Facial Emotion Recognition in Patients Who Committed Sexual Assault Against Children: an EEG Study

NCT05383235 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2021-A02763-38
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to compare the emotional processing in sexual offenders against children versus healthy volunteers using an objective electrophysiological measurement (EEG) during a facial emotion stimuli presentation task. Secondary goal is to assess emotion recognition performances in this population and evaluate the impact of various factors on these performances (type of emotion, age and sex of person expressing the emotion, neuropsychological and cognitive abilities of the subjects).

Conditions

Child Sexual Abuse; Emotion Recognition

Keywords

facial emotion recognition; sexual offenders against children; LPP

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Amplitude of LPP during the facial emotion stimuli presentation task

  The facial emotion stimuli presentation task is based on pictures from the Radbout Faces Database (RaFD). It includes pictures of male and female subjects, adults and children expressing positive, neutral or negative emotion. During the task, cerebral activity will be recorded by EEG to measure amplitude and latency of the LPP (Late Positive Potential).

  one day

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Facial emotion recognition abilities

  one day

• TOM-15 (Theory Of Mind 15)

  one day

• TAS20 (Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20)

  one day

• PCL-R SV (Psychopathy Checklist Revised - Short Version)

  one day

• QCAE (Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy)

  one day

Study Arms (2)

Sexual offenders against children

EXPERIMENTAL

sexual offenders against children

Other: ROUTINE CARE; Device: Facial emotion stimuli prensentation task with EEG recording and facial emotion recognition task

Healthy controls

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Healthy controls

Device: Facial emotion stimuli prensentation task with EEG recording and facial emotion recognition task

Interventions

ROUTINE CARE OTHER

1\. ROUTINE CARE : retrieval of sociodemographic characteristics, medical and psychological assessment, multidisciplinary meeting about the patient

Sexual offenders against children

Facial emotion stimuli prensentation task with EEG recording and facial emotion recognition task DEVICE

2\. RUN-IN PERIOD : * Eligibility criteria will be assessed during the multidisciplinary meeting; * Study presentation, delivery of the information note and consent form; 3. STUDY: * Collection of consent form; * Facial emotion stimuli presentation task with EEG recording and facial emotion recording task; * Neuropsychological evaluation (TOM-15); * Scales and questionnaires (TAS-20, PCL-R SV, CECAQ, QCAE); * Debriefing.

Also known as: Neuropsychological evaluation

Healthy controls; Sexual offenders against children

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 25 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Right-handed ;
• Patient refered to the referral platform for treatment of sexual offenders in Le Vinatier Hospital Center for evaluation of child abuse ;
• Without any Axis 1 disorder ;
• Having given informed consent ;
• Affiliated to French social health care

You may not qualify if:

• Intellectual disability (identified during routine care in the referral platform for treatment of sexual offenders);
• Poor understanding of tests and scales instructions ;
• Neurological or neurodevelopmental history resulting in cognitive impairment with loss of autonomy ;
• Gardianship or other tutelage measure
• Healthy controls :
• Right-handed ;
• Without criminal background ;
• Without any DSM-5 psychiatric disorder (past or present, personal or familial in a first-degree relative) ;
• Non-caregiver employee of Le Vinatier Hospital Center.
• Intellectual disability (using fNART if clinical suspicion during run-in period);
• Poor understanding of tests and scales instructions ;
• Neurological or neurodevelopmental history resulting in cognitive impairment with loss of autonomy ;
• Gardianship or other tutelage measure.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hôpital le Vinatier: lead

Study Sites (1)

Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier

Bron, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 69678, France

Location

Study Officials

• Sabine MOUCHET, PH

  CH le Vinatier

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Apart from investigators in charge of inclusions, outcome assessors will not know to which group the subjects belong.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: PATIENTS: 1. ROUTINE CARE : retrieval of sociodemographic characteristics, medical and psychological assessment, multidisciplinary meeting 2. RUN-IN PERIOD: * Eligibility criteria will be assessed during the multidisciplinary meeting * Delivery of the information note 3. STUDY: * Collection of consent form * Facial emotion stimuli presentation task with EEG recording and facial emotion recognition task * Neuropsychological evaluation * Scales + questionnaires * Debriefing CONTROLS: 1. RUN-IN PERIOD phone call: * Study presentation * Retrieval of sociodemographic characteristics including age and educational level for matching with patients * Assessment of eligibility criteria * Psychiatric assessment with MINI 5.0 evaluation 2. STUDY: * Delivery of the information note * Collection of consent form * Facial emotion stimuli presentation task with EEG recording and facial emotion recognition task * Neuropsychological evaluation * Scales + questionnaires * Debriefing

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 20, 2022
• First Posted: May 20, 2022
• Study Start: July 12, 2022
• Primary Completion: May 15, 2025
• Study Completion: May 15, 2025
• Last Updated: July 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)