NCJ Number
248121
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 19 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2014 Pages: 322-339
Date Published
August 2014
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the results of a review of studies examining the link between attachment and violent offending.
Abstract
This review of literature that examined the link between attachment and violent offending found that insecure attachment was strongly associated with all types of criminality, including sexual offending, violent offending, non-violent offending, and domestic violence, even in the absence of psychopathology. The results indicate that offenders were less secure in their attachment than non-offending controls, with medium to large effects being observed; small to medium effects were found with respect to anxiety and avoidance when offenders were compared with non-offender controls; and a small to medium effect was observed when comparing offenders with mental disorders to offenders without mental disorders. Given that research findings suggest that attachment is associated with violence, this literature review was conducted to determine whether insecure attachment could be considered a risk factor for criminality, psychopathology, or both. Thirty studies that examined 2,798 offenders met the criteria for inclusion in the review. The findings from the review clearly support a relationship between attachment and offending, with the majority of offenders being insecure in their attachment style. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed. Tables and references