Investigating Social Cognition in Women Who Have Offended
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating Social Cognition in Women Who Have Offended
IRAS ID
347322
Contact name
Julia Wyburgh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UEL
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
347322280325, Research reference number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 14 days
Research summary
Social cognition is an umbrella-term for cognitive processes which allow an individual to form mental representations about themselves and others. Its has been identified as essential to be able to form and maintain social connections. There is therefore extensive research associating impairments in social cognition to a variety of severe mental illnesses.
Despite its associations with Adverse Childhood Experiences and severe mental illness (which are highly prevalent in the offending population), social cognition and social skills are generally under-researched in offending populations. Historically, most research around offending has had a focus on male offending and therefore research investigating female offending patterns (which so far have been shown to differ from male ones) has been inconsistent or majorly lacking. Most of all, there is a lack of research exploring social cognition in populations of female offenders.
Understanding an individual's socio-cognitive skills is crucial when supporting women being reintegrated in the community (following a criminal offense) and to reduce recidivism. As socio-cognitive functioning directly affects an individual's ability to navigate social relationships, including in gaining/maintaining employment. Female offenders are 69 times more likely to die in the week following their release from prison than women in the general population. Therefore, investigating socio-cognitive functioning within this population could be crucial to understanding whether significant needs are being unmet when rehabilitating women within the community.
This study is therefore an exploratory investigation in understanding cognitive functions in female offenders, with a main focus of investigating social cognition within this population. The researcher has identified a collaborating community probation service which will scaffold identifying women who may be interested in participating. NB: This application concerns only the NHS/HMP am of the study. Other participants will be recruited from charitable and voluntary sector organisations.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0089
Date of REC Opinion
2 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion