Linking Childhood and Adult Criminality: Using a Life Course Framework to Examine Childhood Abuse and Neglect, Substance Use and Adult Partner Violence
Child abuse and neglect, considered criminal acts under the Criminal Code of Canada, play an important role in substance use, violence, and other criminal behaviour in adulthood. We adopted the life course perspective to identify modifiable contextual influences and co-occurring individual, social, and familial determinants associated with adult criminality. Using in-depth interview data, a sub-sample of 13 women who had recently experienced intimate partner violence, recounted their experiences of childhood abuse, their own substance use or criminality, as well as implications of these factors on their children’s life trajectories. For the purposes of this paper criminality was defined as child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, illegal substance use and underage alcohol use. Our objective was to explore, in our data: (1) patterns and trajectories of criminality from childhood to adulthood among women who were victims of violence, and (2) cumulative effects of early life exposures on experiences of criminality; with the aim of describing the life course perspective as a useful framework to understand criminality along the life trajectory. The analysis was not designed to demonstrate causal connections between early childhood and adulthood experiences of criminality. Rather we generated qualitative and quantitative hypotheses to guide future research in the field. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.
References
[1]
Renner, L.M.; Slack, K.S. Intimate partner violence and child maltreatment: Understanding intra and intergenerational connections. Child Abuse Neglect 2006, 30, 599–617, doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.12.005.
[2]
Gottfredson, M.R.; Hirschi, T. A General Theory of Crime; Stanford University Press: Redwood City, CA, USA, 1990.
[3]
Thornberry, T.P.; Krohn, M.D. Applying interactional theory to the explanation of continuity and change in antisocial behavior. In Integrated Developmental and Life-course Theories of Offending; Farrington, D.P., Ed.; Transaction: New Brunswick, NJ, USA, 2005; pp. 183–209.
[4]
Laub, J.H.; Sampson, R.J. Turning points in the life course: Why change matters to the study of crime. Criminology 1993, 31, 301–325, doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1993.tb01132.x.
[5]
Sampson, R.J.; Laub, J.H. Crime in the Making: Pathways and Turning Points Through Life; Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 1995.
[6]
Patterson, G.R.; de Baryshe, B.D.; Ramsey, E. A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. Amer. Psychol. 1989, 44, 329–335, doi:10.1037/0003-066X.44.2.329.
[7]
Farrington, D.P. Families and crime. In Crime and Public Policy; Wilson, J.Q., Petersilia, J., Eds.; Oxford University Press: New York, NY, USA, 2011; pp. 130–157.
[8]
di Lalla, L.F. Behavior genetics of aggression in children: Review and future directions. Develop. Rev. 2002, 22, 593–622, doi:10.1016/S0273-2297(02)00504-X.
[9]
Christiansen, K.O. Seriousness of criminality and concordance among Danish twins. In Crime, Criminology, and Public Policy; Hood, R., Ed.; Heinemann: London, UK, 1974; pp. 63–77.
[10]
Schmidt, L.A.; Fox, N.A.; Rubin, K.H.; Hu, S.; Hamer, D.H. Molecular genetics of shyness and aggression in preschoolers. Pers. Indiv. Differ. 2002, 33, 227–238.
[11]
Karere, G.M.; Kinnally, E.L.; Sanchez, J.N.; Famula, T.R.; Lyons, L.A.; Capitanio, J.P. What is an “adverse” environment? Interactions of rearing experiences and MAOA genotype in Rhesus monkeys. Biol. Psychiat. 2009, 65, 770–777.
[12]
Government of Canada, Department of Justice. Available online: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/fv-vf/laws-lois.html (accessed on 29 September).
Franklin, C.; Kercher, G. The intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence: Differentiating correlates in a random community sample. J. Fam. Violence 2012, 27, 187–199, doi:10.1007/s10896-012-9419-3.
[15]
Stith, S.M.; Rosen, K.H.; Middleton, K.A.; Busch, A.L.; Lundeberg, K.; Carlton, R.P. The intergenerational transmission of spouse abuse: A meta-analysis. J. Marriage Fam. 2000, 62, 640–654, doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00640.x.
[16]
Ehrensaft, M.K.; Cohen, P.; Brown, J.; Smailes, E.; Chen, H.; Johnson, J.G. Intergenerational transmission of partner violence: A 20-year prospective study. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 2003, 71, doi:10.1037/0022-006X.71.4.741.
[17]
Valdez, C.; Lim, B.; Lilly, M. “It’s going to make the whole tower crooked”: Victimization trajectories in IPV. J. Fam. Violence 2013, 28, 131–140, doi:10.1007/s10896-012-9476-7.
[18]
Heyman, R.E.; Slep, A.M.S. Do child abuse and interparental violence lead to adulthood family violence? J. Marriage Fam. 2002, 64, 864–870, doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00864.x.
[19]
Clark, C.; Caldwell, T.; Power, C.; Stansfeld, S.A. Does the influence of childhood adversity on psychopathology persist across the lifecourse? A 45-year prospective epidemiologic study. Ann. Epidemiol. 2010, 20, 385–394.
[20]
Fine, A.; Kotelchuck, M. Rethinking MCH: The Life Course Model as an Organizing Framework. Available online: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/lifecourse/rethinkingmchlifecourse.pdf (accessed on 10 October 2013).
[21]
Yoshihama, M.; Hammock, A.; Horrocks, J. Intimate partner violence, welfare receipt, and health status of low-income african american women: A lifecourse analysis. Amer. J. Commun. Psychol. 2006, 37, 95–109, doi:10.1007/s10464-005-9009-0.
[22]
Carbone-Lopez, K.; Rennison, C.M.; Macmillan, R. The transcendence of violence across relationships: New methods for understanding men’s and women’s experiences of intimate partner violence across the life course. J. Quant. Criminol. 2012, 28, 319–346, doi:10.1007/s10940-011-9143-9.
[23]
Mair, C.; Cunradi, C.B.; Todd, M. Adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence: Testing psychosocial mediational pathways among couples. Ann. Epidemiol. 2012, 22, 832–839, doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2012.09.008.
[24]
Giordano, P.C.; Cernkovich, S.A.; Rudolph, J.L. Gender, crime, and desistance: Toward a theory of cognitive transformation. Amer. J. Sociol. 2002, 107, 990–1064, doi:10.1086/343191.
[25]
Bronfenbrenner, U. Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Develop. Psychol. 1986, 22, 723–742, doi:10.1037/0012-1649.22.6.723.
[26]
Fergusson, D.M.; Horwood, L.J. Exposure to interparental violence in childhood and psychosocial adjustment in young adulthood. Child Abuse Neglect 1998, 22, 339–357, doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(98)00004-0.
[27]
Banyard, V.L.; Williams, L.M.; Saunders, B.E.; Fitzgerald, M.M. The complexity of trauma types in the lives of women in families referred for family violence: Multiple mediators of mental health. Amer. J. Orthopsychiat. 2008, 78, 394–404, doi:10.1037/a0014314.
[28]
Gómez, A.M. Testing the cycle of violence hypothesis: Child abuse and adolescent dating violence as predictors of intimate partner violence in young adulthood. Youth Soc. 2011, 43, 171–192, doi:10.1177/0044118X09358313.
[29]
Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal. Available online: http://cwrp.ca/child-abuse-neglect (accessed on 10 October 2013).
[30]
Daoud, N.; O’Campo, P.; Pedersen, C.; Hamilton-Wright, S.; Minh, A.; Zhang, Y.J.; Matheson, F.I. Housing stability/instability and health among women with past experiences of intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women. submitted, 2013.
[31]
Ben-Shlomo, Y.; Kuh, D. A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology: Conceptual models, empirical challenges and interdisciplinary perspectives. Int. J. Epidemiol. 2002, 31, 285–293, doi:10.1093/ije/31.2.285.
[32]
Dube, S.R.; Anda, R.F.; Felitti, V.J.; Edwards, V.J.; Croft, J.B. Adverse childhood experiences and personal alcohol abuse as an adult. Addict. Behav. 2002, 27, 713–725, doi:10.1016/S0306-4603(01)00204-0.
[33]
Elder, G.H. The life course as developmental theory. Child. Develop. 1998, 69, 1–12.
[34]
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Integrated Life Course Theories, Available online: http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/youthandthelaw/roots/volume5/chapter13_life_theories.aspx (accessed on 10 October 2013).
[35]
Moffitt, T.E. Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychol. Rev. 1993, 100, 674–701, doi:10.1037/0033-295X.100.4.674.
[36]
Kendler, K.S.; Prescott, C.A.; Myers, J.; Neale, M.C. The Structure of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Common Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders in Men and Women. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 2003, 60, 929–937, doi:10.1001/archpsyc.60.9.929.
[37]
Verdejo-García, A.; Lawrence, A.J.; Clark, L. Impulsivity as a vulnerability marker for substance-use disorders: Review of findings from high-risk research, problem gamblers and genetic association studies. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 2008, 32, 777–810, doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.11.003.
[38]
Hawkins, J.D.; Catalano, R.F.; Morrison, D.M.; O’Donnell, J.; Abbott, R.D.; Day, L.E.; Seattle, T.; Development, S.; Mccord, J.; York, N.; Press, G. The seattle social development project: Effects of the first four years on protective factors and problem behaviors. In Preventing Antisocial Behavior: Interventions from Birth through Adolescence; Mccord, J., Tremblay, R.E., Eds.; Guilford Publication: New York, NY, USA, 1992; pp. 139–161.
[39]
Burrow-Sanchez, J.J. Understanding adolescent substance abuse: Prevalence, risk factors, and clinical implications. J. Couns. Develop. 2006, 84, 283–290, doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2006.tb00407.x.
[40]
Stein, J.A.; Leslie, M.B.; Nyamathi, A. Relative contributions of parent substance use and childhood maltreatment to chronic homelessness, depression, and substance abuse problems among homeless women: Mediating roles of self-esteem and abuse in adulthood. Child Abuse Neglect. 2002, 26, 1011–1027, doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(02)00382-4.
[41]
Nair, P.; Schuler, M.E.; Black, M.M.; Kettinger, L.; Harrington, D. Cumulative environmental risk in substance abusing women: Early intervention, parenting stress, child abuse potential and child development. Child Abuse Neglect 2003, 27, 997–1017, doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(03)00169-8.
[42]
Wise, S. Family Structure, Child Outcomes and Environmental Mediators: An Overview of the Development in Diverse Families Study; Australian Institute of Family Studies: Melbourne, Australia, 2003.
[43]
Robboy, J.; Anderson, K.G. Intergenerational child abuse and coping. J. Interpers. Violence 2011, 26, 3526–3541, doi:10.1177/0886260511403758.
[44]
Berlin, L.J.; Appleyard, K.; Dodge, K.A. Intergenerational continuity in child maltreatment: Mediating mechanisms and implications for prevention. Child Develop. 2011, 82, 162–176, doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01547.x.
[45]
Lamela, D.; Figueiredo, B. Parents’ physical victimization in childhood and current risk of child maltreatment: The mediator role of psychosomatic symptoms. J. Psychosom. Res. 2013, 75, 178–183, doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.04.001.
[46]
Dube, S.R.; Felitti, V.J.; Dong, M.; Chapman, D.P.; Giles, W.H.; Anda, R.F. Childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction and the risk of illicit drug use: The adverse childhood experiences study. Pediatrics 2003, 111, 564–572, doi:10.1542/peds.111.3.564.
[47]
Whitfield, C.L.; Anda, R.F.; Dube, S.R.; Felitti, V.J. Violent childhood experiences and the risk of intimate partner violence in adults Assessment in a large health maintenance organization. J. Interpers. Violence 2003, 18, 166–185, doi:10.1177/0886260502238733.
[48]
Masten, A.S.; Coatsworth, J.D. The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children. Amer. Psychol. 1998, 53, 205–220, doi:10.1037/0003-066X.53.2.205.
[49]
Guelzow, J.W.; Cornett, P.F.; Dougherty, T.M. Child sexual abuse victims’ perception of paternal support as a significant predictor of coping style and global self-worth. J. Child Sex. Abus. 2003, 11, 53–72, doi:10.1300/J070v11n04_04.
[50]
Walsh, K.; Fortier, M.A.; di Lillo, D. Adult coping with childhood sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review. Aggress. Violent Behavior 2010, 15, 1–13, doi:10.1016/j.avb.2009.06.009.
[51]
Frazier, P.; Tashiro, T.; Berman, M.; Steger, M.; Long, J. Correlates of levels and patterns of positive life changes following sexual assault. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 2004, 72, 19–30, doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.1.19.
[52]
Merrill, L.L.; Guimond, J.M.; Thomsen, C.J.; Milner, J.S. Child sexual abuse and number of sexual partners in young women: The role of abuse severity, coping style, and sexual functioning. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 2003, 71, 987–996, doi:10.1037/0022-006X.71.6.987.
[53]
Bensley, L.; van Eenwyk, J.; Simmons, K.W. Childhood family violence history and women’s risk for intimate partner violence and poor health. Amer. J. Prev. Med. 2003, 25, 38–44, doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(03)00094-1.
[54]
Field, C.A.; Caetano, R. Longitudinal model predicting partner violence among white, black, and Hispanic couples in the United States. Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. 2003, 27, 1451–1458, doi:10.1097/01.ALC.0000086066.70540.8C.
[55]
Tomison, A.M. Preventing Child Abuse: Changes to Family Support in the 21st Century; National Child Protection Clearing House: Melbourne, Australia, 2002.
