Childhood Trauma and the Brain:

Childhood Trauma and the Brain:

Implications in Sexual Offender Treatment

By: Iris Giove

Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending

• Holistic theory of sexual offending
• Interaction of brain development with ecological factors that impact neuropsycholgical functions and drive action
• Negative environmental factors can impact the brain.

Similarties between offenders:

• History of abuse, neglect and traumatic experiences
• Being a male who was a victim of sexual abuse is often cited as a risk factor for becoming a future abuser

Limbic System

Sexual Offenses

• Amygdala evaluates and activates responses to threat, bypassing cortex
• Frequent activation impacts functioning
• Constant arousal leads to misinterpretation
• As signal bypasses cortex, reaction is immediate and lacks cognitive evaluation

Consequences:

• Difficulty learning from experiences
• Decreased activation of Broca's area
• Constant search= loss of information

The Hippocampus

• According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Criminal Victimization Survey, in 2012, there were 346,830 reported rapes or sexual assaults of persons 12 years or older

• 62,939 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2012

• Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18

• It is estimated over 90% of incidents are never reported (Grossman, Martis, & Fichtner, 1999)

Neurobiology of Trauma

Constant amygdala

activation= Problems in

Memory & Recollection

• Decreased volume in left hippocampus
• High cortisol can lead to death of cells in hippocampus
• Increased language difficulties

Right Brain, Left Brain

Despite this, we still have a limited understanding of what drives this behavior

Left:

• Analytical
• Sequential
• Language, verbal communication
• Numbers
• Positive Emotions
• Approach & Explore

Right

• Global Perspective
• Non-verbal communication
• Negative Emotions
• Withdraw & Avoid
• Experience and recall of trauma

Impact of trauma depends on:

• Age
• Frequency
• Attachment

A dominant hemisphere can create a different style of processing information

The Prefrontal Cortex

Brain Development

Sexual Deviance may be associated with deficiencies in this area.

• Impulsive behavior may be a cause of frontal lobe impairment

Triune Brain

Develops according to heirarchy

• Brain Stem/Reptilian
• Limbic System- Emotional Brain
• Cortex- Thinking Brain

Three Areas Impacted:

• Development of brain at particular stages
• Physiological & Neuroendocrinological Responses
• Ability to mediate cognition and regulate emotion & behavior

Deficient Left

Hemisphere Development

Combined...

• Underdevelopment and differentiation in left hemisphere
• Right dominance with less integration
• Non-verbal
• Negative emotions
• Respond with fear, avoidance, withdrawal, depression
• Decreased coping responses

Attachment Theory

and Neurodevelopment

Viewing sexual offenses holistically is imperative to treatment:

• Impaired cognition may affect response to treatment, ex. IQ, language deficits, etc.
• It may help the individual to acknowledge their own trauma in order to acknowledge their actions and possibly reduce the risk of recidivism

References

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Creeden, K. (2009). How trauma and attachment can impact neurodevelopment: Informing our understanding and treament of sexual behaviour problems. Journal of Sexual Agression, 15(3), 261-273. doi:10.1080/13552600903335844

Glaser, D. (2000). Child abuse and neglect and the brain- a review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 97-116. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00551

Grossman, L. S., Martis, B., & Fichtner, C. G. (1999, March). Are sex offenders yreatable? A research overview. Psychiatric Services, 50(3), 349-361. doi:10.1176/ps.50.3.349

Joyal, C. C., Black, D. N., & Dassylva, B. (2007). The neuropsychology and neurology of sexual deviance: A review and pilot study. Sex Abuse, 19, 155-173. doi:10.1007/s11194-007-9045-4

McMackin, R., Leisen, M., Cusack, J., LaFratta, J., & Litwin, P. (2002). The relationship of trauma exposure to sex offending behavior among male juvenile offenders. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 11, 25-40. doi:10.1300/J070v11n02_02

Rauch, S., van der Kolk, B., Fisler, R., Alpert, N., Orr, S., Savage, C., Pitman, M. (1996). A symptom provocation study of posttraumatic stress disorder using positron emission tomography and script driven imagery. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53, 380-387. doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.05.005

Salter, D. M. (2003). Development of sexually abusive behaviour in sexually victimised males: a longitudinal study. The Lancet, 471-476. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12466-X

Schiffer, F., Teicher, M., & Papanicolaou, A. (1995). Evoked potential evidence for right brain activity during the recall of traumatic memories. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 7, 169-175. doi:10.1176/jnp.7.2.169

Teicher, M., Andersen, S., Polcari, A., Andersen, C., & Navalta, C. (2002). Developmental neurobiology of childhood stress and trauma. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 25, 397-426. doi:0.1016/S0193-953X(01)00003-X

van der Kolk, B. A. (2003). The neurobiology of childhood trauma and abuse. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 12, 293-317. doi:10.1016S1056-4993(03)00003-8

Ward, T., & Beech, A. (2006). An intergrated theory of sexual offending. Agression and Violent Behavior, 11, 44-63. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2005.05.002

• Protective factor which allows infant to experience and process new stimuli- mediating responses and reducing stress
• Provides neural stimulation: as brain progresses, activity changes in synaptic connections.
• Attunement
• Overpruning impairs regulation
• Constant arousal of amygdala maintains that connection & amygdala prioritizes things such as danger or sexual arousal.

Further research is needed in order to stop the cycle of abuse