Childhood Maltreatment, Family Environment, and Problem Solving Style in Adult Criminal Offenders: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between experiences of childhood maltreatment, family functioning, problem-solving style, and criminal offending. Participants (N = 120) were all male and classified as violent (V), non-violent (NV), or non-offenders (NO) based on their criminal histories. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Family-of-Origin Scale (FOS), Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were administered to all participants. Results suggest that V's reported significantly more maltreatment compared to NO's. V's came from the least healthy families while NO's came from the healthiest families. Finally, V's were more likely to use an impulsive approach and less likely to use a rational approach to solving problems than NO's. Experiences of physical neglect discriminated the groups. This study also discovered previously ignored correlations between these variables within each of the three groups and implications of these new findings are discussed.