1 Hasler, Christopher
A1 Marcot, Dominique
A1 Mohr, Christine
A1 Dan-Glauser, Elise
A2 Abu-Akel, Ahmad
A2 Moulin, Valérie
A2 Abbiati, Milena
A2 Gasser, Jacques 1956-
A2 Hasler, Christopher
A2 Marcot, Dominique
A2 Mohr, Christine
A2 Dan-Glauser, Elise
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1779909756
AB Since lack of empathy is an important indicator of violent behaviors, researchers need consistent and valid measures. This study evaluated the practical significance of a potential physiological correlate of empathy compared to a traditional self-report questionnaire in 18 male violent offenders and 21 general population controls. Empathy skills were assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) questionnaire. Heart-Rate Variability (HRV) was assessed with an electrocardiogram. The RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive beat-to-beat Differences), an HRV index implicated in social cognition, was calculated. There were no group differences in IRI scores. However, RMSSD was lower in the offender group. Positive correlations between RMSSD and IRI subscales were found for controls only. We conclude that psychometric measures of empathy do not discriminate incarcerated violent offenders, and that the incorporation of psychophysiological measures, such as HRV, could be an avenue for forensic research on empathy to establish translatable evidence-based information.
K1 RMSSD
K1 Heart rate variability
K1 Empathy
K1 Offenders
K1 Violence
DO 10.1177/0306624X21994056