The Impact Of Childhood Trauma On Both Overt And Covert Aggression In Male Perpetrators Of Violence

The incarcerated violent offenders often exhibit high levels of aggression.Renovating their aggression is not only an important task for prisons but also a significant factor for managing prison security.To explore the formation mechanism of aggression in male violent offenders and provide theoretical support for prison improvement of incarcerated violent offenders’ aggression,this study,based on the Frustration-Aggression Theory and previous research,selected variables like childhood trauma,alexithymia,coping styles,and understanding of social support to investigate the impact on both overt and covert aggression in male incarcerated violent offenders.The study consisted of two parts: Part One investigated the impact of childhood trauma on overt aggression in male incarcerated violent offenders.A questionnaire was distributed to male violent offenders in a prison in Guangdong Province.The research instruments included Childhood Trauma Questionnaire,Toronto Alexithymia Scale,Jian-Ying Jie’s Simple Coping Style Scale,Social Support Questionnaire,and Aggression Questionnaire.The questionnaires were collected from 529 participants,with a 100% collection rate,resulting in 473 valid questionnaires with an effective rate of 89.41%.Part Two investigated the impact of childhood trauma on covert aggression.The same participants in Part One were invited to participate in an Implicit Association Test(IAT).There were 94 subjects in total,among whom 46 reported having experienced childhood trauma,and 48 did not.The data were then analyzed using SPSS26.0 and other statistical tools and the following results were obtained:(1)There is a significant positive correlation between childhood trauma and both overt and covert aggression in male perpetrators of violence.(2)Both alexithymia and coping style have significant mediating effects.Childhood trauma in male perpetrators of violence can indirectly affect both overt and covert aggression through the independent mediating effects of alexithymia and coping style.(3)The chain mediation effects of alexithymia with positive and negative coping styles are significant.Childhood trauma can affect both overt and covert aggression via the chain mediation effects of alexithymia with positive and negative coping styles.(4)The moderating effect of social support understanding is significant.Social support understanding plays a moderating role in the direct effects of positive and negative coping styles on overt aggression,but it does not moderate these effects on covert aggression.In conclusion,this study reveals that childhood trauma can directly affect both overt and covert aggression,mediate its effects through alexithymia and coping style,and further affect these types of aggression.Social support understanding serves as a moderator in the direct effects of coping style on overt aggression,but not on covert aggression.