NCJ Number
248092
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 38 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2014 Pages: 1399-1408
Date Published
August 2014
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Criminal thinking styles in 338 recently adjudicated men were examined as mediation links between different forms of child maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect) and adult criminal behavior.
Abstract
General criminal thinking styles, including both proactive and reactive thinking, fully accounted for the relationship between early maltreatment and adult criminal behavior. Within the criminology literature, certain thinking styles have been identified as predictors of adult criminal behavior, such that individuals who commit criminal acts, report more cognitive distortions than those who do not engage in criminal behaviors. These distortions may include minimizing the seriousness of criminal acts and attributing blame to others. These cognitive distortions have recently been grouped into two dimensions: proactive and reactive criminal thinking. Proactive aggression is instrumental and purposive, and reactive aggression is linked to emotion dysregulation and impulsivity. The current study found positive associations between child sexual abuse and sexual offenses as an adult. There were also positive associations between child physical abuse/neglect and the endorsement of proactive and reactive criminal thinking styles. The study design of the study did not permit conclusions about causation or the temporal ordering of the variables used. Only a longitudinal design that assesses criminal thinking styles and criminality over time could definitively establish the temporal sequence of these variables. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to determine child maltreatment history, and the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles assessed criminal thinking. Data on adult criminal behavior was obtained from the criminal history records of each participant. 3 tables and 78 references