FROM TRAUMA TO OFFENDING - SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES ON THE CLINICAL PATHWAYS OF FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS IN SECURE RESIDENTIAL SETTINGS

Abstract

Increasing evidences support a link between childhood traumatic experiences and adulthood violent conduct. In our clinical sample, 26
inpatients from REMS of Bologna (Residenza per l’Esecuzione delle Misure di Sicurezza, a secure residential unit for “not guilty by
reason of insanity and socially dangerous” offenders), we found an alarming prevalence of mistreatment, abuse, neglect and other traumatic
events during childhood and adolescence. The co-occurrence of different traumatic events seems to correlate with more severe psychiatric
symptoms but not with more serious crime. In our hypothesis, traumatic events occurring in childhood and/or adolescence often result
in insecure attachment patterns and post-traumatic syndromes (e.g. PTSD-complex), worsening prognosis as well as social outcomes that
are likely key issues in the pathway to violent offending.
We wonder if trauma and attachment oriented therapy and care, both in residential and community-based setting, could lead to more
specific treatment and better outcomes for forensic psychiatric patients.