O Impacto do abuso sexual na infância no desenvolvimento de traços psicopáticos

Abstract

Child sexual abuse corresponds to a form of abuse that threatens not only the physical integrity of the child, but also their psychological integrity. Research carried out in this area has shown that children who suffered physical or sexual abuse are at increased risk of developing depression, post-traumatic stress, antisocial personality disorder, psychopathic traits, or even psychopathy throughout their lives. Psychopathy, more specifically, is characterized by distinct interpersonal and affective traits, such as manipulation and insensitivity, as well as the adoption of a reckless and uninhibited lifestyle by the individual. In this sense, through this study we intend to understand the impact of child sexual abuse on the development of high psychopathic traits, more specifically, to what extent experiencing sexual abuse in childhood may lead to the development of high psychopathic traits. The sample size was calculated based on statistical power analysis conducted in G*Power and the number of participants who made up the sample of this study was equal to 219. For the evaluation of the different variables, the following instruments were used: Short History of Adversity Questionnaire, Scale of Difficulties in Emotional Regulation, Scale of Impulsive and Premeditated Aggression and Triarchic Psychopathy Measure. The existence of a predictive relationship between exposure to sexual abuse during childhood and the development of psychopathic traits in adulthood, more specifically, traits of meanness and traits of disinhibition, was confirmed. It was also proven that there is a significant difference between individuals with low psychopathic traits and individuals with high psychopathic traits in terms of levels of meanness, disinhibition, premeditated aggressiveness and impulsive aggressiveness. The latter presented higher levels in all variables evaluated. In this way, it was possible to conclude that exposure to sexual abuse in childhood has a significant impact on the development of psychopathic traits in adulthood, particularly meanness and disinhibition.

Date of Award	28 Feb 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Diana Moreira (Supervisor)