NCJ Number
203488
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: 2003 Pages: 1-15
Editor(s)
Robert Geffner Ph.D.
Date Published
2003
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This case study examined social risk factors, executive neuropsychological functioning, and emotional numbing as potential risk factors for violent sexual assaults by an adolescent male.
Abstract
In the United State, half of all violent crimes are committed by adolescent males, who constitute 8 percent of the population. Studies have shown that the use of force during sexual offenses broadens the impact of the assault. In addition, a number of social and family factors have been shown to likely increase the risk of violence. These factors include: prior exposure to violence, access to firearms, socioeconomic status, parenting style, and neglect in early childhood, among others. Biological functions that may increase the likelihood of violence include: gender, low resting heart rate, testosterone levels, and serotonin levels. This wide range of factors previously associated with violence suggests that multi-factor models are necessary to understand violent acts. Yet the majority of studies on violence focus on isolated variables. This case study was an attempt to examine neuropsychological, social, and intra-psychic factors in both violent behavior and coercive sexual assaults by a 15-year-old male. The study was conducted when the subject was 17, after he was arrested and convicted of sexually assaulting his half-sister. He was sentenced to a minimum of 2 years in a combined correctional and treatment facility. The subject participated in a series of interviews and psychological testing while at the facility. Data were collected over a 1-year period, about 2 years after the assaults. The interviews focused on what the subject was thinking and feeling during the assaults and his understanding of why the assaults occurred. Information was also provided by his adoptive mother, a former family therapist, the treatment team where he was committed, and treatment records. The subject’s history revealed several risk factors for violence, including low socioeconomic status, early separation from both biological parents, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse. These factors, however, did not completely account for his assaultive behavior. The subject also showed a failure to integrate sensory information into an emotional and somatic response. The researchers believe that deficient sensory-emotional processing associated with neuropathology may constitute a “final common pathway” for the expression of many risk factors. The study suggests that evaluation of people at risk for violence should include assessment of emotional responsiveness and sensory-emotional integration. Implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed. 51 references