Teacher
Olga Cunha

Resume

I, Olga Cunha, am an Assistant Professor at the University of Minho, Braga (Portugal). I am an Integrated Investigator at the Psychology Research Center (CPsi), University of Minho. I am also an Expert in Forensic Psychology at the Psychology Association of the University of Minho (APsi-UMinho), the coordinator of the Justice and Community Unit (APsi-UMinho), and the coordinator of the Offenders Consultation (APsi-UMinho). My main research interests are focused on intimate partner violence and intimate partner homicide, specifically on the characterization and intervention/rehabilitation of perpetrators and risk assessment. I am also studying other types of violent behavior/crime, such as sexual crimes and homicide, with a focus on offenders’ rehabilitation and mental health. I am also studying the impact of childhood experiences (both positive and negative) in adulthood, namely on general antisocial behaviour and intimate partner violence, as well as the impact of imprisonment on inmates' (male and female) mental health. I have published 22 scientific articles as first author and 20, as last author, in this research field in journals such as Trauma, Violence and Abuse (2022, 2023, 2024), Crime & Delinquency (2023), Psychology, Crime and Law (2022), Criminal Justice and Behavior (2021), Journal of Criminal Justice (2022, 2021), Child Abuse and Neglect (2021, 2023, 2023), Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2016, 2018, 2020), Aggression and Violent Behavior (2018, 2023, 2024), Deviant Behavior (2023, 2024), and BMC Psychology (2023, 2024) and have published several others as co-author as a result of collaborations with colleagues and other research groups. I am a member of the Editorial Board of BMC Psychology and a Guest Editor at Frontiers in Psychology with the Topic “Motivational Interviewing in Forensic Settings”. I am an Assistant Professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Minho, and I teach undergraduate courses in Psychology and Criminology and in the Master of Justice Psychology. I was part of the teaching staff of the North Lusíada University in undergraduate and master courses of Psychology and Criminology as an Assistant Professor from September 2015 to February 2020 and of the Lusófona University of Porto in undergraduate and master courses of Psychology and Justice Psychology, also as Assistant Professor, from February 2020 and August 2024. I have been actively involved in several training and supervision activities in different victim, offender, and family support institutions. I was involved in defining the Portuguese Psychologists Association’s (OPP) Guidelines for Professional Practice in the Field of Domestic Violence. I have also participated in several initiatives for the general public.

Graus

• Licenciatura
  Psicologia
• Mestrado
  Mestrado Integrado em Psicologia
• Doutoramento
  Programa Doutoral em Psicologia

Publicações

Journal article

• 2025-02-28, The Impact of Positive Childhood Experiences: A Systematic Review Focused on Children and Adolescents, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2024-12-27, Wybrane aspekty funkcjonowania kadry w polskim i portugalskim systemie penitencjarnym, The Prison Systems Review
• 2024-11-30, Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Outcomes: A Systematic Review, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2024-11-07, Resilience and hopelessness mediate the relationship between benevolent childhood experiences and life satisfaction: evidence from a cross-cultural study, BMC Psychology
• 2024-09-30, The Portuguese Version of Victim Empathy Distortion Scale: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties, Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
• 2024-09-17, The Effectiveness of Psychological Intervention for Women Who Committed Child Sexual Abuse: An Empty Systematic Review, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2024-08-28, Does psychopathy mediate the relationship between exposure to intimate partner violence in childhood and the perpetration of intimate partner violence in adulthood?, Criminology & Criminal Justice
• 2024-08-20, Life satisfaction, psychological distress, compassion satisfaction and resilience: when the pleasure of helping others protects veterinary staff from emotional suffering, Veterinary Research Communications
• 2024-08, The Effectiveness of Intervention Programs for Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence with Substance Abuse and/or Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2024-08, Adverse childhood experiences and aggression in adulthood: The moderating role of positive childhood experiences, Child Abuse & Neglect
• 2024-07-27, Childhood Maltreatment and Empathy in Community and Justice Samples: The Moderating Role of Positive Childhood Experiences, Deviant Behavior
• 2024-07, Relationship between cyber and in-person dating abuse: A systematic review, Aggression and Violent Behavior
• 2024-05-22, Short Motivational Program for Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Feasibility Study, Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
• 2024-05, The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy in Individuals Who Committed Crimes: A Systematic Review, Trauma Violence & Abuse
• 2024-04-24, Initial validation of Hanson Sex Attitude Questionnaire (HSAQ) in Portuguese perpetrators of child sexual abuse and perpetrators of non-sexual crimes, JOURNAL OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
• 2024-04-16, Understanding Intimate Partner Femicide and Attempted Intimate Partner Femicide During and After COVID-19: A Comprehensive Strain-Based Approach, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
• 2024-02-07, Intervention Program Dropout Among Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Meta-Analysis of Correlated Variables, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2024-02, Validation of the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in Portugal, Sexual Abuse
• 2024-02, Cognitive behavioural “third wave” therapies in the treatment of justice-involved individuals: A systematic review, Aggression and Violent Behavior
• 2024-01-24, Male Perpetrators of Child Sexual Abuse: A Comparison Between Individuals Serving Custodial and Non-Custodial Sentences, Crime & Delinquency
• 2024, Improving the Treatment Compliance of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators Through Short Motivational Programme (SMP): A Feasibility Study, Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
• 2023-12-26, Emotional Processing and Psychopathy Among Women: A Systematic Review, Deviant Behavior
• 2023-12-13, To Be or Not to Be Empathic: the Role of Empathy in Child Sexual Offending, European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research
• 2023-11-08, Criminal Lifestyle Among Women Who Committed Crimes: The Role of Psychopathy, Deviant Behavior
• 2023-11-07, Generalized anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction, Psychologica
• 2023-10-19, Bidirectional Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19 in Portugal: Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates, European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research
• 2023-10-15, Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood and Partner Violence Perpetration in Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Aggression, Deviant Behavior
• 2023-10-02, The Influence of Bidirectional Intimate Partner Violence on the Parent-child Relationship, Journal of Family Violence
• 2023-08-18, Bidirectional Violence in Intimate Relationships: A Systematic Review, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2023-07-25, The impact of imprisonment on individuals’ mental health and society reintegration: study protocol, BMC Psychology
• 2023-06-03, Prevalence and Impact of Revenge Pornography on a Sample of Portuguese Women, Sexuality & Culture
• 2023-05-25, COVID-19 fear and anxiety as mediators in the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and psychopathology: a community-based study during the 2nd confinement in Portugal, Current Psychology
• 2023-05-09, The impact of an intervention program on abusive intimate behaviors, self-esteem, and self-concept of male perpetrators of intimate partner violence, Journal of Experimental Criminology
• 2023-05, The four facets of the Psychopathy Checklist, Youth Version and recidivism: A meta-analysis, Aggression and Violent Behavior
• 2023-04-27, Words matter: judges’ value judgments in sentence pronouncements remarks, Crime, Law and Social Change
• 2023-03-15, Effectiveness of the Motivational Interviewing Techniques with Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Non-Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma
• 2023-01-24, Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence and COVID-19-Related Anxiety During the Second Lockdown in Portugal: The Mediating Role of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress, Journal of Family Violence
• 2023-01-12, Brief Measure of Affective Lability Among Portuguese Community and Justice Samples: Psychometrics and Measurement Invariance, Crime & Delinquency
• 2023-01, The role of positive childhood experiences in the link between childhood maltreatment and affective lability in a sample of incarcerated men and women, Child Abuse & Neglect
• 2023, Cognitive Behavioural "Third Wave" Therapies in the Treatment of Justice-Involved Individuals: A Systematic Review, Clinical Psychology Review
• 2022-10, Cognitive Subjective Well-Being during the Second Lockdown in Portugal: The Predictive Role of Sociodemographic and Psychopathological Dimensions, Psych
• 2022-07-06, Psychopathy and Reoffending Among Incarcerated Women, Women & Criminal Justice
• 2022-07-06, Motivational Interview Techniques and the Effectiveness of Intervention Programs With Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
• 2022-05-17, Stalking Behaviors Among Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence in Portugal: Correlates and Mediating Variables, European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research
• 2022-03-24, Child Sexual Abuse: How Is the Victim Represented in Portuguese Sentences, Victims & Offenders
• 2022-03, The personality of male prisoners: Moving towards an integrated temperament-and-character-based theory of criminal and antisocial behavior, Journal of Criminal Justice
• 2022, Repetitive negative thinking, rumination, depressive symptons and life satisfaction: A cross-sectional mediation analysis, International Journal of Psychology & Psychological Theraphy
• 2022, Intimate partner violence: Perceptions and attributions of male perpetrators
• 2022, In or out: Justice-involved women characterization and their perceptions about penal sanctions.
• 2022, Dropout among perpetrators of intimate partner violence attending an intervention program
• 2021-10-07, Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire: Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance Among Portuguese Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence, Criminal Justice and Behavior
• 2021-10-06, Attitudes of Police Recruits Towards Offenders: the Impact of the Police Training on Attitudinal Change, Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
• 2021-10, Positive childhood experiences and adverse experiences: Psychometric properties of the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale (BCEs) among the Portuguese population, Child Abuse & Neglect
• 2021-09-16, Translation and Validation for the Portuguese Adult Population of the Persistent and Intrusive Negative Thoughts Scale: Assessing Measurement Invariance, International Journal of Cognitive Therapy
• 2021-09, Criminal lifestyle, psychopathy, and prison adjustment among female inmates, Journal of Criminal Justice
• 2021-08, Community sanctions: Offenders’ perceptions about their appropriateness, European Journal of Probation
• 2021-02-22, Intimate Partner Violence, Psychopathy, and Recidivism: Do Psychopathic Traits Differentiate First-time Offenders from Repeated Offenders?, Victims & Offenders
• 2021, Association of positive and negative life events with cognitive performance and psychological status in late life: A cross-sectional study in Northern Portugal, Aging Brain
• 2020-02-11, Crimes Against Women: From Violence to Homicide, Journal of Interpersonal Violence
• 2020-01-23, Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) Factor Structure in Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence, Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice
• 2019-12-24, Emotions, Affections, and Psychopathy Among Female Prisoners, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
• 2019, Avaliação psicológica forense do abuso sexual e sua valoração nas decisões judiciais, Revista Portuguesa de Ciência Criminal
• 2019, A perceção de reclusos(as) acerca do papel das atividades durante o cumprimento da pena privativa de liberdade, Revista Brasileira de Ciências Criminais
• 2019, A perceção de reclusos(as) acerca do papel das atividades durante o cumprimento da pena privativa de liberdade = Inmates¿ perception regarding the role activities hold while serving prison sentences, Revista Brasileira de Ciências Criminais
• 2018-05, The enduring effect of maltreatment on antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, Aggression and Violent Behavior
• 2018-03-22, Psychometric properties of the Parent-child Relationship Inventory (PCRI) in a portuguese forensic sample, Journal of Child Custody
• 2018-01-24, Psychopathy and Intimate Partner Violence, Journal of Interpersonal Violence
• 2017-11-21, Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparison Between Incarcerated and Community Offenders, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
• 2017-11-06, La perpetuación del comportamiento antisocial de los jóvenes caboverdianos: un estudio predictivo, Actualidades en Psicología
• 2017, Attitudes of police officers toward offenders: implications for future training, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management
• 2016-08-07, Predictors of Intimate Partner Homicide in a Sample of Portuguese Male Domestic Offenders, Journal of Interpersonal Violence
• 2016, Severe and Less Severe Intimate Partner Violence: From Characterization to Prediction, Violence and Victims
• 2015-07-14, Efficacy Assessment of an Intervention Program With Batterers, Small Group Research
• 2014-03, The current practices of intervention with batterers, Revista de Psiquiatria Clínica
• 2013, Intimate partner violence offenders: Generating a data-based typology of batterers and implications for treatment, The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context
• 2012, Análise confirmatória de uma versão Portuguesa do Questionário de Agressividade de Buss-Perry, Laboratório de Psicologia
• 2011, Tratamento de Agressores Domésticos: O Programa de Promoção e Intervenção com Agressores Conjugais (PPRIAC), Revista do Ministério Público
• 2010, Avaliação do Risco em Agressores Conjugais: Resultados da Análise de uma Amostra Forense, Ousar e Integrar – Revista de Reinserção Social e Prova
• 2009, Consumos recreativos e (in)segurança rodoviária., Toxicodependências

Thesis / Dissertation

• 2021, Master, Motivação para a mudança e crenças legitimadoras de violência em relações de intimidade
• 2020, Master, Conhecimento de sinais não-verbais, inteligência emocional e empatia: um estudo exploratório
• 2020, Master, Atitudes de estudantes universitários relativamente a ofensores sexuais
• 2019, Master, Preditores de dropout: intervenção com perpetradores de violência na intimidade
• 2019, Master, Atitudes dos guardas prisionais em relação aos ofensores sexuais e a sua reabilitação
• 2019, Master, Atitudes de Guardas Provisórios da Guarda Nacional Republicana face aos delinquentes
• 2018, Master, Reincidência : factores de risco
• 2018, Master, Crimes against women: from violence to homicide
• 2017, Master, Viver na prisão : opiniões, vivências e perspetivas de futuro
• 2016, Master, Análise fatorial confirmatória do “Parent-Child Relationship Inventory” para a população forense portuguesa
• 2014, PhD, Perpetradores de violência em relações de intimidade: da caracterização à intervenção

Book chapter

• 2023, The Predictive Role of Depression on Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Repetitive Negative Thinking, and Brooding and Reflection Ruminative Responses, Advances in Psychology Research, 150, Nova Science Publishers, Inc
• 2023, Social Anxiety and Life Satisfaction: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Model with Repetitive Negative Thinking and Ruminative Responses , Advances in Psychology Research, 150, Nova Science Publishers, Inc
• 2023, Batterer Intervention Program (BIP)
• 2022, As perícias sobre a personalidade previstas nos artigos 131º e 160º do Código de Processo Penal, Tratado de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, Pactor
• 2021, Violência nas relações de intimidade: Caracterização e intervenção nos ofensores, Violência sobre as mulheres: Perspetivas jurídicas, políticas e sociais, Almedina
• 2021, Análise de risco, perigosidade e reincidência, Manual de Criminologia & Vitimologia, Pactor
• 2020, Justicia terapéutica e intervención con ofensores, Justicia Terapéutica: un nuevo paradigma legal , Wolters Kluwer España, S.A.
• 2018, Vítimas com incapacidades intelectuais: Motivos para a sua maior vulnerabilidade e cuidados na sua avaliação psicológica forense, Comportamento criminal e avaliação forense , Pactor
• 2018, Agressores nas relações de intimidade: o olhar da psicologia, Violência doméstica e de género: Uma abordagem multidisciplinar, Pactor
• 2018, A Escala de Psicopatia de Hare – Versão Revista (PCL-R), Psicologia forense: Instrumentos de avaliação , Pactor
• 2017, Intervenção com agressores conjugais: A experiência do Programa de Promoção e Intervenção com Agressores Conjugais – PPRIAC, Violência, agressão e vitimação: Práticas para a intervenção, 2, Almedina
• 2017, Escala de Psicopatia de Hare – Versão Revista (PCL-R), Psicologia Forense: Instrumentos de avaliação, Pactor/Lidel
• 2014, How batterers change: Results from a qualitative research following a successful intervention, Partner Violence: Risk Factors, Therapeutic Interventions and Psychological Impact, Nova Science Publishers
• 2014, Abuso sexual na infância e na adolescência: Intervenção com a vítima e seus cuidadores, Vítimas de crime e violência: Práticas de Intervenção, Psiquilíbrios
• 2013, Intervenção com agressores conjugais: A experiência do PPRIAC, Violência, agressão e vitimação: Práticas para a intervenção, 2ª , Almedina
• 2011, Avaliação psicológica de agressores conjugais, Manual de Psicologia Forense: Contextos, práticas e desafios, Psiquilíbrios

Dictionary entry

• 2019, Lisboa, Fator de risco versus fator protetor, Comportamento e saúde mental: Dicionário Enciclopédico
• 2016, Lisboa, Prevenção Criminal, Dicionário – Crime, Justiça e Sociedade
• 2016, Lisboa, Fator protetor, Dicionário – Crime, Justiça e Sociedade
• 2016, Lisboa, Fator de risco, Dicionário – Crime, Justiça e Sociedade
• 2016, Lisboa, Entrevista Motivacional, Dicionário – Crime, Justiça e Sociedade
• 2016, Lisboa, Antissocial, Dicionário – Crime, Justiça e Sociedade

Online resource

• 2024, Cunha, O., Cruz, A.R., Rodrigues, A., Paulino, P. (2023). Mind the Gap: Education and social (re)integration after imprisonment. Observatório Social, Fundação La Caixa. https://oobservatoriosocial.fundacaolacaixa.pt/en/-/mind-the-gap-educacao-e-re-integracao-social-de-ex-reclusos#, Cunha, O., Cruz, A.R., Rodrigues, A., Paulino, P. (2023). Mind the Gap: Education and social (re)integration after imprisonment. Observatório Social, Fundação La Caixa. https://oobservatoriosocial.fundacaolacaixa.pt/en/-/mind-the-gap-educacao-e-re-integracao-social-de-ex-reclusos#

Conference paper

• 2023-05-05, Ser empático ou não ser: O papel da empatia na perpetração de violência sexual contra crianças, XI Congresso Iberoamericano de Avaliação Psicológica
• 2023-05-05, Abuso sexual de Crianças Intra e Extrafamiliar: O papel da psicopatia, Conferência: XI Congresso Iberoamericano de Avaliação Psicológica

Conference abstract

• 2022, Saúde mental e perpetração de violência em relações de intimidade
• 2022, O impacto da violência bidirecional nas relações de intimidade
• 2018, Predictors of intimate partner homicide and attempted intimate partner homicide, XI Congreso (Inter)Nacional de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
• 2018, Exploring the link between recidivism, aggression and psychopathy, XI Congreso (Inter)Nacional de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
• 2018, Criminal lifestyle, crimes and desistence: Perceptions of offenders serving a penal sanction, XI Congreso (Inter)Nacional de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
• 2017, Psicopatía y violencia contra la pareja, X Congreso (Inter)Nacional de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
• 2017, Penas de prisión: Entre la evidencia académica y las prácticas de sentencia, X Congreso (Inter)Nacional de Psicología Jurídica y Forense
• 2014, Process of change in perpetrators of intimate partner violence, 14th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology
• 2014, Intervenção com agressores conjugais: dos resultados ao processo de mudança, II Congresso Internacional Crime, Justiça e Sociedade

Conference poster

• 2024-11-21, The Victim-Offender Cycle: Gender Differences and Experience of Domestic Violence during Childhood in a Sample of Incarcerated Individuals in Portugal, I CONGRESSO INTERNACIONAL POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS E REDES DE INTERVENÇÃO
• 2024-07, Validating the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in a Portuguese sample of male offenders, EAPL Annual Conference 2024
• 2024-07, Couples therapy in cases of situational intimate partner violence: Translation and cultural adaptation of an intervention program for couples
• 2024-06-09, A efetividade das intervenções psicológicas para pessoas que praticam crimes sexuais online contra menores: Uma revisão sistemática, 3º Simpósio Doutoral Psi-UNORTE
• 2024-05, The Effectiveness of Psychological Interventions for Individuals Who Commit Online Sexual Offenses Against Minors: A Systematic Review, 3º Simpósio Doutoral Psi-UNORTE
• 2024-05, A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing with People Who Have Offended, 3º Simpósio Doutoral Psi-UNORTE
• 2024-02, Development and Effectiveness Assessment of an Intervention for Internet Child Sex Offenders using a Randomized Control Trial, 1st UMinho Research and Innovation Open Days
• 2024-01, Effectiveness of the Short Motivational Programme: A Randomized Control Trial, UMinho Research & Innovation Open Days
• 2023-09, Intra and extra-familial child sexual abuse: The role of empathy , 23rd Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology – “The Renaissance of European Criminology”
• 2023-05, Violência sexual contra crianças: uma análise da prevalência dos interesses sexuais pedófilos, 2.º Simpósio Doutoral PSI.UNorte
• 2023-05, O processamento emocional em mulheres com traços de psicopatia: Uma revisão sistemática, XI Congresso Iberoamericano de Avaliação Psicológica – Avaliação Psicológica: Modelos, metodologias e aplicações
• 2013, El Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) en el ámbito forense., VII Congreso (Inter)Nacional de Psicología Jurídica y Forense.
• 2012-05, Motivational interview with batterers: Preliminary results, I Congresso Internacional de Intervenção Psicológica
• 2012-05, Abusive intimate relationships: Results from an intervention program with batterers., 14th International Symposium World Society of Victimology
• 2011-11, Attitudes toward marital violence: Preliminary results from a batterer program. , I Seminário Internacional de Stalking
• 2011-03, Validation of a batterer typology among Portuguese batterers, International Congress on Psychology and Law

Other output

• 2008, Atitudes em relação à delinquência em guardas nacionais republicanos: Implicdações para a formação