Investigating the interplay between the reported witnessing and experiencing of physical violence within the home, the death of a parent or sibling, stress-sensitivity, and reported false confessions in males

• Published in: Personality and Individual Differences
• Main Authors: Drake, Kim E., Sigfusdottir, Inga Dora, Sigurdsson, Jon Fridrik, Gudjonsson, Gisli H.
• Other Authors: aUniversity of West London, Paragon House, Brentford, TW8 9GA, United Kingdom bReykjavik University, Menntavegi 1, Reykjavik, 101, Iceland cTeacher's College, Colombia University, 525 west, 120th street, Manhattan, NY 10027, United States dUniversity of Iceland, Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Hringbraut, Reykjavik, 101, Iceland eKing's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019
• Subjects: False confessions; Parental or sibling death; Physical violence; Stress sensitivity; Zero inflated negative binomial regression; Heimilisofbeldi; Játningar afbrota; Domestic Violence; Persuasive Communication; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/621239; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.08.047

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink below This study investigates the interplay between the reported witnessing and experiencing of physical violence within the home, the death of a parent or sibling, latent stress-sensitivity levels, and reported false confessions in males. Data were obtained from 5394 male students in further education in Iceland. Zero-inflated negative binomial models were fitted, showing that reported levels of physical violence within the home and the death of a parent or sibling significantly increased the likelihood of reported false confessions. Latent stress-sensitivity interacted with both reported levels of physical violence and the reported experience of the death of a parent or sibling, strengthening the effect of such adverse experiences on the likelihood no false confessions reported. Trait stress-sensitivity therefore appears to increase susceptibility to external influences, and may be a critical factor in predicting the likelihood of false confessions, for a variety of reasons, in young males. Stress-sensitive male interviewees may find it harder to adapt and adjust following adversity, and harder to deal with their emotions during police questioning, rendering such detainees more vulnerable and at risk. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.