POWERPOINT

IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE 8

Implications for Trauma-Informed Care: Adverse Childhood Trauma and Dissociation in the Lives of Male Offenders Takia Owens South University CNS 6529 Research and Evaluation Dr. Dan 3/8/2022 Abstract

Psychological abuse, household dysfunction, neglect, and physical abuse are examples of adverse childhood trauma. However, in efforts to support trauma-informed care for male offenders, the relationship between these adverse childhood traumatic events and dissociation must be determined. This study will utilize a qualitative research approach as well as a correlational research design. The study will include 30 participants drawn from various maximum-security prisons.

Introduction

Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that occur in children aged 0 to 17. Emotional abuse, household dysfunction, neglect, and physical abuse are examples of traumatic events. Adverse childhood trauma has long-term consequences in an individual's life, resulting in higher levels of dissociation. This disassociation is more pronounced in male offenders. These negative childhood experiences are also one of the factors that contributed to the crimes committed by these individuals. However, more research is needed to determine how these adverse childhood traumas relate to dissociation in male offenders.

This relationship will be critical in informing the provision of trauma-informed care to these offenders. Trauma is described as a traumatic occurrence that threatens one's or others' bodily or psychological well-being and causes feelings of fear, helplessness, or shock (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Bloom, 2013). Traumatic events have been a part of human life since the beginning of time. Severe accidents, violence, personal assaults, or natural disasters could all be examples. Various historical events illustrate the various forms of trauma that can occur in human life. These experiences have resulted in the creation of numerous trauma sources that have improved human knowledge of trauma. Human beings, on the other hand, are still subjected to trauma that affects their emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being.

Physical attack, combat, accidents, and human or natural disasters have all resulted in males experiencing trauma. Most men live in diverse cities are affected by violent trauma. The previous study on this found that gun, violence, and drug crimes were more rampant among the repeat victims of violence as compared to those that were accidentally injured (Coope.et-al, 2000). TIC is focused on an increasing understanding of the adverse effects of psychological trauma.

Trauma-informed care has been shown to enhance criminal responsiveness to evidence-based cognitive behavioral treatment, which minimizes criminal potential risks and supports integrated programming for offenders. Trauma is a common occurrence in society and among men and women. Victims could be retraumatized by the service system, affecting their willingness to join and interact while refocusing on negative trauma. Childhood trauma, emotional abuse, and having unmarried parents were all characteristics that significantly predicted sexual deviance in male offenders.

Child physical maltreatment and substance misuse were both major predictors of violent sexual behavior. Trauma is something that almost everyone has experienced at some point in their lives (Coope.et-al, 2000). Because different people have varied degrees of psychological, bodily, and mental responses to trauma, the effects of this experience are unique to everyone. Trauma in the early stages of development makes a person vulnerable to trauma later in life due to continuous stress and the development of mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and personality disorders.

Trauma has an impact on dealing with the physical, neurological, and psychological symptoms and consequences for male offenders' early childhood development and separation. Many offenders were victims of child abuse and family dysfunction when they were adolescents, and incarcerated clients have significantly higher rates of poor childhood experiences. The entire aim of TIC is to include knowledge of the neurobiological, social, and psychological effects of trauma into policies, methods, and practices that promote a safe, caring, and fair service delivery setting.

Review of Literature

Fung et al. (2019) conducted a study to see if there was a link between negative childhood experiences and dissociation. To examine the link between adverse childhood experiences and dissociation, the authors used questionnaires about adverse childhood experiences and dissociation. The authors assessed dissociation using the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, whereas the adverse childhood question was used to measure a history of emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction (Fung et al., 2019). The study discovered a connection between dissociation and traumatic childhood experiences in which participants reported significant levels of dissociation.

To help evaluate the association between childhood traumatic events and dissociation, Rafiq et al. (2018) did a comprehensive evaluation of 30 different empirical investigations. The publications for this study were obtained from the databases Embase, PubMed, and PsycINFO. The researchers discovered a link between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation. Individuals who were exposed to traumatic events as children had a higher level of detachment. The researchers also discovered that dissociations are linked to specific negative childhood events (Rafiq et al., 2018). The authors found that people who have had traumatic childhood experiences require proper therapeutic support to manage and resolve dissociative symptoms.

Which is defined as an experienced or observed event that threatens one's physical or mental well-being. As we notice that some people are not diagnose with mental illness to later on and that mental illness and trauma concerns are among the most common challenges that most people face in today's society. Behavioral, cognitive, and emotional well-being are all part of mental health. As a result, mental illness is defined as the condition that affects a person's mood, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Anxiety, major bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, and trauma are some of the most frequent mental diseases. Mental health and trauma issues are frequently caused by several causes. 

A study by Degnan et al. (2022) looked at the link between childhood interpersonal trauma, negative symptoms, and psychological mediators. For the investigations, the authors utilized a total of 240 people who had experienced childhood trauma and attachment dissociation. The findings revealed a link between childhood trauma and dissociative experiences among the study's participants.

When providing care using trauma-informed approaches and strategies, the author suggested that healthcare providers explore the relationship between dissociation and adverse childhood events. Rabito et al. (2020) conducted research to determine the link between childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms. For their study, the authors used 22 participants and variables such as age, gender, marital status, and the maturity level of commencement of the condition.

The Dissociative Experiences Sea, the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were employed by the researchers. The outcomes of the study reveal a link between childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms. The authors suggested that affected individuals employ cognitive-behavioral therapy to assist them deal with their dissociation symptoms. Wagner et al. (2021) done extensive research to evaluate mentalization and dissociation following traumatic childhood experiences. The Mentalization Questionnaire, the Essener Trauma Inventory, and the Brief Symptom Inventory were provided to 77 offenders for the study.

The authors next used the Spss process tool to investigate the link between traumatic childhood events and individual dissociation. The study discovered a link between severe childhood trauma and increased levels of dissociation and mentalization in adults (Wagner et al., 2021). Individuals with low mentalization were linked to worse sadness, anxiety, somatization, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the authors.

Sun et al. (2018) carried out a study to determine whether dissociation mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and hallucination. The authors administered questionnaires and carried out interviews on sixty-six participants. Sun et al. (2018) used clinician-rated measures to evaluate the relationship between these two factors. The study determined a positive correlation between childhood trauma and dissociation. The authors concluded that dissociative symptoms are part of routine assessment among individuals with a history of childhood trauma.

Method

Participants

Thirty Individuals will be recruited from different prisons across South Carolina for the study. After obtaining all the study's details, informed consent will be acquired to participate. The study's participants will be chosen using the stratified sampling approach. Male offenders will be separated into groups based on their traits. Race, age, and cultural background are the three factors. Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics will be the races studied. Participants will range in age between 20 to 40 years old. They will be separated into ten-year age groups. The ages of the participants will range from 20 to 29, 30 to 39. The participants should also have a history of adverse childhood events and a higher level of dissociation. The independent variable is the male offenders.

Materials

As we measure the dependent variable, which is adverse childhood events and dissociative. The Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire will be administered. The questionnaire will have ten questions and will be used to evaluate various types of childhood traumatic events. Physical abuse, verbal abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse are the traumatic experiences that will be analyzed using these questionnaires. The Dissociative Experiences Scale questionnaire is used as the second piece of research material. Bernstein and Putnam created this scale to evaluate individual dissociation. The ernis Felt Sense of Anomaly will be administered as the third measure to assess the subset of dissociative experiences among the participants of the study.

Design

The primary research will be guided by the qualitative research approach. Non-numerical data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted in this location. The qualitative research technique will allow researchers to identify and comprehend the connection between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation in male criminals' lives. The correlational research design was adopted in this study. This design will be utilized to investigate the link between adverse childhood trauma episodes and male offenders' dissociation. It will assist in the recognition of trends and patterns in the data collected, as well as providing information on how trauma-informed care can be provided to these offenders.

Procedure

The Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale questionnaire, and the Ernis Felt Sense of Anomaly questionnaire will be administered to the selected participants. They will be expected to complete the questionnaires with the assistance of mental health professionals. The data will be evaluated using content analysis, which will be applied to identify communication patterns that have been recorded. Common words, topics, and concepts will be recognized by the content analysis. It will also enable the measurement and analysis of the detected topics to determine their significance and linkages. The relationship analysis component of the analysis will be used to identify the link between adverse childhood events and dissociation.

Expected Results

That there is a positive relationship between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation among male offenders. The study's intended findings are that there is a link between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation among male criminals. Is it true that having a traumatic upbringing will have an impact on your life path? Will you be imprisoned, or will things progress for the better, or will the childhood trauma continue? When providing trauma-informed therapy, this intended result underlines the need of taking traumatic childhood events into perspective. Will trauma-informed care be useful in treating male offenders yes it will be useful.

Discussion

Individuals who have had a traumatic childhood are more likely to commit crimes. Physical abuse, mental abuse, and neglect are examples of unfavorable childhood traumas. However, it is important to investigate whether there is a link between these traumatic childhood events and male criminals.

As we talk about behavior and childhood, we can refer to these theorists according to Freud's view, the body goes through numerous psychosexual stages. Psychodynamic theories, on the other hand, are concerned with the internal forces that drive people's behavior. Erik Erikson's theory, for example, examines an individual's development through eight stages of examining behavioral flaws.

Cognitive theories, on the other hand, highlight that individuals' attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs shape their behavioral substantial link exists between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation, according to a literature evaluation based on much research. These findings imply that when treating male criminals, mental health providers should consider unpleasant childhood experiences. This will enable trauma-informed care to be provided to this population, ensuring their overall well-being.

Conclusion

The study's research approach is a correlational research design, which will be utilized to assess the association between adverse childhood trauma events and male offenders' dissociation. The study will include 30 individuals who will be chosen using a stratified sample approach from different prison institutions in the South Carolina. This approach will ensure that people of all experiences, such as race and age, are fairly represented. The study's intended findings are that there is a link between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation among males’ offenders.

As stated that the purpose of the planned research is to see if there is a link between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation in male criminals. This study's findings will be critical in informing trauma-informed care for male offenders to secure their overall well-being. The Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire and the ernis Felt Sense of Anomaly questionnaire will be used to collect data in a qualitative manner.

References

Altintas, M., & Bilici, M. (2018). Evaluation of childhood trauma with respect to criminal behavior, dissociative experiences, adverse family experiences, and psychiatric backgrounds among prison inmates. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 82, 100-107.

Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C. H., Perry, B. D., ... & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 256(3), 174-186.

Degnan, A., Berry, K., Humphrey, C., & Bucci, S. (2022). The role of attachment and dissociation in the relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and negative symptoms in psychosis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.

Fung, H. W., Ross, C. A., Yu, C. K. C., & Lau, E. K. L. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and dissociation among Hong Kong mental health service users. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 20(4), 457-470.

Levenson, J. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences and subsequent substance abuse in a sample of sexual offenders: Implications for treatment and prevention. Victims & Offenders, 11(2), 199-224.

Nanny, J. T., Conrad, E. J., McCloskey, M., & Constants, J. I. (2015). Criminal behavior and repeat violent trauma. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 49(3), 395-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.021

Rabito-Alcón, M. F., Baile, J. I., & Vanderlinden, J. (2020). Child Trauma Experiences and Dissociative Symptoms in Women with Eating Disorders: Case-Control Study. Children, 7(12), 274.

Rafiq, S., Campodonico, C., & Varese, F. (2018). The relationship between childhood adversities and dissociation in severe mental illness: A meta‐analytic review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 138(6), 509-525.

Sun, P., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Simpson, K., Lawrence, K., Peach, N., & Bendall, S. (2018). Does dissociation mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and hallucinations, delusions in first-episode psychosis?. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 84, 68-74.

Wagner-Skacel, J., Riedl, D., Kampling, H., & Lampe, A. (2021). Mentalization and Dissociation after Adverse Childhood Experiences.