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Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminality
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Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminality

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 17383

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Matt DeLisi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, 203A East Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: adverse childhood experiences; developmental psychopathology; psychopathy; self-control; criminal careers/career criminals; forensic assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of adverse childhood experiences shows the long shadow that various forms of childhood trauma impose on subsequent health outcomes, mental health features, and behavioral functioning. In recent years, the application of adverse childhood experiences has greatly expanded in criminology and criminal justice and articulated ways these trauma experiences manifest in conduct problems. There is much work to be done, and pressing research needs. These include: studies of greater specificity about how singular forms of adverse childhood experiences increase the liability for general and specific forms of antisocial behavior, studies of mediators and moderators of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and criminality, development of new measures of adverse childhood experiences to better capture their complexity, duration, frequency, and severity, integration of the adverse childhood experiences framework with criminological, psychological, and sociological theories, and application of adverse childhood experiences to various forensic and criminological typologies. This Special Issue is broadly inclusive of data sources and analytical techniques that can further understanding of adverse childhood experiences and criminality, refine theory and conceptual models about trauma and its developmental cascades, or provide findings to inform behavioral interventions and public policy.

Prof. Dr. Matt DeLisi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • adverse childhood experiences
  • trauma
  • criminality
  • developmental psychopathology
  • delinquency
  • conduct problems
  • externalizing behaviors
  • childhood sexual abuse

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1260 KiB  
Article
Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort
by Stephanie Langevin, Ashalom Caspi, J. C. Barnes, Grace Brennan, Richie Poulton, Suzanne C. Purdy, Sandhya Ramrakha, Peter T. Tanksley, Peter R. Thorne, Graham Wilson and Terrie E. Moffitt
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14402; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114402 - 3 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4179
Abstract
Prior research shows that individuals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis [...] Read more.
Prior research shows that individuals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that individuals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N = 1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among individuals following the LCP trajectory (β, 0.22, 95%CI, 0.14, 0.28, p ≤ 0.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25–45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory individuals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (β, −0.14, 95%CI, −0.21, −0.08, p ≤ 0.001), balance (β, −0.13, 95%CI, −0.18, −0.06, p ≤ 0.001), gait speed (β, −0.18, 95%CI, −0.24, −0.10, p ≤ 0.001), and cognitive functioning (β, −0.25, 95%CI, −0.31, −0.18, p ≤ 0.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling individually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on healthcare systems and improve their wellbeing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminality)
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21 pages, 653 KiB  
Article
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Personality, and Crime: Distinct Associations among a High-Risk Sample of Institutionalized Youth
by Steffen Barra, Marcel Aebi, Delfine d’Huart, Klaus Schmeck, Marc Schmid and Cyril Boonmann
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031227 - 22 Jan 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6245
Abstract
Despite high rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and personality-related disturbances among delinquent juveniles, associations among ACEs, youth personality, and juvenile crime involvement are still unclear. High-risk samples of institutionalized youth are in specific need of a comprehensive assessment of ACEs and personality [...] Read more.
Despite high rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and personality-related disturbances among delinquent juveniles, associations among ACEs, youth personality, and juvenile crime involvement are still unclear. High-risk samples of institutionalized youth are in specific need of a comprehensive assessment of ACEs and personality features in order to broaden the current knowledge on the occurrence and persistence of juvenile crime and to derive implications for prevention and intervention. We examined a heterogeneous high-risk sample of 342 adolescents (35.1% females, 64.9% males) aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 15.74, SD = 1.61 years) living in child-welfare or juvenile justice institutions regarding cumulative ACEs, psychopathic traits, temperament, and clinical personality disorder ratings, and criminal involvement before and up to 10 years after assessment. We found considerable rates of ACEs, although cumulative ACEs did not predict future crime. Latent Profile Analysis based on dimensional measures of psychopathy, temperament, and personality disorders derived six distinct personality profiles, which were differently related to ACEs, personality disturbances, clinical psychopathology, and future delinquency. A socially difficult personality profile was associated with increased risk of future crime, whereas avoidant personality traits appeared protective. Findings indicate that the role of ACEs in the prediction of juvenile delinquency is still not sufficiently clear and that relying on single personality traits alone is insufficient in the explanation of juvenile crime. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminality)
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14 pages, 351 KiB  
Article
Adverse Childhood Experiences Distinguish Violent Juvenile Sexual Offenders’ Victim Typologies
by Michael T. Baglivio and Kevin T. Wolff
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11345; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111345 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3059
Abstract
Juvenile perpetrators account for over 25% of all sexual offenses, and over one-third of such offenses are against victims under the age of 18. Given empirical connections between adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposure and perpetration of violence, we create victim typologies based on [...] Read more.
Juvenile perpetrators account for over 25% of all sexual offenses, and over one-third of such offenses are against victims under the age of 18. Given empirical connections between adverse childhood experience (ACE) exposure and perpetration of violence, we create victim typologies based on the juveniles’ relationship to their victims among 5539 justice-involved adolescents who have committed violent against-person sexual felonies. Multinomial logistic regression is used to assess which covariates, including individual ACE exposures and cumulative traumatic exposures, are associated with victim typologies. This approach allows for better targeting of violence prevention efforts, as a more nuanced understanding of the increased likelihood to victimize specific victim groups lends to potential differences in treatment provision, beyond simplistic findings regarding ACE exposure increasing offending. Results indicate five classes of victim types, ranging from a low of 6.4%, with primarily strangers as victims, to 31.3%, with predominately acquaintances as victims, and only 12.9% with a diverse array of relationships to victims. Importantly, many demographic and individual risk factors, and specific traumatic exposures were related to victimizing one’s sibling, while cumulative trauma as measured by an ACE score decreased the likelihood of victimizing classmates, while increasing the likelihood of victimizing siblings and other relatives compared to victimizing acquaintances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminality)
11 pages, 331 KiB  
Article
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Forensic Typologies: Getting Specific about Trauma among Institutionalized Youth
by Ilma Jahic, Chad R. Trulson, Jonathan W. Caudill, Taea Bonner, Alexandra Slemaker and Matt DeLisi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11307; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111307 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2876
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to various conduct and behavior problems within juvenile delinquents, but fewer studies focused on these associations among specific forensic typologies of offending. Utilizing data from 3382 institutionalized delinquents in Texas, logistic regression models indicated multiple associations between [...] Read more.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to various conduct and behavior problems within juvenile delinquents, but fewer studies focused on these associations among specific forensic typologies of offending. Utilizing data from 3382 institutionalized delinquents in Texas, logistic regression models indicated multiple associations between ACEs and forensic typologies in both adjusted and unadjusted models, with sexual abuse and physical abuse emerging as the most consistent and robust predictors. Supplemental sensitivity models confirmed the associations between sexual abuse and physical abuse among youth who fit multiple forensic typologies. Models fared poorly at identifying youth who are engaged in fire setting. Implications for total and singular ACEs are discussed, along with how those relate to more clinically meaningful, forensic forms of juvenile delinquency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adverse Childhood Experiences and Criminality)
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