How trauma and attachment can impact neurodevelopment: Informing our understanding and treatment of sexual behaviour problems

Over the last several years there has been a notable increase in neurological and neurodevelopmental research, with a keen interest in applying this research to our understanding of everyday human learning and behaviour. One aspect of this research has examined how the experience of trauma in childhood can affect neurodevelopment with implications for later emotional and behavioural functioning. Given that many of the adolescents and adults engaged in treatment for sexually abusive or sexually problematic behaviours present with identified histories of abuse and/or neglect, this research would appear to have particular relevance to our understanding and treatment of a substantial portion of this population. This paper seeks to give a broad introduction to some of this early research and suggests that this work offers the possibility of significantly changing the way clinicians view and treat sexual behaviour problems.