Early Abuse Experiences Research Articles

Early Abuse Experiences and Subsequent Gender Differences in Couple Adjustment

Early Abuse Experiences and Subsequent Gender Differences in Couple Adjustment

An association between a functional polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase a gene promoter, impulsive traits and early abuse experiences.

Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) activity is altered in mood disorders and lower activity associated with aggressive behavior. The gene has a functional polymorphism with a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) in the upstream regulatory region (MAOA-uVNTR). In this study, we examined possible associations between the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and mood disorders, suicidal behavior, aggression/impulsivity, and effects of reported childhood abuse. In total, 663 unrelated subjects with a psychiatric disorder and 104 healthy volunteers were genotyped for the 30 base pair functional VNTR. A novel repeat variation was identified. No statistically significant associations were found between this functional MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and mood disorders or suicide attempts. However, the lower expression allele was associated with a history of abuse before 15 years of age in male subjects and with higher impulsivity in males but not females. Our results suggest that the lower expression of the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism is related to a history of early abuse and may sensitize males, but not females, to the effects of early abuse experiences on impulsive traits in adulthood. The polymorphism may be a marker for impulsivity that in turn may contribute to the risk for abuse. This trait could then be further aggravated by abuse.

Propensities towards absorption are related to lapses in the monitoring of reasoning or discourse during the Adult Attachment Interview

Unresolved/disorganized (U) states of mind are identified in the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) through brief lapses in the monitoring of reasoning or discourse during the discussion of potentially traumatic experiences such as loss or abuse. These lapses have been hypothesized to indicate temporary alterations in normal states of consciousness. In parents, U attachment status predicts a pattern of infant behaviour that is associated with relatively unfavourable outcomes and has been found to be a risk factor for psychopathology in middle childhood and adolescence. In the present study (N = 140), unresolved subjects were found to be significantly elevated on Tellegens' Absorption Scale (TAS) when compared with subjects classified into the remaining adult attachment categories (secure; dismissing; preoccupied; and cannot classify). Additionally, the TAS was significantly correlated with AAI scale scores for lapses in monitoring of reasoning and/or discourse during the discussion of traumatic events. This study appears to provide the first behaviorally anchored correlate of the absorption construct outside of the domain of hypnosis. Some possible developmental origins of propensities towards absorption are discussed, including early abuse experiences and infant disorganized attachment.

The personification of evil: Motivations and fantasies of the serial killer

Abstract A serial killer is born when early experiences of abuse, deprivation, and deception lead to a specific fantasy system and motivations. The premeditation before the killing, its viciousness, and its apparent motivelessness mark the serial killer as the personification of evil. We summarize the stories of three serial killers, Henry Lee Lucas, Randall Woodfield, and Theodore Robert Bundy, based on reports and interviews conducted by journalists, forensic psychologists, and law enforcement officials. These cases illustrate the range of socio-economic backgrounds, educational levels, charm, sociability, manipulativeness, economic deprivations and advantages, as well as the extent to which physical and sexual abuse characterize the serial killer's history. We hold that utilizing the five motivational systems proposed by Lichtenberg provides a comprehensive perspective to investigate the motivations of the serial killer. These five systems organize the fantasy that combines needs for self assertion and...