Identification With the Aggressor (IWA)

NCT06783231 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: 0009390-2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 300
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This is a randomized control study, comprising of 2 assessments :before (T1) and after (T2) the identification with the aggressor (IWA) lab task.

Conditions

Female; Abuse Neglect; Abuse Physical; Abuse, Child

Keywords

identification with the aggressor; abuse; trauma

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (13)

• International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ)

  The ITQ is an 18-items self-report measure focusing on the core features of Complex PTSD and PTSD. This questionnaire was developed to be consistent with the organizing principles of the ICD-11. The current literature suggests that the ITQ is a valid tool for the assessment of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD, with good psychometric properties.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

  The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report questionnaire that examines the presence of the 20 PTSD symptoms listed in the DSM-5. The PCL-5 has a variety of purposes including screening individuals for PTSD and making a provisional PTSD diagnosis. The recommended cut-off for the assessment of PTSD using this tool is 33. The PCL-5 is a very reliable and valid assessment tool for PTSD, with abundant literature that supports its excellent psychometric properties.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

  A modified version of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire-9 will be used to assess depression symptoms. Participants will rate the frequency (from 0 - not at all, to 3 - nearly every day) in which they were bothered by each depression symptom in the last two weeks. Total PHQ-9 score will be created by summing ratings for all symptoms.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Identification with the Aggressor Scale (IAS)

  Levels of IWA will assess via IAS, a 23-item self-report questionnaire. The items will be presented to the participants as reflecting "possible reactions that people may experience as a result of abuse or offense". Participants will be asked to rate on an 11-point Likert scale, ranging from 0% (never) to 100% (all the time), the frequency with which they experienced each manifestation of IWA. The scale comprises four subscales: adopting the perpetrator's experience concerning the abuse ; identifying with the perpetrator's aggression ; replacing one's agency with the perpetrator's ; and becoming hypersensitive to the perpetrator . The IAS has

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• The Interpersonal Trauma Doubt Scale (ITDS)

  Doubt regarding judgments and assessments about the characteristics of the abuse will be assessed via The Interpersonal Trauma Doubt Scale (ITDS). This questionnaire comprises of 10 items tapping one's doubts concerning judgments regarding oneself, the perpetrator, and the abuse.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18)

  A short form of the DERS is a self-report scale consists of 18-Items, rated on a 5-point scale that measures emotion regulation in the following subscales: 1. Nonacceptance of emotional responses 2. Difficulty engaging in goal-directed behavior 3. Impulse control difficulties 4. Lack of emotional awareness 5. Limited access to emotion regulation strategies 6. Lack of emotional clarity. The DERS has good internal consistency and good test-retest reliability.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Maudsley Violence Questionnaire (MVQ)

  The MVQ is a 54-item questionnaire covering a range of cognitions (beliefs, rules, distortions and attributions) that may provide support, justifications or injunctions to violence. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5. The MVQ comprises two subscales: 1) Machismo (42 items) relates to embarrassment over backing down, justification of violence in response to threat and attack, violence as part of being male and strong and the weakness associated with fear and non-violence; 2) Acceptance of violence (14 items) including overt enjoyment and acceptance of violence (in the media and in sport) and injunctions against or rejection of violence as an acceptable behaviour. For the purpose of the study only the Acceptance of violence subscale will be utilized.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Reading the Mind in the Eye Test (RMET)

  RMET is a social cognition measure that examines a participant's ability to identify complex emotions and mental states. Participants will be presented with 36 images of human eyes and will be asked to choose out of 4 words the one that best describes the emotion the person in the image is experiencing. Social cognition will be measured by the number of overall correct answers in the task as well as the response time for correct answers.

  T2: (immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Implicit Association Test (IAT) - new version attitudes towards the characters of the IWA task

  The IAT is a computerized screening test developed by Greenwald and is designed to examine hidden attitudes. A new version was created for the purpose of the current study to examine attitudes towards the characters which are part of the IWA task (Lori, the perpetrator and Sophia the victim. These attitudes will be assessed by measuring automatic links between the characters (for example "Lori" versus "Sophia ") and attributions ("good" or "bad"). The test has seven stages in which the participants are required to classify words into different categories as quickly as possible By pressing the right ("k")/left ("D") key, the reaction time and the number of errors in the cross-category steps will reflect the strength of the implicit beliefs about the characters which are part of the IWA task.

  T2: (immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Implicit Association Test (IAT) - new version attitudes regarding harm/violent behavior

  The IAT is a computerized screening test developed by Greenwald and is designed to examine hidden attitudes. A new version was created for the purpose of the current study to examine attitudes towards the legitimacy of harm/violent behavior. These attitudes will be assessed by measuring automatic links between certain concepts (for example "abuse" versus "love") and attributions (for example "permitted" or "forbidden"). The test has seven stages in which the participants are required to classify words into different categories as quickly as possible By pressing the right ("D")/left ("K") key, the reaction time and the number of errors in the cross-category steps will reflect the strength of the implicit beliefs regarding the legitimacy of harm/violent behavior.

  T2: (immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II)

  Dissociation will be measured by the DES-II, a 28-item self-report questionnaire that measures the frequency of dissociative experiences. The total dissociative score is computed as the mean of items, ranging from 0 to 100. The DES-II has been shown to have high validity and reliability.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• The Selflessness scale (SS)

  The SS is a 15-item questionnaire on a four-point Likert scale that measured altruism by quantifying the tendency to ignore one's own needs and interests and serve the needs of others. The items ask about sacrifice for family and others, self-denial, and lack of self-interest.

  Change between T1 and T2: (48 hours before and immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• 7. Sense of Body Boundaries Survey (BBS)

  A subjective feeling of a disturbance or disruption of the body's boundaries will assess via 17 items self-report questionnaire, divided into two scales: one refers to the subject's sense of physical separation from his environment and is called "The barrier subscale" (for example: "I do not feel tangibly separated from the reality surrounding me"), the second is a permeability scale (known as: "The permeability subscale"), and refers to the feeling of physical vulnerability (for example: "Sometimes I imagine/experience my body as a wide open window"). Subjects will be asked to answer on a scale of 1-5, according to their degree of identification with the physical sensation or physical experience presented in the item.

  T2: (immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Manipulation check questions

  T2: (immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• The short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF)

  Baseline ( screening phase)

• Characteristics of the assault

  Baseline ( screening phase)

• Open questions

  T2: (immediately after the manipulation= The IWA lab task)

• Background questionnaire

  Baseline ( screening phase)

Study Arms (3)

The 'identification with the aggressor' group

EXPERIMENTAL

In this experimental group participants will be asked to try to identify, understand and adopt the point of view of Lori (the perpetrator), before listening to the audio recording portraying a romantic relationship between two women (Lori and Sophia), in which one of them (Lori - the perpetrator) is being aggressive towards the other (Sophia - the victim).

Behavioral: Identifying with the aggressor

The 'identification with the victim' group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In this experimental group participants will be asked to try to identify, understand and adopt the point of view Sophia (the victim), before listening to the audio recording portraying a romantic relationship between two women (Lori and Sophia), in which one of them (Lori - the perpetrator) is being aggressive towards the other (Sophia - the victim).

Behavioral: Identifying with the victim

The control group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

In this experimental group participants will be asked to pay attention to the story's details and to try and remember as much details as they can, before listening to the audio recording portraying a romantic relationship between two women (Lori and Sophia), in which one of them (Lori - the perpetrator) is being aggressive towards the other (Sophia - the victim).

Behavioral: Neutral

Interventions

Identifying with the aggressor BEHAVIORAL

The IWA lab task consists 10 min audio recorded story, portraying a romantic relationship between two women (Lori and Sophia), in which one of them (Lori - the perpetrator) is being aggressive towards the other (Sophia - the victim). The story was carefully designed to align with ethical considerations - it is non-graphic, contains no severe acts of violence, and mostly describes a romantic power dynamic which may be considered abusive or toxic. The three groups of participants will receive different instructions before listening to the audio recording. The 'identification with the aggressor' group will be asked to try to identify, understand and adopt the point of view of Lori (the perpetrator)

The 'identification with the aggressor' group

Identifying with the victim BEHAVIORAL

The IWA lab task consists 10 min audio recorded story, portraying a romantic relationship between two women (Lori and Sophia), in which one of them (Lori - the perpetrator) is being aggressive towards the other (Sophia - the victim). The story was carefully designed to align with ethical considerations - it is non-graphic, contains no severe acts of violence, and mostly describes a romantic power dynamic which may be considered abusive or toxic. The three groups of participants will receive different instructions before listening to the audio recording. The 'identification with the victim' group will be asked to try to identify, understand and adopt the point of view of Sophia (the victim)

The 'identification with the victim' group

Neutral BEHAVIORAL

The IWA lab task consists 10 min audio recorded story, portraying a romantic relationship between two women (Lori and Sophia), in which one of them (Lori - the perpetrator) is being aggressive towards the other (Sophia - the victim). The story was carefully designed to align with ethical considerations - it is non-graphic, contains no severe acts of violence, and mostly describes a romantic power dynamic which may be considered abusive or toxic. The three groups of participants will receive different instructions before listening to the audio recording. The control group will be asked to pay attention to the story's details and to try and remember as much details as they can.

The control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Individuals who identify themselves as women
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Good command of Hebrew language
• Age 18 or older

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder
• Persistent drug use
• Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
• Hearing or vision difficulties (that may impair the experimental manipulation and participants' ability to complete the Reading the Mind in the Eyes and the IAT tasks).
• Being currently subjected to abuse
• Suicidal risk, as assessed by a clinical interview.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Tel Aviv University: lead
• Bar-Ilan University, Israel: collaborator

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Yael Lahav, Phd

  Tel Aviv University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Danny Horesh, Phd

  Bar Ilan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Prof. Yael Lahav

Model Details: This is a randomized controlled trial comprising of 2 assessments :before (T1) and after (T2) experimental manipulation. Participants with and without history of interpersonal abuse will be randomly allocated to one of three study conditions and will receive different instructions before listening to the audio recording of the identification with the aggressor (IWA) lab task: (1) The 'identification with the aggressor' group will be asked to try to identify, understand and adopt the point of view of the perpetrator; (2) The 'identification with the victim' group will be asked to try to identify, understand and adopt the point of view of with the victim; (3) The control group will be asked to pay attention to the story's details and to try and remember as much details as they can.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 14, 2025
• First Posted: January 20, 2025
• Study Start: April 2, 2003
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2025
• Study Completion: January 1, 2026
• Last Updated: January 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share