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Childhood Trauma and Antisocial Behaviors

Paul Zhao




Introduction


Serial killers and psychopaths demonstrate a dark and twisted side of humanity that evokes a morbid fascination among us. Our primal obsession with needing answers makes us ask what makes someone not so different from us become such disturbed individuals. By understanding them, we are better able to “spot” the clues when things go wrong and prevent them from morphing into something malevolent. A prominent aspect always stands out in the creation of these antisocial individuals - childhood traumas. Ressler, an American FBI agent, wrote in his book Whoever Fights Monsters, “All the murders - every single one - were subjected to serious emotional abuse during their childhood” (qtd. in Crime Traveller, 2015). Undoubtedly, the presence of early traumatic experiences is often observed among violent criminals who have committed murder, rape, and child molestation (Craparo et al.). However, inferring a definite causal relationship without considering other risk factors is a common and facile mistake. By utilizing a clinical perspective to examine the influence of childhood trauma on criminal and antisocial behavior during maturity, we can develop a comprehensive understanding of the strength of this relationship, while accounting for all other variables, and explore the potential strategies for intervention.




Psychopathy and Antisocial Behavior


Childhood trauma is a significant factor contributing to personality disorders, particularly psychopathy, which are associated with criminal and antisocial behavior. A longitudinal study conducted by Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute has demonstrated that childhood abuse and neglect increase the risk for personality disorder during adulthood (Johnson, et al. 600). Their results indicated that individuals with documented neglect or abuse were 4 times more likely to develop personality disorders. Looking at psychopathy as a severe type of personality disorder, Craparo et al. found that neglect and abuse in childhood play a relevant role in the development of psychopathic traits among violent offenders. Additionally, their research suggested a negative correlation between the age of first trauma experience and their score on the PCL-R, a checklist used to assess psychopathy. These findings suggest a direct relationship between early trauma and psychopathy. The relationship between childhood trauma and the development of personality disorder can be established; however, do these personality disorders serve as risk factors for criminality? Building upon this inquiry and the impact of psychopathy, Gillespie et al., researchers at the Department of Primary Care and Mental Health at the University of Liverpool, have conducted an umbrella review that indicated a statistically significant positive association between psychopathy and dangerousness, which includes criminal behaviors such as violent or sexual recidivism and self-reported aggression (1). This implies that the more psychopathic a person is, the more likely they will commit dangerous crimes against society. As childhood trauma could lead to psychopathic personality traits, which in turn correlate with criminal and antisocial behaviors, it is reasonable to conclude that early traumatic experiences can directly influence an individual’s behavior during adulthood.




Individual’s Temperament and Antisocial Behavior


Although childhood trauma is a significant factor contributing to antisocial behavior, it is not the sole determinant, as there are other risk factors in between the two events. According to the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, individuals high on Extraversion and Neuroticism were more likely to be official or self-reported offenders (Farrington and West 115). The relationship was found independent of other variables related to childhood trauma, such as poor parental child-rearing behavior, which implies that personality can contribute to antisocial behavior independently from childhood trauma. This points out how childhood trauma may not directly lead to antisocial behaviors; rather, other factors also determine the degree to which childhood trauma affects an individual’s future behavior. Diving into the specific areas of personality, Lynam (566), a professor of clinical psychology at Purdue University's College of Health and Human Sciences, found that boys with symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and attention problems (HIA) and conduct disorders (CD) were more antisocial, more disinhibited, and more at risk of psychopathy compared to non-HIA and non-CD boys. Given these symptoms’ link to psychopathy, which in turn correlates with criminal and antisocial behavior, it is reasonable to infer that the presence of these symptoms can make certain individuals more likely to commit antisocial and criminal acts. However, the reverse is also true: individuals lacking HIA and CD symptoms would be less likely to be antisocial even with the experience of childhood trauma. Childhood trauma may serve as a fuse for criminal activities during adulthood; whether that fuse reaches the “bomb” depends on personal factors such as early temperament, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.




Types of Trauma and Disorders


Various forms of traumas correspond to specific mental disorders, each carrying its implications for the likelihood of criminal and antisocial development. According to a study that separated and studied the effects of different types of childhood trauma independently, combined exposure to verbal abuse (a form of emotional abuse) and witnessing domestic abuse (indirect emotional abuse) had the greatest effect on the development of depression symptoms; victims of these abuses were 2.8 times more likely to develop depression than non-abused subjects (Teicher et al. 993). Another study also found that diagnosis of depression correlated more with childhood emotional abuse than physical or sexual abuse (Gibb et al. 256). Depression is a type of mood disorder, which only marginally contributes to criminal behavior. A clinical study has shown that the frequency of mood disorders in criminals is as low as 0.02%-0.6% (Good 954). This suggests that emotional abuse may contribute to an individual's mental and emotional disorders; however, it does not significantly indicate future criminal or antisocial behavior. On the other hand, early physical abuse is a better indicator of criminal and antisocial behaviors during adulthood. Researchers from the Harvard Department of Psychology have found that individuals with physical abuse during childhood; such as family violence and abuse; were more likely to develop anxiety disorder (McLaughlin et al. 847). To build upon the previous correlation, a study done on prisoners suggests that anxiety disorder increases responsiveness to threats, which may lead to repeated criminal behavior. Among the prisoners, individuals with anxiety disorder, compared with those without, presented more symptoms of antisocial personality disorder and committed more serious crimes involving interpersonal violence. Additionally, half of the prisoners with antisocial personality disorder were diagnosed with anxiety disorder before the age of 16, underscoring the significant influence of childhood events (Hodgins et al. 784). To sum up, different types of traumas are related to the likelihood of criminal and antisocial behaviors in adulthood: emotional abuse is more strongly associated with mental disorders that rarely lead to antisocial acts. In contrast, physical abuse shows a pronounced correlation correlated with psychiatric disorders that are co-morbid with violent crimes.




Conclusion


Childhood trauma has a direct and significant impact on criminal and antisocial behavior, particularly through psychopathy, a catalyst for criminality. However, personalities and temperament issues represent risk factors that influence the development of criminality separately from childhood trauma. Similarities in data have shown that physical abuse, when compared to emotional abuse, better predicts mental disorders that lead to criminal and antisocial behavior. To intervene and mitigate the long-term impact of childhood maltreatment, it is crucial to understand the cumulative effects of trauma and abuse. (Teicher et al. 993). It is possible to reduce antisocial behavior through risk-factor prevention. Tackling a risk factor that predicts several outcomes can be beneficial as it reduces various social problems. For example, managing impulsiveness in early childhood, through cognitive-behavior skill training programs can help prevent the development of antisocial behavior later in life (Farrington 186). Nevertheless, these solutions do not address the root cause of childhood trauma, as reducing childhood maltreatment presents a complicated challenge that necessitates further research.




Works Cited


Craparo, Giuseppe, et al. “Traumatic Experiences in Childhood and Psychopathy: A Study on a Sample of Violent Offenders from Italy.” European Journal of Psychotraumatology, vol. 4, no. 0, 20 Dec. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871837/,


Farrington, David P. “Childhood Origins of Antisocial Behavior.” Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, vol. 12, no. 3, 2005, pp. 177–190, https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.448.


Farrington, David P., and Donald J. West. “The Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development: A Long-Term Follow-up of 411 London Males.” Kriminalität, 1990, pp. 115–138, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-75418-0_9, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75418-0_9.


Gibb, Brandon E., et al. “Childhood Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Abuse, and Diagnoses of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Adult Psychiatric Outpatients.” Depression and Anxiety, vol. 24, no. 4, 2007, pp. 256–263, https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20238.


Gillespie, Steven M., et al. “Psychopathy and Dangerousness: An Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis.” Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 100, Mar. 2023, p. 102240, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102240.


Good, Michael I. “Primary Affective Disorder, Aggression, and Criminality.” Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 35, no. 8, 1 Aug. 1978, p. 954, https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1978.01770320048003. Accessed 12 Nov. 2020.


Hodgins, Sheilagh, et al. “Anxiety Disorders among Offenders with Antisocial Personality Disorders: A Distinct Subtype?” The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 55, no. 12, Dec. 2010, pp. 784–791, doi.org/10.1177%2F070674371005501206,


Johnson, Jeffrey G., et al. “Childhood Maltreatment Increases Risk for Personality Disorders during Early Adulthood.” Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 56, no. 7, 1 July 1999, pp. 600–606, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/205066,


Lynam, Donald R. “APA PsycNet.” Psycnet.apa.org, psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-12952-003.


McLaughlin, K. A., et al. “Childhood Adversities and Adult Psychopathology in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) III: Associations with Functional Impairment Related to DSM-IV Disorders.” Psychological Medicine, vol. 40, no. 5, 7 Sept. 2009, pp. 847–859, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291709991115.


Ressler, Robert K, and Tom Shachtman. Whoever Fights Monsters. New York, St. Martin’s, 1992.


Teicher, Martin H., et al. “Sticks, Stones, and Hurtful Words: Relative Effects of Various Forms of Childhood Maltreatment.” American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 163, no. 6, June 2006, pp. 993–1000, https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.6.993.

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