Is drug abuse/dependence associated with a specific executive functioning in batterers?

Although the neuropsychological profile of batterers has been explored, there is not enough information about their executive functioning according to the severity of substance use. A broad and solid knowledge of the executive performance of this population would help to clarify its specific contribution to the differentiation of certain batterer subtypes. For this purpose, a protocol consisting of tests that evaluate some executive functions was administered to 39 batterers with a history of substance abuse/dependence (MC) (M= 38.79, SD= 6.74) and 39 batterers without this kind of background (MS) (M= 35.59, SD= 7.95), all of them from two prisons in Granada (Spain). The MC presented less cognitive flexibility and worse working memory and inhibitory control than the MS. The findings corroborate the association of substance abuse/dependence to a specific executive functioning in batterers, while contributing to the optimization of strategies to prevent intimate partner violence and intervention programs with this population.