An Explorative Study of Perpetrator Trauma Symptoms in South African Incarcerated Youth

Abstract

The formulation and application of perpetration-based traumatic experiences (perpetrator trauma) remain contentious. The notion that individuals who commit violent offenses may experience their own offenses as traumatic is often dismissed as implausible, based on assumptions that such individuals are violent, callous, and incapable of experiencing any shame, guilt, or intrusive symptoms related to their violent acts. However, empirical evidence indicates that some perpetrators do experience their offences as traumatic and experience various symptoms associated with their offences and victims. Therefore, this study explored symptoms consistent with perpetrator trauma among incarcerated youth. A qualitative approach guided by descriptive phenomenology was employed, using a single case study design. Semi-structured, audio-recorded individual interviews were used to collect rich, in-depth data from 10 participants, sampled through a two-phase non-probability sampling procedure. The participants provided thick descriptions of the processes and pathways underlying their perpetrator trauma and identified offence-specific and individual contextual factors that exacerbated their trauma sequelae, including age, offence motivation, others’ responses to the offence, nature of the relationship with the victim, and incarceration. Additionally, participants drew on African ideologies and beliefs in conceptualising their trauma, where they shared a belief that their trauma had been spiritually induced by their victims’ families through traditional means (rituals).