Sociodemographic Characteristics, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders Among Adolescent-Limited, Adult-Onset, Life-Course-Persistent Offenders and Nonoffenders in a General Population Survey

Abstract

This study compared sociodemographic characteristics, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and substance use and psychiatric disorders between adolescent-limited (AL), adult-onset (AO), life-course-persistent (LP) and nonoffender (NO) groups using a large U.S. general population survey. The odds of experiencing several ACEs were greater among each offender group relative to NOs. LP offenders experience more ACEs than AL and AO offenders. Each offender group generally experienced greater substance use and psychopathology than NOs, whereas LP offenders experienced more substance use and psychopathology than AO and AL offenders. The results of this study identified several sociodemographic factors, ACEs, and types of psychopathology that differentiate AL, AO, LP, and NO offenders that can help inform prevention and intervention strategies designed to prevent offending and shorten criminal careers.

Childhood trauma as a mediator between attachment and recidivism risk: A study of Canadian offenders with mental disorders

“…In comparison, the general population reports an average of less than two ACEs (Merrick et al., 2018) and less than 10% report five or more adverse events (Bynum et al., 2010; Dube et al., 2001), remarkably lower than the experiences of our sample. This finding is consistent with the literature suggesting a higher degree of traumatic exposure in offenders, with significantly higher odds of experiencing several ACEs compared to non‐offenders (Kerridge et al., 2020). The sample was also characterized by insecure attachment with notably higher scores of attachment anxiety and avoidance than found in either non‐offenders from the general population or non‐offending psychiatric controls (Ogilvie et al., 2014).…”

Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE): Cumulative Resiliency in the Face of Adverse Childhood Experiences

“…Importantly, justice-involved youth with higher ACE exposures have been demonstrated to have be at increased odds of internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Hunt et al, 2017; Muniz et al, 2019), higher recidivism rates and shortened time to reoffense (Wolff et al, 2017), violent felony arrests (Johnson, 2018), being more likely to attempt suicide (Perez et al, 2016), being victims of human trafficking (Reid et al, 2016) and arrested for trading sex (Naramore et al, 2017), being placed in a long-term juvenile justice residential program prior to age 18 (Zettler et al, 2018), being gang-involved (Wolff et al, 2020) and to evidence early-onset, serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offending trajectories (Baglivio, Wolff, Piquero, & Epps, 2015; Fox et al, 2015; Perez et al, 2018). Further, recent work has demonstrated adverse exposures increase offending up to age 56 (Craig, Piquero, et al, 2017), and distinguish life-course persistent offending from adolescent-limited and adult-onset offending types and from non-offenders (Kerridge et al, 2020).…”

Protecting Against Adversity: The Role of Positive Childhood Experiences in Youth Recidivism

“…Alternatively, ACE and PCE cut-off scores can be used to predict recidivism and to examine potential thresholds where either ACEs or PCEs will result in a greater negative effect compared to lower exposure. Considering recent studies have shown the negative impact of ACEs, but positive effect of PCEs, on youth recidivism and the mitigating effect of PCEs on ACEs (Baglivio & Wolff, 2021;Kerridge et al, 2020;Perez et al, 2018;Wolff et al, 2017) as well as the likely indirect relationship between trauma or adverse exposure and criminal behavior (Salisbury & Van Voorhis, 2009) in addition to the unknown influence of PCEs on this relationship, the following hypotheses were tested: H1: ACE threshold scores will predict recidivism. H2: PCE threshold scores will predict recidivism.…”

“…Additional work has examined the ACE-offending relationship beyond a single subsequent recidivism event, linking cumulative traumatic exposure to early-onset (by age 12) of initial offending, as well as serious, violent, and chronic offending, and adult criminality (Kerridge et al, 2020; Perez et al, 2018). Findings include increased odds of offending up to age 56 (Craig et al, 2017).…”