兒時疏忽受虐對成年犯罪影響之縱貫性研究

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Childhood Neglect and Abuse on Adult Delinquency

研究目的：本研究旨在探討以非正式社會控制理論及一般化犯罪理論為基礎，並檢驗兒童時期疏忽受虐及早期生命經驗對於成年犯罪影響之理論模型。研究方法：本研究採縱貫性研究設計，以1998年「少年偏差行為早年預測之研究」問卷調查資料為主，研究對象為386名12歲國小5年級學生，至2022年2月止進行24年官方資料追蹤研究，並以結構方程模型來測試理論模型。研究結果：（1）在386名12歲兒童中，從1998年至2022年間共計44名（占11.4%）有遭警查獲的犯罪紀錄，初次犯罪類型以暴力犯罪、毒品、詐欺及偽造文書等居多。（2）兒童時期疏忽受虐對成年犯罪有顯著的正向直接效果，亦會透過家庭依附、低自我控制、情境機會和早期偏差行為等中介變項，進而影響成年犯罪行為。（3）兒童時期疏忽受虐及早期生命經驗對早期自陳偏差行為解釋力高達44.1%，而成年犯罪行為解釋力僅達8.4%。研究結論：本研究揭示了兒童時期疏忽受虐對成年犯罪影響的複雜機制，並提出了有效預防和干預兒童時期疏忽受虐和成年犯罪的策略。

Purpose: Based on the integration of social bond theory and a general theory of crime, we explore whether childhood neglect and abuse indirectly affect adult violent crime by influencing family attachment, low self-control, situational opportunities, and early deviant behavior. We also examine a theoretical model of the influence of early life experiences on adult violent crime. Methods: We adopted a longitudinal design using data from the 1998 “Study of Early Prediction of Deviant Behavior in Adolescents” survey, which followed 386 12-year-old elementary school fifth graders in Taiwan until February 2022. We tested the theoretical model using structural equation modeling. Results: (1) Of the 386 12-year-olds, 44 (11.4%) had a police record of violent crime, with the majority of first-time offenses being assault, robbery, or homicide. (2) Childhood neglect and abuse had a significant positive direct effect and a significant negative indirect effect on adult violent crime, mediated by family attachment, low self-control, situational opportunities, and early deviant behavior. (3) Childhood neglect and abuse and early life experiences explained 44.1% of the variance in early self-reported deviant behavior, but only 8.4% of the variance in adult violent crime. Conclusion: Our analysis revealed the complex mechanism of the impact of childhood neglect and abuse on adult violent crime. Based on this finding we expect childhood intervention to be effective in preventing adult crime, so we suggest effective strategies to prevent and intervene in both child maltreatment and adult crime.