A new study shows that children who suffer abuse, neglect, or trauma are far more likely to become involved in crime as teenagers—and the more trauma they experience, the greater the risk.
The research, led by Associate Professor Dr. Wendy Li from James Cook University, looked into how early negative life experiences affect young people who end up in the criminal justice system. The findings are clear: tough childhoods are closely linked to criminal behavior later in life.
Childhood Trauma and Crime: What’s the Connection?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are things like emotional or physical abuse, neglect, or growing up in a household with domestic violence, addiction, or a parent in prison. These are known to be traumatic and damaging to a child’s development.
Dr. Li and her team reviewed 31 studies involving over 420,000 young offenders aged 10 to 19. The results were eye-opening.
Around 40% of these youth had experienced more than one type of trauma.
Over half had witnessed domestic violence (52.3%).
Nearly half had a family member sent to prison (47.3%).
Emotional abuse was also common (42.7%)—meaning many of these children felt unsupported or unloved at home.
Other common experiences included living with substance abuse, family separation, or even food insecurity.
Trauma Increases Risk of Reoffending
The more trauma a child faces, the more likely they are to reoffend. In fact, young offenders exposed to multiple traumatic events were nearly twice as likely to commit crimes again.
Childhood neglect increased the chance of reoffending by 45%.
Physical abuse raised that risk by 47%.
Can Anything Help?
Yes. The study also found that positive childhood experiences—such as having supportive adults, strong social connections, and learning empathy—help reduce the chances of reoffending.
On the flip side, things like being placed in child welfare systems, struggling with drug use or mental health, or having emotional problems made things worse.
Dr. Li says this is the first in-depth review of how childhood trauma connects to repeat offenses in youth. She believes the findings can help professionals who work with young offenders focus their efforts on what really matters.
A Path Forward
By strengthening the good and reducing the risk factors, we can help break the cycle. According to Dr. Li, offering programs that help build strong relationships, provide therapy, and teach coping skills could change lives.
“There’s a real opportunity here to use what we know and make a difference,” she said.
The research is a strong reminder that behind every troubled teen is often a child who needed support and didn’t get it.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213423000364
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