Emotion regulation in the context of protective and adverse childhood experiences: A comparative study of perpetrators of sex crimes and a community sample.

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have an impact on emotional development, affecting the ability to regulate emotions effectively. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) can also occur, enhancing the ability to cope with stressful situations and improving emotional regulation skills.

OBJECTIVE

Analyze the relationship between the ACEs, PCEs, and emotional regulation difficulties (ERD); compare a sample of the community with a sample of perpetrators of sex crimes in terms of these variables, and analyze the predictors of ERD.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample comprised 764 males (537 from the community sample and 209 serving time for sex crimes).

METHOD: A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.

RESULTS

Positive correlations were verified between ACEs and ERD, and negative ones between PCEs and ACEs, and between PCEs and ERD. Perpetrators of sex crimes have more ACEs and fewer PCEs and ERD compared to the community sample. Age, education level, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, parental divorce, family mental illness or suicide, and PCEs are predictors of ERD.

CONCLUSION

This study increases the understanding of the relationship between ACEs, PCEs, and their impact on ERD in adulthood, as well as the differences between the community sample and perpetrators of sex crimes in some of the variables studied. Furthermore, it also highlights the importance of intervening with families to increase PCEs, mitigate the effects of ACEs on ERD, and prevent crime.