Abstract
Early trauma – future delinquency? The impact of childhood trauma on delinquent behavior in adolescence
Delinquent and violent behavior in adolescent youth is a socially relevant topic and of particular importance in psychosocial practice. Early life history and the impact of traumatization such as experiences of neglect or abuse represent strong predictors of later delinquency. Based on current findings, the present study addresses the following questions: Does early traumatization lead to future delinquency after taking into account the socioeconomic context? Do different types of experienced trauma have a different impact on delinquent behavior? Using a retrospective cross-sectional design we assessed delinquent behavior, ocioeconomic indicators and traumatization in 473 people. The results show that traumatic experiences in early life cumulatively, i. e. independently of the type of trauma, as well as differentially, predicts later delinquent behavior. In addition, the socioeconomic status of the system of origin plays a crucial role for the trauma delinquency nexus. The relevance of the results for social pedagogical practice is discussed.