Conceptually, abandonment occurs when the victim is dependent on an adult for his/her survival and, for this reason, is thought to happen only in childhood. One form of emotional trauma is abandonment, which occurs when a caregiver deserts a child emotionally, physically, and/or financially. Childhood emotional trauma may include actions of hostility, rejection, abandonment, or indifference, as well as words that are critical, harsh, belittling, or intended to overpower or intimidate. Emotional trauma, considered part of the definition of childhood maltreatment or abuse, is typically defined to occur when the victim is a minor (younger than age 18) and focuses on the failure of a caregiver to meet age-appropriate emotional, physical, or financial needs of a child in his/her care. Over one-quarter of incarcerated men reported being abandoned during childhood or adolescence, diminishing to less than one-fifth (18%) in adulthood. Įmotional abuse, particularly abandonment, is also prevalent among incarcerated men. Rates of sexual victimization were significantly lower. Six-month prevalence rates of inmate- and staff-on-inmate physical victimization for male inmates were estimated at, respectively, 21% and 25%. Trauma experiences, for some incarcerated men, continue inside prison. For a significant minority of incarcerated men, trauma experiences continued into adulthood but at rates lower than found in childhood, with the exception of being threatened or harmed by a knife or gun, which occurs at roughly equal rates in childhood and adulthood. Repeated trauma over the life cycle also has been found among incarcerated men. Widom and colleagues, using a prospective design, found that all types of childhood trauma (physical, sexual, and neglect) elevate the risk of lifetime re-victimization. Trauma, both experienced and witnessed, often continues into adulthood. By contrast, sexual trauma in childhood is less common (less than 10%) than physical trauma among incarcerated men. Over half of male inmates (56%) reported experiencing childhood physical trauma. In the United States, 1 in 6 state male inmates reported being physically or sexually abused before age 18, and many more witnessed interpersonal violence. Given the sheer numbers of incarcerated men and the strength of these associations, targeted intervention is critical.Įxperiencing physical, sexual, or emotional abuse (referred to as “trauma”) during childhood is known to have predictable immediate and distal impacts on personality development Rates of childhood and adult trauma are notably elevated among incarcerated men. Trauma exposure was found to be strongly associated with a wide range of behavioral problems and clinical symptoms. Rates of physical, sexual, and emotional trauma were higher in childhood than adulthood and ranged from 44.7% (physical trauma in childhood) to 4.5% (sexual trauma in adulthood). HLM models were used to explore the association between childhood and adult trauma and depression, anxiety, substance use, interpersonal problems, and aggression problems (each model estimated separately and controlling for age, gender, race, time incarcerated, and index offense). Prevalence estimates for types of trauma were constructed by age at time of trauma, race and types of behavioral health treatment received while incarcerated. This paper develops rates of childhood and adult trauma and examines the impact of age-of-onset and type-specific trauma on emotional problems and behavior for a sample of incarcerated males (N~4,000). In addition to criminality, childhood trauma is associated with the risk for emotional disorders (e.g., depression and anxiety) and co-morbid conditions such as alcohol and drug abuse and antisocial behaviors in adulthood. Rates of childhood and adult trauma are high among incarcerated persons.
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