From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent one of the most critical factors contributing to the manifestation of psychiatric disorders later in life. Furthermore, such experiences are often associated with deficits in interpersonal relationships, manifesting as mistrust and violent behaviors, an...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| author | Michael Fritz Sylvia Flad Judith Streb Manuela Dudeck |
| author_facet | Michael Fritz Sylvia Flad Judith Streb Manuela Dudeck |
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| description | Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent one of the most critical factors contributing to the manifestation of psychiatric disorders later in life. Furthermore, such experiences are often associated with deficits in interpersonal relationships, manifesting as mistrust and violent behaviors, and are indicative of a fragmented personality. This study aimed to analyze the correlative relationships between personality deficits influenced by ACEs and the expression of reactive and appetitive aggression using self-report questionnaires in 53 male forensic psychiatric patients with a drug dependency background detained under §64 of the German Criminal Code between 2019 and 2022. Instruments included the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SF), the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure Scale–German Version (KERF), and the Appetitive and Facilitative Aggression Scale (AFAS). Specifically, the OPD-SF used the following subscales: self-perception, self-regulation, the regulation of object relations, emotional communication inward/outward, internal/external attachment, and total score. The results demonstrate a significant relationship between childhood traumatic experiences, personality structure, attachment capacity, self-perception, and regulation and the expression of both reactive and appetitive aggression. While the association with reactive aggression is intuitively plausible, the findings notably reveal that the propensity to derive pleasure from violence is also associated with personality deficits caused by adverse childhood experiences. These findings have important implications for the treatment of offenders with personality disorders and should be considered in therapeutic interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-443d7d3b2ed34553823ae4f912960f38 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-443d7d3b2ed34553823ae4f912960f382025-08-20T02:42:41ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-02-0115324610.3390/bs15030246From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality StructuresMichael Fritz0Sylvia Flad1Judith Streb2Manuela Dudeck3Department of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, 89312 Günzburg, GermanyDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, 89312 Günzburg, GermanyDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, 89312 Günzburg, GermanyDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, 89312 Günzburg, GermanyAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent one of the most critical factors contributing to the manifestation of psychiatric disorders later in life. Furthermore, such experiences are often associated with deficits in interpersonal relationships, manifesting as mistrust and violent behaviors, and are indicative of a fragmented personality. This study aimed to analyze the correlative relationships between personality deficits influenced by ACEs and the expression of reactive and appetitive aggression using self-report questionnaires in 53 male forensic psychiatric patients with a drug dependency background detained under §64 of the German Criminal Code between 2019 and 2022. Instruments included the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SF), the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure Scale–German Version (KERF), and the Appetitive and Facilitative Aggression Scale (AFAS). Specifically, the OPD-SF used the following subscales: self-perception, self-regulation, the regulation of object relations, emotional communication inward/outward, internal/external attachment, and total score. The results demonstrate a significant relationship between childhood traumatic experiences, personality structure, attachment capacity, self-perception, and regulation and the expression of both reactive and appetitive aggression. While the association with reactive aggression is intuitively plausible, the findings notably reveal that the propensity to derive pleasure from violence is also associated with personality deficits caused by adverse childhood experiences. These findings have important implications for the treatment of offenders with personality disorders and should be considered in therapeutic interventions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/3/246operationalized psychodynamic diagnosisappetitive aggressionreactive aggressionadverse childhood experiences |
| spellingShingle | Michael Fritz Sylvia Flad Judith Streb Manuela Dudeck From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures Behavioral Sciences operationalized psychodynamic diagnosis appetitive aggression reactive aggression adverse childhood experiences |
| title | From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures |
| title_full | From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures |
| title_fullStr | From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures |
| title_short | From Mistrust to Malice: Examining the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reactive and Appetitive Aggression in Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients with a History of Drug Abuse Through the Lens of Psychodynamic Personality Structures |
| title_sort | from mistrust to malice examining the influence of adverse childhood experiences on reactive and appetitive aggression in male forensic psychiatric patients with a history of drug abuse through the lens of psychodynamic personality structures |
| topic | operationalized psychodynamic diagnosis appetitive aggression reactive aggression adverse childhood experiences |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/3/246 |
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