Dissociation and memory for perpetration among convicted sex offenders

Intimate Partner Violence Among Patients With Dissociative Disorders

Childhood trauma is common among survivors and perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). Although symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative disorders (DDs) are predictors of IPV victimization and perpetration, few studies explore IPV among those with DDs. The present study examined IPV and symptoms as predictors among participants in the Treatment of Patients With Dissociative Disorders (TOP DD) Network study, an educational intervention for individuals with DDs and their clinicians. Both clinicians and patients reported on patients' history of physical, emotional, and sexual IPV as both victims and perpetrators. Patients self-reported dissociative, posttraumatic (PTSD), and emotion dysregulation symptoms, as well as IPV-specific dissociative symptoms. According to patients and clinicians, patients were frequently victims of IPV, most commonly emotional IPV. Dissociative symptoms predicted IPV exposure, whereas dissociative and emotion dysregulation symptoms predicted IPV-specific dissociative symptoms.

The Influence of Fantasy Proneness, Dissociation, and Vividness of Mental Imagery on Male's Aggressive Sexual Fantasies

Many researchers have studied the prevalence and content of men's aggressive sexual fantasies, including their link with rape-supportive cognition. However, little to no research has examined the link between imaginal ability and the use of such fantasies. Based on existing research and theory, we propose that men who hold hostile beliefs toward women will use aggressive sexual fantasies more often if they possess a greater ability to engage in a "rich fantasy life." Operationally, we argue this involves (a) a proneness to fantasize in general, (b) an ability to vividly envision mental imagery, and (c) frequent experiences of dissociation. To test this, the present study hypothesized that a latent variable termed "rich fantasy life," via "hostile beliefs about women," influences the use of "aggressive sexual fantasies." A sample of 159 community males was recruited. Each participant completed a measure of fantasy proneness, dissociation, and vividness of mental imagery, along with two measures that assess hostile beliefs about women. Assessing how often the participants fantasized about rape-related and sadistic themes provided a measure of aggressive sexual fantasies. Structural equation modeling (along with bootstrapping procedures) indicated that the data had a very good fit with the hypothesized model. The results offer an important contribution to our understanding of aggressive sexual fantasies, which may have implications for clinical assessment and treatment. The limitations of the study are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

Causal connection between dissociation and ongoing interpersonal violence: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To identify evidence for dissociation as a cause of ongoing interpersonal violence.

METHOD

A systematic review of the literature retrieved from ten databases.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies yielded from our search strategy have been included in the review; eleven of these were longitudinal and four were experimental. The evidence indicates that pathological dissociation may contribute towards enduring interpersonal violence. Thus, dissociation may account for instances of repeated victimisation. There are similar indications concerning offenders, but study designs in this area allow one to draw fewer causal conclusions. There is some evidence that dissociation decreases information processing from the limbic system, which may be one underlying neurofunctional mechanism of persistent violence.

CONCLUSION

There is growing evidence for dissociation as a cause of interpersonal violence. However, the available evidence is still limited, and our review rather reveals an important research gap. Future longitudinal and experimental studies aimed at clarifying the role of dissociation in the context of violence should take into account the theoretical and empirical complexity around the concept of dissociation.

Childhood Trauma and Dissociative Intimate Partner Violence

The present study assesses childhood abuse/neglect as a predictor of dissociative intimate partner violence (IPV) among 118 partner-abusive men. One third (36%) endorsed dissociative IPV, most commonly losing control (18%), surroundings seeming unreal (16%), feeling someone other than oneself is aggressing (16%), and seeing oneself from a distance aggressing (10%). Childhood physical abuse/neglect predicted IPV-specific derealization/depersonalization, aggressive self-states, and flashbacks to past violence. Childhood emotional abuse/neglect predicted derealization/depersonalization, blackouts, and flashbacks. Childhood sexual abuse uniquely predicted amnesia. Other potential traumas did not predict dissociative IPV, suggesting dissociative IPV is influenced by trauma-based emotion dysregulation wherein childhood abuse/neglect survivors disconnect from their abusive behavior.

Single and Multiple Clinical Syndromes in Incarcerated Offenders: Associations With Dissociative Experiences and Emotionality

The present study examined the prevalence and correlates of clinical syndromes in a large group ( N = 438) of incarcerated violent offenders, looking at differences between inmates with one and those with more than one clinical syndromes. More than a half of the sample (57%) reported clinically relevant symptoms for at least one clinical syndrome ( n = 252), and the majority of them (38%) reported more syndromes in comorbidity ( n = 169). Increased severity of clinical conditions (none, one, more than one syndrome) corresponded with significantly greater levels of personality disorder traits, psychological symptoms, dissociation, and negative emotionality, with large effect sizes. After controlling for co-occurrence of personality disorder traits and other symptoms, the presence of more than one comorbid syndrome significantly predicted unique variance in dissociation (positively) and positive emotionality (negatively). The presence of one clinical syndrome significantly and positively predicted negative emotionality. Findings support the possibility that the complexity, and not just the presence, of psychopathology could identify different groups of inmates.

Childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence in dissociative disorder patients

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for subsequent intimate partner violence (IPV) in adulthood, with high rates of retrospectively reported CM among IPV victims and perpetrators. A theorized mechanism of the link between CM and IPV is dissociation. Dissociation may allow perpetrators of violence to remain emotionally distant from their behavior and minimize empathy toward those they victimize, enabling them to commit acts of violence similar to their own experiences. Indeed, elevated rates of dissociation and dissociative disorders (DD) have been found among IPV survivors and perpetrators. In addition, in pilot studies, DD clinicians have reported high levels of violent behavior among DD patients.

OBJECTIVE

The present study investigates IPV among DD patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder and Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, a group with CM rates of 80-95% and severe dissociative symptoms.

METHODS

DD clinicians reported on rates of CM and IPV among 275 DD patients in outpatient treatment. DD patients also completed a self-report measure of dissociation. Analyses assessed the associations between CM typologies and IPV, as well as trait dissociation and IPV.

RESULTS

Physical and emotional child abuse were associated with physical IPV, and childhood witnessing of domestic violence (DV) and childhood neglect were associated with emotional IPV.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study is the first to provide empirical support for a possible CM to adult IPV developmental trajectory among DD patients. Future research is needed to better understand the link between CM and IPV among those with trauma and DD.

Motivated forgetting and misremembering: perspectives from betrayal trauma theory

Individuals are sometimes exposed to information that may endanger their well-being. In such cases, forgetting or misremembering may be adaptive. Childhood abuse perpetrated by a caregiver is an example. Betrayal trauma theory (BTT) proposes that the way in which events are processed and remembered will be related to the degree to which a negative event represents a betrayal by a trusted, needed other. Full awareness of such abuse may only increase the victim's risk by motivating withdrawal or confrontation with the perpetrator, thus risking a relationship vital to the victim's survival. In such situations, minimizing awareness of the betrayal trauma may be adaptive. BTT has implications for the larger memory and trauma field, particularly with regard to forgetting and misremembering events. This chapter reviews conceptual and empirical issues central to the literature on memory for trauma and BTT as well as identifies future research directions derived from BTT.

The Social Construction of a Serial Killer

Much psychological research examining the serial killer has adopted an essentialist theoretical focus concentrating on the `nature' of the individual who commits the murder. This study, in contrast, aims to analyse the talk of a serial killer using principles taken from discursive psychology. A courtroom transcript concerning the confession to 10 murders by the serial killer, Dennis Rader, was analysed. The transcript was read and reread in order to examine how the killer drew upon popular understandings of serial killing, until eventually three main discourses were identified: perpetrator as `sympathetic', `serial killer' and `driven by sexual fantasy'. The analysis demonstrated that these discourses all served to reinforce the widely shared construction of the serial killer, i.e. being sexually motivated. Furthermore, the findings show how this construction served the functions of mitigating responsibility, justifying certain actions and obscuring violence. Possible implications of this construction and its discursive functions are discussed.