Linking Adverse Childhood Effects and Attachment: A Theory of Etiology for Sexual Offending

Abstract

Sexual violence continues to be a significant public health problem affecting significant portions of the population. Unfortunately, an agreed upon theory of etiology remains elusive leading to challenges in developing effective prevention and treatment interventions. Recently, there is a growing body of literature examining the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the development of sexually violent behavior. This research has begun to explore the rates of various types of child maltreatments and family dysfunction in individuals who have been convicted of a sexual crime. These empirical inquiries have been primarily descriptive in nature and have not yet provided a cohesive theoretical model as to why the presence of ACEs might contribute to sexually abusive behavior. This article suggests that attachment theory offers an explanatory link between early adversity and sexually abusive behavior in adulthood. We first summarize important attachment theory concepts, then integrate them with research in the area of developmental psychopathology and ACEs, and finally propose a model by which attachment can be used as an explanatory theory for subsequent sexualized coping and sexually abusive behaviors. Finally, this article explores the implications for practice, policy, and research using this explanatory theory as a framework for understanding sexual violence.

You Learn What You Live: Prevalence of Childhood Adversity in the Lives of Juveniles Arrested for Sexual Offenses

“…The etiology of sexually abusive behaviors seems to be fostered by early attachment disruptions, whereby attempts are made to satisfy unmet emotional and intimacy needs through sexual or aggressive means (Bushman, Baumeister, & Phillips, 2001;Grady, Levenson, & Bolder, 2016;Marshall, 2010;Smallbone & Dadds, 1998). Attachment theory proposes that if a child's caretakers are not trustworthy, nurturing, consistent, and responsive to needs, youngsters will have difficulties establishing secure bonds with others across the lifespan (Bowlby, 1977(Bowlby, , 1988.…”

Pathways to delinquent and sex offending behavior: The role of childhood adversity and environmental context in a treatment sample of male adolescents

“…Numerous prevailing theories emphasize the role of early developmental adversities in the etiology of delinquent and sexually abusive behaviors (e.g., Grady, Levenson, & Bolder, 2016;Lussier, 2015;Moffitt, 1993;Piquero, Jennings, & Barnes, 2012;Ward & Beach, 2005). Others focus primarily on sociological explanations of crime and use a macro-level approach to conceptualizing these problem behaviors (e.g., Bandura, 1969Bandura, , 1977Braithwaite, 2015;Sampson & Groves, 1989;Shaw & McKay, 1942).…”

“…The present review is limited to a brief description and critique of two single factor and two multifactorial theories of delinquency and sexually abusive behavior that consider childhood adversity and/or the context of community and that are supported by existing empirical evidence. The four prominent philosophies to be discussed include: social disorganization theory/theory of collective efficacy (Sampson, 2012;Sampson & Groves, 1989;Shaw & McKay, 1942); attachment theory (Bowlby, 1973;Grady, Levenson, & Bolder, 2016); developmental life-course (DLC) criminology (Lussier, 2015;Moffitt, 1993;Piquero et al, 2012); and, the multimodal self-regulation theory of sexual offending .…”

“…Attachment theory. Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1973) has been applied to explain how early developmental adversity is associated with criminal and sexual offending behaviors (Grady et al, 2016;Hoeve et al, 2012;Sroufe, Carlson, Levy, & Egeland, 1999;Ward, Hudson, Marshall, & Siegert, 1995). While Bowlby (1969) argued that there is a biological component to attachment, it is largely influenced by environment and interactions with primary caregivers.…”

Adversidade na infância e objetivos de vida em adultos

“…O impacto das experiências de abuso e negligência durante a infância tem sido analisado em termos do percurso de desenvolvimento (Teisl & Cicchetti, 2008), sendo encontradas evidências que parecem apontar para comprometimentos ao nível do desenvolvimento socioemocional do indivíduo e aumento do risco de problemas relacionais (e.g. Loh, Maniam, Tan, & Badi`ah, 2010;Grady, Levenson, & Bolder, 2016).…”