Traumatized or Troubled Youth? The Relations between Trauma, PTSD, and Psychopathy among Juvenile Offenders

• In Event: Trauma and Mental Health among At-Risk Adolescents

Abstract

Trauma has been identified as a robust risk factor for antisocial behavior; individuals with traumatic experiences are found to exhibit stronger endorsement of psychopathic traits. Existing research found differential associations across psychopathy factors with traumatic events and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, suggesting that trauma and PTSD may be associated with impulsive and antisocial features. Nonetheless, the extent to which trauma, PTSD, psychopathic traits and offending behavior are associated remains unclear. The current study utilizes data from the Pathways to Desistance Study to examine whether offending behavior differs as a function of trauma, PTSD, and psychopathic traits among 1354 serious juvenile offenders. Consistent with existing studies, trauma exposure, PTSD, and psychopathic traits are expected to be independently associated with youth offenders’ self-report offending behaviors. The extent to which these associations differ across adolescents of different race/ethnic groups will be explored. Although the DSM 5 diagnostic criteria of PTSD include a history of trauma exposure, not every individual with a traumatic experience receive a PTSD diagnosis. This study further explores whether exposure to trauma is more strongly correlated with antisocial behavior than the diagnosis of PTSD.

Author

• Siny Tsang, Columbia University