Adverse childhood experiences of sexual offenders against children and adolescents: an analysis of life-trajectory perceptions based on the bioecological theory

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been reported in research involving sexual offenders against children and adolescents, becoming indispensable for understanding aggressive behaviors later manifested by these individuals. However, few studies address them from an ecological and developmental perspective. Goals: The present study aimed to understand perceptions regarding the occurrence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) based on the life-history narratives of sexual offenders against children and adolescents. Methods: A total of 30 interviews were analyzed, conducted with men aged between 27 and 70 years who had been convicted of sexual crimes against children and adolescents in the state of Pará, Brazil. Content analysis was conducted using thematic categories derived from the ACE-IQ instrument. The software Iramuteq was employed to perform correspondence analysis using Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC). Results: The results indicated retention of 88.81% of the textual corpus (119 text segments), yielding five classes. These classes revealed that the ACE category “Sexual abuse” (Class 5) was perceived as distinct from the others due to its specificity, at times being recognized as abuse and at other times as a sexual relationship. Experiences of bullying and involvement in physical fights (Class 4) were also reported with specific vocabulary, occurring during the transitional phase from childhood to adolescence, in which school and family emerged as weakly interconnected environments. Finally, a correspondence relationship was identified among Class 1 – Parental death and substance abuse by family members; Class 2 – Neglect and parental separation; and Class 3 – Physical abuse and domestic violence. All three were associated with the family context and the difficulties in establishing dyadic relationships with caregivers during the participants’ development. Discussion and conclusion: Investigating ACEs based on the principles of the Bioecological Model of Human Development enables a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the emergence of sexually aggressive behaviors. Such knowledge supports the creation of effective strategies for protection and prevention of these behaviors, while also expanding the understanding of the conditions that foster their occurrence.