Article
Full Access
Prior life trauma, post-traumatic stress symptoms, sexual disorders, and character traits in sex offenders: An exploratory study
George W. Barnard,
Gary C. Hankins, Lynn Robbins,
George W. Barnard
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32601
Search for more papers by this authorLynn Robbins
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32601
Search for more papers by this authorGeorge W. Barnard,
Gary C. Hankins, Lynn Robbins,
George W. Barnard
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32601
Search for more papers by this authorLynn Robbins
Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32601
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Fifty-two residents in a forensic treatment center for convicted sex offenders were studied using a computer-assisted assessment methodology regarding prior exposure to seven categories of major trauma, the subsequent occurrence of 15 PTSD criterion symptoms, the occurrence of sexual disorders and pathological character traits based on the DSM-III-R Axis II diagnostic criteria. This sample represented 43% of all individuals in such treatment in Florida during the study month. The results in terms of trauma exposure, PTS symptom, sexual disorders, and character traits are reported and discussed in relation to the relevant literature. A theoretical formulation based on object relations theory suggesting a causal link between trauma, narcissistic character pathology, adult PTSD, and sexual deviancy for some sex offenders is presented and related to the findings. The methodological limitations of the research and its implications for future research are explored.
References
- Abel, G. G., Becker, J. V., Cunningham-Rathner, J., Mittelman, M., and Rouleau, J. L. (1988). Multiple paraphilic diagnoses among sex offenders. Bull. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 16: 153–168.
- American Psychiatric Association (1987). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (third edition-revised), Washington, D.C., pp. 247–251.
- Araji, S., and Finkelhor, D. (1985). Explanations of pedophilia: Review of empirical research. Bull. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 13: 17–37.
- Barnard, G. W., Fuller, K. A., Robbins, L., and Shaw, T. (1989). The Child Molester: An Integrated Approach to Evaluation and Treatment, Brunner/Mazel, New York,
- Boehnlein, J. K. (1989). The process of research in posttraumatic stress disorder. Perspect. Biol. Med. 32: 455–465.
- Brecher, E. M. (1975). History of human sexual research and study. In A. M. Freedman, H. I. Kaplan and B. J. Sadock (eds.), Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry/II, Vol. 2, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.
- Burgess, A. W., Hartman, C. R., and McCormack, A. (1987). Abused to abuser: Antecedents of socially deviant behaviors. Am. J. Psychiatry 144: 1431–1436.
-
Collins, J. J., and
Bailey, S. L.
(1990).
Traumatic stress disorder and violent behavior.
J. Traumatic Stress
3:
203–220.
10.1002/jts.2490030204 Google Scholar
- Dimsdale, J. E. (1980). The perpetrator. In J. E. Dimsdale (ed.), Survivors, Victims, and Perpetrators: Essays on the Nazi Holocaust, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., New York,
- Ellis, H. (1936). Studies in the Psychology of Sex, 2 vols., Random House, New York.
- Feldman, J. B. (1988). Violence as a disintegration product of the self in posttraumatic stress disorder. Am. J. Psychother. 42: 281–289.
- Freud, A. (1936). The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, International Universities Press, New York,
- Freud, S. (1905). Three essays on the theory of sexuality, in Complete Psychological Works, vol. 7, 1953, Hogarth Press, London.
- Furby, L., Weinrott, M. R., and Blackshaw, L. (1989). Sex offender recidivism: A review. Psychol. Bull. 105: 3–30.
- Greist, J. H. (1990). Computers and psychiatric diagnosis. In: D. Baskin (ed.), Computer Applications in Psychiatry and Psychology, New York: Brunner/Mazel.
- Gunderson, J. G. (1988). Personality disorders. In A. M. Nichole (ed.), The Harvard Guide to Modern Psychiatry, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Ma,
- Hall, G. C. N. (1989). Self-reported hostility as a function of offense characteristics and response style in a sexual offender population. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 57: 306–308.
- Hamilton, N. G. (1989). A critical review of object relations theory. Am. J. Psychiatry 146: 1552–1560.
- Helzer, J. E., Robins, L. N., and McEvoy, L. (1987). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the general population: Findings of the epidemiologic catchment area survey. N. Engl. J. Med. 317: 1630–1634.
- Kardiner, A. (1941). The Traumatic Neuroses of War: Psychosomatic Medicine Monograph II-III, Banta, Manasha, WI.
- O. F. Kernberg (guest ed.) (1989). Narcissistic personality disorder, Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 12, No. 3, W. B. Sanders, Philadelphia, PA.
- Kinzie, D. J., Boehnlein, J. K., Leung, P. K., Moore, L. J., Riley, C., and Smith, D. (1990). The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and its clinical significance among southeast Asian refugees. Am. J. Psychiatry 147: 913–917.
- Klein, M. (1975). Envy and Gratitude and Other Works, 1946–1963, Free Press, New York.
- Kohut, H. (1971). The Analysis of the Self, International University Press, New York,
- Krystal, H. (1984). Psychoanalytic views on human emotional damages. In B. van der Kolk (ed.), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Psychological and Biological Sequelae, Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press,
- Kulka, R. A., Schlenger, W. E., Fairbank, J. A., Hough, R. L., Jordan, B. K., Marmar, C. R., and Weiss, P. S. (1988). Contractual Report of Findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study: Executive Summary, Description of Findings and Technical Appendices, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
- Langevin, R. (1983). Sexual Strands, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey,
- Neighbors, H. W. (1990). Personal communication.
- Pitman, R. K., van der Kolk, B. A., Orr, S. P., and Greenberg, M. S. (1990). Naloxone-reversible analgesic response to combat-related stimuli in posttraumatic stress disorder. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 47: 541–544.
- Reppucci, N. D., and Clingempeel, W. G. (1978). Methodological issues in research with correctional populations. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 46: 727–746.
- Seghorn, T. K., Prentky, R. A., and Boucher, R. J. (1987). Childhood sexual abuse in the lives of sexually aggressive offenders. J. Am. Acad. Child Psychiatry 26: 262–267.
- Shearer, S. L., Peters, C. P., Quaytman, M. S., and Ogden, R. L. (1990). Frequency and correlates of childhood sexual and physical abuse histories in adult female borderline inpatients. Am. J. Psychiatry 147: 214–216.
- Stoller, R. J. (1975). Perversion: The Erotic Form of Hatred, Pantheon Books, New York,
- van der Kolk, B. (1984). Introduction. In B. van der Kolk (ed.), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Psychological and Biological Sequelae, Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press,
- von Krafft-Ebing, R. (1906). Psychopathia Sexualis, ed. 12, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Winnicott, D. W. (1953). Transitional objects and transitional phenomena. Int. J. Psychoanal. 34: 89–97.
- Winnicott, D. W. (1960). The theory of parent-infant relationship. In The Maturational Process and the Facilitating Environment, International University Press, New York,
