The impact of traumatic experiences on subsequent mental health functioning among male sex offenders and male victims of physical and sexual abuse
Description
Male victims of sexual and physical abuse can experience adjustment, mental health, and/or addiction problems, but they sometimes display abusive behaviors themselves. The impact of abuse on families, organizations, institutions, and society has warranted immediate attention and intervention (Cohen, Miller, & Rossman, 1994). Research has been limited in examining differences among sexual offenders with respect to those with and without abuse histories. The need to define various psychological sequlae of physical and sexual abuse is necessary as diagnostic and treatment problems prevail for sex offenders. In addition, clinicians have typically had a tendency to view sex offenders as a homogenous group. These theories need to be evaluated from a pluralistic view which asserts that social science can both explain human action and interpret its meaning (Reamer, 1993; Pieper, 1989) The purpose of this study is to examine differences in mental health functioning among (1) male sexual offenders and male victims of abuse, and (2) male sexual offenders who were themselves victims of physical and/or sexual abuse. Study participants where from an inpatient hospital setting which focused on the treatment of sexual offending behavior and victimization at a large private urban facility. Participants completed a battery of tests and interviews measuring childhood maltreatment and trauma-related symptomatology within the first forty-eight hours of admission to the facility. A research assistant conducted a standardized interview and collected self-report instruments within seven days of admission It is first hypothesized that male sex offenders who experienced sexual or physical abuse will report significantly more characteristics and experiences consistent with diagnoses of PTSD, dissociation, and borderline personality while endorsing more trauma belief schema and global psychopathology than male sex offenders who did not report physical or sexual abuse. Therefore, abuse will be the mediating variable. The second hypothesis states that male sex offenders, who experienced physical or sexual abuse, will report experiencing fewer characteristics consistent with the diagnosis of PTSD, dissociation, borderline personality while endorsing fewer trauma belief schema and global psychopathology than male victims of sexual or physical abuse with no history of offending behavior The findings provide important contextual information about the differences in mental health functioning between the groups and further understanding on the impact of abuse on psychological functioning. The abuse offered more discrimination when comparing sex offenders and the offending status discriminated less when victimization was experienced. This warrants attention as the need to identify and recognize victimization in offenders may assist in guiding effective interventions that ultimately reduce recidivism. These findings contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the complex phenomena surrounding physical and sexual abuse and those commit more sexual abuse on others