Biomedical subjects

C S Widom

Publications and source records attributed to C S Widom.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1991

Avoidance of criminality in abused and neglected children.

This paper compares previously abused and neglected children who have avoided official records of delinquency and adult criminality with those who have not. The goal of this analysis is to uncover potential mediating variables that may act to buffer or protect maltreated children from later delinquency and criminality. It is hoped that this analysis will provoke others to consider the "invulnerable" among the abused and neglected so that we might ultimately learn what works to protect them. In terms of "competence" as an outcome, these findings must be treated as preliminary.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Childhood victimization and violent offending.

The relationship between childhood victimization and violent offending is examined using a prospective cohorts design. Official criminal histories for a large sample of substantiated and validated cases of physical and sexual abuse and neglect (N = 908) from the years 1967 through 1971 were compared to those of a matched control group (N = 667) of individuals with no official record of abuse or neglect. Sex-specific and race-specific effects of childhood victimization and other characteristics of violent offending (chronicity, age of onset, temporal patterns, and continuity) are assessed. Childhood victimization increased overall risk for violet offending and particularly increased risk for males and blacks. In comparison to controls, abused and neglected children began delinquent careers earlier. Temporal patterns of violet offending were examined and childhood victims did not differ in age of arrest for first violent offense, nor were they more likely to continue offending. The findings and their limitations are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

The cycle of violence.

Despite widespread belief that violence begets violence, methodological problems substantially restrict knowledge of the long-term consequences of childhood victimization. Empirical evidence for this cycle of violence has been examined. Findings from a cohort study show that being abused or neglected as a child increases one's risk for delinquency, adult criminal behavior, and violent criminal behavior. However, the majority of abused and neglected children do not become delinquent, criminal, or violent. Caveats in interpreting these findings and their implications are discussed in this article.

Child Abuse↗

PubMed1989

Does violence beget violence? A critical examination of the literature.

Critically examines the "violence breeds violence" hypothesis broadly defined. Organized into seven sections, the literature review includes (a) the abuse breeds abuse hypothesis; (b) reports of small numbers of violent/homicidal offenders; (c) studies examining the relationship of abuse and neglect to delinquency, (d) to violent behavior, and (e) to aggressive behavior in infants and young children; (f) abuse, withdrawal, and self-destructive behavior; and (g) studies of the impact of witnessing or observing violent behavior. A detailed discussion of methodological considerations and shortcomings precedes the review. The author concludes that existing knowledge of the long-term consequences of abusive home environments is limited and suggests that conclusions about the strength of the cycle of violence be tempered by the dearth of convincing empirical evidence. Recommendations are made for further research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Child abuse, neglect, and adult behavior: research design and findings on criminality, violence, and child abuse.

Using a prospective cohorts design, a large sample of physical and sexual abuse cases was compared to a matched control group. Overall, abused and neglected subjects had higher rates than did controls for adult criminality and arrests for violent offenses, but not for adult arrests for child abuse or neglect. Findings are discussed in the context of intergenerational transmission of violence, and directions for future research are suggested.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Passive avoidance in syndromes of disinhibition: psychopathy and extraversion.

According to the physiological animal model proposed by Gorenstein and Newman (1980; see also Newman, Gorenstein, & Kelsey, 1983), psychopaths and extraverts may be characterized by a common psychological diathesis related to behavioral inhibition (see also Fowles, 1980; Gray, 1982). One aspect of this diathesis involves deficient passive avoidance learning, which has been central to explanations of "unsocialized" (e.g., Trasler, 1978) and antisocial behavior (e.g., Hare, 1970). Results from three experiments supported our prediction that psychopaths and extraverts would exhibit deficient passive avoidance relative to nonpsychopaths and introverts, respectively. In addition, the passive avoidance deficit was particularly evident in tasks that required subjects to inhibit a rewarded response in order to avoid punishment. The latter finding may be important for explaining the inconsistent results regarding passive avoidance learning in psychopaths (e.g., Chesno & Kilmann, 1975; Schmauk, 1970). Discussion of the results focuses on the importance of reward in mediating the passive avoidance deficit of "disinhibited" individuals and on the existence of an indirect relationship between psychopathy and extraversion: one that is consistent with the observed experimental parallels as well as with the more ambiguous evidence regarding a direct correlation between measures of the two syndromes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

Eysenck's theory of criminality applied to women awaiting trial.

American women awaiting trial were administered the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Compared to a heterogeneous control group, these women scored significantly higher on the neuroticism and psychoticism scales and on Burgess's 'hedonism' variable, though they did not differ with respect to extraversion or lie scale scores. Women awaiting trial were more likely to fall in the neurotic-extravert quadrant (a trend more marked for non-white women). In general, the results support Eysenck's theory of criminality and the usefulness of Burgess's 'hedonism' variable.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978