Crimes committed against partners and family members have devastating effects on victims. Unfortunately, recidivism rates for offenders are high, and there is a need to establish risk factors that may be potential treatment targets. This study aimed to investigate childhood maltreatment, symptoms of trauma, and personality disorder (PD) traits in males convicted of domestic violence (DV) offences. Data were extracted from the files of 40 males under the supervision of the probation service in the United Kingdom. Actual return to custody was recorded after a minimum follow-up of 6 months. Self-reported childhood maltreatment was associated with increases in PD traits, posttraumatic symptoms, and assessed risk. However, maltreatment did not predict return to custody. Tension-reducing behaviours and depressive symptoms predicted return to custody as did antisocial PD. These preliminary findings highlight important areas of future research, in particular, factors which may be relevant treatment targets in reducing the risk of recidivism.
AbdinE.KohK. G.SubramaniamM.GuoM. E.LeoT.TeoC.. . .ChongS. A. (2011). Validity of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4+) among Mentally Ill Prison Inmates in Singapore. Journal of Personality Disorders, 25, 834-841.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
4.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
5.
BartholomewK.HorowitzL. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226-244.
6.
BloomfieldS.DixonL. (2015). An outcome evaluation of the Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme (IDAP) and Community Domestic Violence Programme (CDVP). London, UK: National Offender Management Service.
7.
BowenE.GilchristE. A.BeechA. R. (2005). An examination of the impact of community-based rehabilitation on the offending behaviour of male domestic violence offenders and the characteristics associated with recidivism. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 10, 189-209.
8.
BowlbyJ. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52, 664-678.
BrowneK.HerbertM. (1997). Preventing family violence. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
11.
CattaneN.RossiR.LanfrediM.CattaneoA. (2017). Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the affected biological systems and mechanisms. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1), Article 221.
12.
CopasJ.MarshallP. (1998). The offender group reconviction scale: A statistical reconviction score for use by probation officers. Applied Statistics, 47, 159-171.
13.
CostaB. M.KaestleC. E.WalkerA.CurtisA.DayA.ToumbourouJ. W.MillerP. (2015). Longitudinal predictors of domestic violence perpetration and victimization: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 24, 261-272.
14.
DankoskiM. E.KeileyM. K.ThomasV.ChoiceP.LloydS. A.SeeryB. L. (2006). Affect regulation and the cycle of violence against women: New directions for understanding the process. Journal of Family Violence, 21, 327-339.
15.
DavisonS.LeeseM.TaylorP. J. (2001). Examination of the screening properties of the personality diagnostic questionnaire 4+ (PDQ-4+) in a prison population. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 180-194.
16.
DouglasK. S.HartS. D.WebsterC. D.BelfrageH. (2013). HCR-20V3: Assessing risk for violence: User guide. Burnaby, Canada: Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute, Simon Fraser University.
17.
DuttonD. G.BodnarchukM.KroppR.HartS. D.OgloffJ. P. (1997). Client personality disorders affecting wife assault post-treatment recidivism. Violence and Victims, 12, 37-50.
18.
DuttonD. G.KerryG. (1999). Modus operandi and personality disorder in incarcerated spousal killers. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 22, 287-299.
19.
DuttonD. G.StarzomskiA.RyanL. (1996). Antecedents of abusive personality and abusive behavior in wife assaulters. Journal of Family Violence, 11, 113-132.
20.
EdwardsD. W.ScottC. L.YarvisR. M.PaizisC. L.PanizzonM. S. (2003). Impulsiveness, impulsive aggression, personality disorder, and spousal violence. Violence and Victims, 18, 3-14.
21.
EhrensaftM. K.CohenP.JohnsonJ. G. (2006). Development of personality disorder symptoms and the risk for partner violence. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 474-483.
22.
FederL.WilsonD. B.AustinS. (2008). Court-mandated interventions for individuals convicted of domestic violence. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 12, 1-46.
23.
Graham-BermannS. A.LevendoskyA. A. (1998). Traumatic stress symptoms in children of battered women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13, 111-128.
24.
GrayM. J.ElhaiJ. D.BriereJ. (2010). Evaluation of the atypical response scale of the Trauma Symptom Inventory-2 in detecting simulated posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 447-451.
25.
GrayN. S.SnowdenR. J.MacCullochS.PhillipsH.TaylorJ.MacCullochM. J. (2004). Relative efficacy of criminological, clinical, and personality measures of future risk of offending in mentally disordered offenders: A comparative study of HCR-20, PCL:SV, and OGRS. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 523-530.
26.
HambergerL. K.HastingsJ. E. (1986). Personality correlates of men who abuse their partners: A cross-validation study. Journal of Family Violence, 1, 323-341.
27.
HardtJ.RutterM. (2004). Validity of adult retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences: Review of the evidence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 260-273.
28.
HartS. D.DuttonD. G.NewloveT. (1993). The prevalence of personality disorder among wife assaulters. Journal of Personality Disorders, 7, 329-341.
29.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. (2018). Thematic inspection enforcement and recall. Manchester, UK: Author.
House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee. (2016). Support for ex-offenders. London, England: House of Commons.
32.
HylerS. E. (1994). The PDQ-4 personality questionnaire. New York, NY: New York State Psychiatric Institute.
33.
JohnsonJ. G.CohenP.BrownJ.SmailesE. M.BernsteinD. P. (1999). Childhood maltreatment increases risk for personality disorders during early adulthood. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 600-606.
34.
JohnsonR.GilchristE.BeechA. R.WestonS.TakritiR.FreemanR. (2006). A psychometric typology of UK domestic violence offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1270-1285.
35.
JohnsonR. J.RossM. W.TaylorW. C.WilliamsM. L.CarvajalR. I.PetersR. J. (2006). Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among incarcerated males in county jail. Child Abuse & Neglect, 30, 75-86.
MarshK.FoxC. (2008). The benefit and cost of prison in the UK: The results of a model of lifetime re-offending. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 4, 403-423.
38.
McDevitt-MurphyM. E.WeathersF. W.AdkinsJ. W. (2005). The use of the trauma symptom inventory in the assessment of PTSD symptoms. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18, 63-67.
39.
MilnerJ. S.ThomsenC. J.CrouchJ. L.RabenhorstM. M.MartensP. M.DyslinC. W.. . .MerrillL. L. (2010). Do trauma symptoms mediate the relationship between childhood physical abuse and adult child abuse risk?Child Abuse & Neglect, 34, 332-344.
40.
Office for National Statistics. (2017). Crime in England and Wales: Year ending June 2017. London, England: Author.
41.
PadfieldN.MarunaS. (2006). The revolving door at the prison gate: Exploring the dramatic increase in recalls to prison. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 6, 329-352.
42.
PurnellC. (2010). Childhood trauma and adult attachment. Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal, 10(2), 1-7.
SarV.TutkunH.YargicI.KundakciT. (1999). Confirmation of childhood sexual abuse in chronic complex dissociative disorder. Ege Psychiatry Periodics, 4, 95-108.
47.
SartinR. M.HansenD. J.HussM. T. (2006). Domestic violence treatment response and recidivism: A review and implications for the study of family violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11, 425-440.
48.
SaundersD. G. (1996). Feminist-cognitive-behavioral and process-psychodynamic treatments for men who batter: Interaction of abuser traits and treatment models. Violence and Victims, 11, 393-414.
49.
ShepardM. (1992). Predicting batterer recidivism five years after community intervention. Journal of Family Violence, 7, 167-178.
50.
TeicherM. H.SamsonJ. A. (2016). Annual research review: Enduring neurobiological effects of childhood abuse and neglect. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57, 241-266.
51.
WeaverT. L.ClumG. A. (1993). Early family environments and traumatic experiences associated with borderline personality disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 1068-1075.
52.
WhitfieldC. L.AndaR. F.DubeS. R.FelittiV. J. (2003). Violent childhood experiences and the risk of intimate partner violence in adults: Assessment in a large health maintenance organization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18, 166-185.
53.
WhitingJ. B.SimmonsL. A.HavensJ. R.SmithD. B.OkaM. (2009). Intergenerational transmission of violence: The influence of self-appraisals, mental disorders and substance abuse. Journal of Family Violence, 24, 639-648.
54.
YenS.SheaM. T.BattleC. L.JohnsonD. M.ZlotnickC.Dolan-SewellR.. . .McGlashanT. H. (2002). Traumatic exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders: Findings from the collaborative longitudinal personality disorders study. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190, 510-518.
