Pathway to terrorist behaviors: The role of childhood experiences, personality traits, and ideological motivations in a sample of Iraqi prisoners

Authors

Sean D. Cleary, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Philip J. Candilis, Department of Medical Affairs, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Saleh Dhumad, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Allen R. Dyer, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Najat Khalifa, Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-1-2024

Journal

Journal of forensic sciences

Volume

69

Issue

2

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.15429

Keywords

adverse childhood experiences; mental disorder; path analysis; radicalization; religiosity; terrorism; terrorism severity

Abstract

Radicalization to terrorism is a multifaceted process with no single theory or approach to explain it. Although research has focused on understanding the process, there is still a dearth of studies that examine an empirically driven pathway to terrorism behavior. This study examines a cross-sectional sample of incarcerated men convicted of terrorism in Iraq (N = 160). A questionnaire-guided interview included adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), conduct disorder (CD), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), religious and political ideology, views about causes of terrorism, and the severity of terrorist acts. Path analysis was employed to examine the relationships between these factors and to identify the model with the best fit. After adjusting for age, employment, and location, results indicated that ACEs positively impacted CD, ASPD, religious guidance, and terrorism attitudes. ASPD positively affected political commitment and terrorism attitudes, but inversely affected current religious commitment. Political commitment inversely influenced terrorism attitudes. Religious commitment positively influenced the prioritization of religion in life, which subsequently impacted terrorism attitudes and behavior severity. Additionally, attitudes toward terrorism directly affected the severity of terrorism behavior. All paths in the final model were statistically significant at p < 0.05. Although these findings may be limited in generalizability due to the unique sample, results support the complex and interdependent nature of childhood and adult experiences on the development of both terrorism attitudes and the severity of terrorism behavior.

APA Citation

Cleary, Sean D.; Candilis, Philip J.; Dhumad, Saleh; Dyer, Allen R.; and Khalifa, Najat, "Pathway to terrorist behaviors: The role of childhood experiences, personality traits, and ideological motivations in a sample of Iraqi prisoners" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 4648.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/4648

Department

Epidemiology