Childhood Trauma and Factors Associated with Criminal Behavior

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Article Summary
The researchers sought to investigate if there is a relationship between childhood trauma and various factors associated with criminal behavior such as dissociative experiences, and psychiatric background among prison inmates. The researchers collected sociodemographic and psychometric data on 200 male and female prison inmates. The researchers used primary data collection instruments; questionnaires and one-on-one interviews. The data collection instruments were based on psychometric tools i.e. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28) and Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES).
The major findings of the study were that male and female predictors of criminal behavior in adulthood varied based on childhood trauma data. For both males and females, family and personal history of psychiatric diseases and mental health issues i.e suicide attempts were common predictors of adulthood criminal behavior. In contrast, males had a higher prevalence of substance abuse, earlier young age of committing their first crime, and previous convictions as predictors of criminal behavior. On the other hand, females had higher CTQ scores and a higher prevalence of violent crimes. The findings showed that there was a positive correlation between childhood trauma and dissociative experiences and adverse family experiences in adulthood.
The researchers concluded that inmates who experienced high levels of childhood trauma were more likely to develop criminal behavior though not indicative of the severity of the subsequent offense. Thus, the researchers concluded that childhood trauma plays a significant role in the development of criminal behavior.
Why I agree with the interpretation of the data
I agree with the findings of the study because various studies have shown a positive correlation between childhood trauma and the development of criminal behavior. When ch...