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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study by Marohn was to provide a literature review on the topic of trauma experienced by juvenile delinquents. It also summarized the case descriptions of the trauma experienced by seven delinquents within a state psychiatric institute and detailed the implications for treatment of these delinquents.
METHODOLOGY:
Within the psychotherapeutic literature, variations and similarities in the definition of trauma and the traumatic states of juveniles were discussed. The subjects in the case studies detailed in this article were both male and female patients of the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute who were aged 13 to 17 years and who were not psychotic, brain damaged or mentally retarded. All of the subjects were labeled as juvenile delinquents which meant that they had engaged in criminal behavior (i.e. theft, assault, drug abuse, runaway). Each subject was involved in individual and group therapy. A staff, consisting of child care workers, psychiatric aides and psychiatric nurses, provided clinical insight into each case description.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Using primarily a Freudian framework, this study defined trauma as experiencing an event so powerful that the person's ego is unable to handle it. A traumatic state was described as involving both feelings of helplessness, paralysis, immobilization, or often uncontrollable, frenzied, disorganized, aimless behaviors. A traumatic state involve rage, attacks, tantrums which could, in some excessive cases, lead to shock and death. The developmental role of a child's mother to protect an infant from excessive stimulation was stressed as an important step in preventing trauma from developing. Adolescence was viewed as a life stage of extreme ego stress and imbalance, making trauma a likely occurrence in most teenagers lives. However, extreme traumatic events in adolescence were shown to lead to delinquent behavior. The case descriptions of the seven juvenile subjects in this study revealed that each was experiencing overwhelming internal psychic stimulation and trauma. This led to impaired impulse control or behaviors such as immobilization due to rage in a classroom setting, attacks with broken bottles, throwing of furniture. The relationship between many of the subjects and their parents (mainly mothers) were highlighted. This study concluded that the violent behavior of the most delinquents was due to trauma not rage.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author stressed that until delinquents who have experienced excessive trauma have received ego support, they would not be able to participate in more in-depth psychotherapy. The author suggested that this ego support consist of such methods as providing the adolescence with small amounts of trauma, in a structured environment which s/he can easily handle. This would help build the person's ego capacity. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Illinois
KW - Offender Treatment
KW - Juvenile Mental Health
KW - Mental Health Treatment
KW - Literature Review
KW - Juvenile Delinquency
KW - Juvenile Crime
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Delinquency Causes
KW - Delinquency Treatment
KW - Life Stress
KW - Juvenile Stress
KW - Early Adolescence
KW - Late Adolescence
KW - Crime Causes
KW - Psychological Victimization Effects
KW - Juvenile Adjustment
KW - Emotional Adjustment
KW - Offender Adjustment
KW - Trauma Assessment
KW - Offender Assessment
KW - Delinquency Treatment
KW - Crime Treatment |