Childhood traumas and criminal thinking effects on criminal behaviours: unexpected outcomes of intimate partner violence

This study explores the relationship between violent and non-violent criminal behaviour and various factors among university students. The factors include criminal thinking styles, childhood traumas, male gender, drug use, harming animals, frequent fighting in childhood and the level of disciplinary punishment received. The study involved 854 university students from 96 universities, all of whom are over 18 and have not received any judicial punishment. The analysis revealed that higher levels of childhood traumas, criminal thinking, drug use and disciplinary punishments in school correlate with an increase in both violent and non-violent criminal behaviours. Additionally, males, those who harmed animals and those who fought frequently in childhood are more likely to exhibit these behaviours. Notably, intimate partner violence was uniquely linked to power orientation, entitlement, and emotional and sexual abuse. The research highlights the complex interactions between individual psychological factors and childhood experiences in leading to criminal behaviours and emphasizes the need for more studies focusing on societal and cultural risk factors for intimate partner violence.