EM - IUEM - Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz
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Browsing EM - IUEM - Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz by Field of Science and Technology (FOS) "Ciências Sociais::Psicologia"
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- The link between childhood experiences, alexithymia, and aggression : a comparative study between sexual offenders and the community samplePublication . Albuquerque, Bárbara Mestre; Almeida, TelmaBackground: Childhood experiences, positive (PCEs) or adverse (ACEs), play a crucial role in health and well-being throughout life. ACEs can contribute to a greater propensity for alexithymia traits in adulthood and lead to higher levels of aggression. On the other hand, PCEs can provide greater resilience and better emotional regulation, decreasing the likelihood of aggressive behavior and sexual crimes. Objectives: The study aims to compare a community and a sample of perpetrators of sex crimes in terms of ACEs, PCEs, alexithymia, and aggression; to analyze the relationship between these variables; to assess the predictors of alexithymia and aggression; and to explore the moderating role of PCEs in the relationship between ACEs and aggression. Participants: The study sample includes 732 adult males, 523 from the community sample aged between 18 and 78, and 209 perpetrators of sex crimes aged between 23 and 84. Method: Application of the sociodemographic questionnaire, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACEs), the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale (BCEs), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). Results: Positive correlations are observed between ACEs and TAS, ACEs and BPAQ, and negative correlations between PCEs and TAS, and PCEs and BPAQ. Perpetrators of sex crimes have more ACEs, TAS, difficulty identifying feelings (DIF), difficulty describing feelings (DDF), and hostility than the community sample. Age, educational level, some ACEs, and PCEs are predictors of DIF and DDF, while educational level, reclusion, and some ACEs are predictors of externally oriented thought. Age, some ACEs, and PCEs are predictors of physical aggression, while emotional neglect and reclusion are predictors of verbal aggression. Marital status, reclusion, some ACEs, and PCEs are predictors of anger, while age, reclusion, some ACEs, and PCEs are predictors of hostility. Moderation analyses show that PCEs moderate the link between ACEs and aggression in the community sample. Conclusion: These results highlight the impact of ACEs and PCEs on alexithymia and aggression and the differences between the community sample and the perpetrators of sex crimes sample in some of the variables analyzed. The moderating role of PCEs in the link between ACEs and aggression indicates their potential as a target for prevention strategies. This study emphasizes the need to develop effective prevention strategies to reduce the prevalence of ACEs, alexithymia, aggression, and criminality.