Childhood Trauma, Criminogenic Social Schemas, and Violent Crime

ABSTRACT

Utilizing a sample of 400 homeless street youth, the study draws on the social schematic theory of crime to examine if childhood trauma (physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse) is linked to the development of a criminogenic knowledge structure (CKS) that mediates its relationship with violence. Results indicate childhood trauma is directly associated with the CKS. They also show that it is indirectly related through violent peers. The CKS in turn is directly linked to violence as are childhood trauma and violent peers. The CKS also mediates the relationship childhood trauma and violent peers have with violence. Violent peers likewise mediate the association between childhood trauma and violence. The link between childhood trauma and violence is also serially mediated through violent peers and the CKS. Findings suggest the social schematic theory offers a valuable explanation for the link between childhood trauma and violence.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Special thanks also to Nic Swagar for his assistance. Address all correspondence to Stephen W. Baron, Department of Sociology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6, 613-533-2170, (email:[email protected]).

Notes

¹ The theory focuses on the more general idea of deviant peers. The use of a more general peer deviance measure proved to be a weak fit for the explaining the causal process involved in violence. To provide a stronger fit the more specific measure referring to violence was used.

² A measure was also constructed to examine if low conventional commitments specific to the use of violence were important. Using the three scenarios utilized to derive the violent peers measure, respondents were asked about who wrong it would be to engage in the act portrayed in the scenario. The alpha for this measure was .69, slightly lower than .74 of the general measure. The substitution of this scale into the criminogenic knowledge structure measure, replacing the general measure, also produced a slightly lower reliability score of .78. The results using this more specific measure were substantively similar, the model R² was lower, and the direct effect of the criminogenic knowledge structure weaker, when compared to the model utilizing a more general version of the criminogenic knowledge structure.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephen W. Baron

Stephen W. Baron is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Queen’s University. His research focuses on homeless street youth and crime. His recent work has appeared in Justice Quarterly, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and Crime & Delinquency.

David R. Forde

David R. Forde is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of North Florida. His research interests include interpersonal victimization processes and crime prevention. His recent work has appeared in Criminal Justice Studies, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and Journal of Interpersonal Violence.