Exposure to Bullying, Childhood Trauma, and Violence in Video Games Among Perpetrators of Mass Homicides: A Brief Report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miranda Sanchez ◽  
Christopher Ferguson

Perpetrators of mass homicides have often been believed to have experienced certain events in their childhoods that may have led to their crimes. Among the issues that were considered in this study were childhood trauma, which included abuse history, and history of childhood bullying. Another issue that was examined was whether they played violent video games as a child. Exposure to these variables were compared between a sample of 169 male mass shooters and preexisting research samples of the same age and gender who had not committed mass murders. Analyses were preregistered. Hypotheses that were tested included whether mass shooters had experienced more childhood abuse, more childhood bullying or played more violent video games compared to matched samples. Results suggest that mass homicide perpetrators had experienced more abuse than other individuals, but not bullying. By contrast, mass homicide perpetrators had played fewer violent video games than had matched samples. These results seem to match previous data on mass homicide perpetrators.

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-184
Author(s):  
David Sedlacek ◽  
Stanley Stevenson ◽  
Carrie Kray ◽  
Timothy Henson ◽  
Chelsea Burrows ◽  
...  

1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis A. Giese ◽  
Marshall R. Thomas ◽  
Steven L. Dubovsky ◽  
Sharon Hilty

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110428
Author(s):  
Gabriella Bentley ◽  
Osnat Zamir

The transition to motherhood is a significant developmental milestone in many women’s lives. This transitional period may be more stressful for women with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) than for women without such a history. This study tested whether parental self-efficacy (PSE) accounts for the link between CM and parental stress in mothers transitioning to motherhood. The study used a convenience sample of 1,306 first-time mothers of children aged two years or younger. Mothers filled out online self-report questionnaires assessing history of CM, PSE, and prenatal stress. Consistent with the hypotheses, exposure to CM was directly associated with greater parental stress. Also, PSE partially mediated the associations between CM and parental stress, such that mothers with a history of childhood abuse reported a lower level of PSE, which in turn was associated with greater parental stress. In conclusion, the study highlights the important role of negative cognitions related to parenting for maternal dysfunction following exposure to childhood abuse. These findings suggest a need to incorporate preventive interventions designed to promote PSE for mothers exposed to CM. Such programs may alleviate parental stress and further support the healthy development of the child.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aslihan Okan Ibiloglu ◽  
Abdullah Atli ◽  
Mehmet Cemal Kaya ◽  
Suleyman Demir ◽  
Mahmut Bulut ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Clark ◽  
Sean Davidson ◽  
Laura Maclachlan ◽  
Megan Lynn ◽  
Julia L Newton ◽  
...  

Objectives: Previous studies have consistently shown increased rates of childhood adversity in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, such aetiopathogenic studies of CFS are potentially confounded by co-morbidity and misdiagnosis particularly with depression. We used a modelling approach with existing data and data generated in our examination of the rates of childhood adversity in a sample of CFS patients who had no lifetime history of depression. Methods: The childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) was completed by a sample of 52 participants and 19 controls with chronic fatigue syndrome who did not meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder (confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV). Subsequently, Mediation Analysis (Baye’s Rules) was used to establish the risk childhood adversity poses for CFS with and without depression. Results: In a cohort of CFS patients with depression robustly excluded, CTQ scores were markedly lower than in all previous studies and, in contrast to these previous studies, not increased compared with healthy controls. Post-hoc analysis showed that CTQ scores correlated with the number of depressive symptoms during the lifetime worst period of low mood. The probability of developing CFS given a history of childhood trauma was shown to be 4%, a two-fold increased risk compared to the general population. However, much of this risk is mediated by the concomitant development of major depression. Discussion: The data suggests that previous studies showing a relationship between childhood adversity and CFS may be mediated by depression


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadi Beshai

Objective: Individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment are particularly vulnerable to a longer course of depression. Immunization theories of resilience suggest that resilience and related factors may buffer against the deleterious effects of early childhood adversity. Trait mindfulness is linked to resilience and may be a pathway to cultivating this dynamic process. In this study, we investigated whether trait mindfulness can buffer against the effects of early childhood maltreatment in predicting lifetime number of months depressed. Method: We recruited 43 previously depressed, currently remitted patients, and retrospectively examined their depression history (using a structured interview, LIFE-SCID), their self-reported experience of maltreatment in the first 16 years of life (MOPS), and their levels of trait mindfulness (MAAS). Results: We found that number of months depressed in a lifetime was positively associated with reported childhood maltreatment, and negatively associated with trait mindfulness. Secondly, we found evidence that trait mindfulness significantly moderated the relationship of early childhood maltreatment and number of months depressed. Specifically, it appears that individuals who report severe histories of maltreatment are especially vulnerable to recurrent depression if they are also reporting low levels of trait mindfulness. Conclusions: Increasing mindfulness may be warranted among individuals reporting a history of childhood abuse with lower baselines of trait mindfulness; however, results of this retrospective study require replication in a larger, prospective trial.


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