The Effect of Childhood Trauma on Anger Behavior through Cognitive Response of Anger among Prisoners

수형자들의 아동기 외상이 분노유발사건에 대한 행동적 반응에 미치는 영향과 인지적 매개효과

Objective : Previous research showed that childhood trauma or domestic violence resulted in difficulties in controlling emotion and problem solving and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. To understand the long term effect of childhood trauma, this study investigated their influences on cognitive processing of anger-evoking event and anger behavior among prisoners. Methods : All data were collected from 198 prisoners off our districts in Korea. After they consented to participate, prison officer distributed a questionnaire that included scales to demographic measure, childhood abuse (emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect), cognitive response of anger (attentional focus, suspicion, rumination, and hostile attitude) and behavior of anger (impulsive reaction, verbal aggression, physical confrontation, and indirect expression). For statistical analyses, SPSS 18.0 were used and path coefficients were evaluated from the structural equational modeling using LISREL 8.52. Results : Almost 50% of prisoners of our sample experienced one or more trauma during childhood. Then we tested the long term effect of childhood trauma on anger response by structural equation modeling. As expected, childhood trauma was associated with cognitive processing of anger-evoking event and anger behavior. More specifically, emotional abuse (${\beta}$=0.21, p<0.01) predicted suspicion which in turn associated with impulsive reaction (${\beta}$=0.73, p<0.001) and verbal aggression (${\beta}$=0.87, p<0.001). Emotional abuse (${\beta}$=0.24, p<0.01) also predicted hostile attitude which associated with physical confrontation (${\beta}$=0.80, p<0.001) and indirect expression (${\beta}$=0.80, p<0.001). Interestingly, physical abuse associated directly with impulsive reaction (${\beta}$=0.23, p<0.01) and indirect expression (${\beta}$=0.17, p<0.05). Neglect predicted rumination (${\beta}$=0.15, p <0.05) which associated with indirect expression marginally (${\beta}$=0.11, P<0.10). Conclusion : The results of this study, suggest longitudinal and harmful effect of childhood trauma on difficulties in controlling anger. Especially, it was revealed that childhood abuse related with processing anger evoking events more suspicious and hostile and then various anger-expressing behaviors.