Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been linked to a broad range of negative consequences. Thus, early detection and prevention of behaviors associated with IPV is necessary to combat this global public health problem. Controlling behaviors (CBs) within the intimate context, including acts to constrain free mobility or access to friends and relatives, have been characterized as a moderate form of violence and may be an indicator of more severe IPV. Previous research in this field, however, has been primarily conducted in the United States. Accordingly, we lack knowledge of similar findings in other countries to draw more general conclusions about observed associations between these variables, and to identify underlying mechanisms. The current study analyzes the role of control within the Spanish context by examining its correlates, as well as the role and impact of CBs on psychological and physical violence. To achieve these objectives, we use data from the Spanish sample of the Violence Against Women Survey carried out by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (N = 1,520 adult women). The results indicated that young women, women with a previous history of physical/sexual abuse during childhood, and women who have resided in Spain for fewer years are at greater risk of experiencing control within the context of an ongoing relationship. Partner risk factors included frequent episodes of drunkenness and general violence (i.e., violence outside of the home). In addition, control was more frequently reported among couples where the man was older than the woman. As hypothesized, women who reported CB by their partners were more likely to experience psychological and physical violence. These findings emphasize the importance of preventing CBs to avert the most severe forms of violence, and provides relevant information about the groups that could most benefit from these efforts.

Meta-analyses and reviews on emotion research have shown the use of film clips to be one of the most effective methods of mood induction. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of this method when positive, negative and neutral emotional targets are studied under similar experimental conditions is currently unknown. This comprehensive meta-analysis included only studies that implemented neutral, positive and negative mood inductions to evaluate the effectiveness of the film clip method as a mood induction procedure. In addition, several factors related to the films, sample and experimental procedure used, the number of emotional categories, for example, or the number of film clips watched, were included to study their influence on the effectiveness of this mood induction procedure. Forty-five studies were included with 6675 participants and 12 possible moderator variables according to the sample and the research procedure. Our findings suggest that film clips are especially powerful in inducing negative mood states (Hedges’ g for valence = -1.49 and for arousal = -1.77) although they are also effective inducers of positive mood states (Hedges’ g for valence of = . -1.22 and for arousal = -1.34). Additionally, this meta-analysis reveals that variables, such as the number of emotional categories or the type of stimulus used to measure the baseline, should be considered.

Meta-analyses and reviews on cognitive disorders in schizophrenia have shown that the most robust and common cognitive deficits are found in episodic memory and executive functions. More complex memory domains, such as autobiographical memory (AM), are also impaired in schizophrenia, but such impairments are reported less often despite their negative impact on patients’ outcome. In contrast to episodic memory, assessed in laboratory tasks, memories of past personal events are much more complex and directly relate to the self. The meta-analysis included 20 studies, 571 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and 503 comparison subjects. It found moderate-to-large effect sizes with regard to the 3 parameters commonly used to assess AM: memory specificity (g = −0.97), richness of detail (g = −1.40), and conscious recollection (g = −0.62). These effect sizes were in the same range as those found in other memory domains in schizophrenia; for this reason, we propose that defective memories of personal past events should be regarded as a major cognitive impairment in this illness.