Abduction/Kidnapping

Psychological Impact

All victims are hostages held against their will, whether it is the abduction of a child or kidnapping for money or political motives. Emotions—including fear, anger, and rage—are present because the victims do not know if the hostage taker will release, abuse, harm, or kill them. In children and adults, the psychological reaction for being taken as a hostage are similar to those who have been exposed to disasters and terrorist incidents. Table 1 lists typical adult reactions.

If a person is a survivor of being abducted as a child and held for many years, reconnection to the rest of society takes a great deal of time, with continued psychological counseling after being released from captivity. Geoffrey Greif researched the reactions of abducted children and found that the following symptoms were present: nightmares, fears of doors and windows, bedwetting (depending on age), fear of authority and strangers, anger at the abductor and the left-behind parent, depression, anxiety, and school and peer problems. Elizabeth Smart was 14 years old when she was abducted for 9 months, and because she was young, she lacked maturity and developed a bond with her captor, resulting in intense Stockholm syndrome. In Stockholm syndrome, kidnap victims become sympathetic to their captors. In this abduction, Smart did not seek help, call out, or draw attention to herself to be rescued but only followed what her captor wanted her to do.

A study was conducted by Angela Favaro and colleagues to investigate trauma in 24 adult victims who were held for ransom in Sardinia, Italy. They reported that about 50% suffered from posttraumatic stress and 37.5% suffered major depression. Stockholm syndrome was present in about 50% of the sample during captivity. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was present with those who experienced numerous violent incidents, and those who experienced more humiliating experiences increased their chances of experiencing Stockholm syndrome. Also, those subjects who suffered from both PTSD and Stockholm syndrome had an increased number of physical ailments.

Families, friends, and first responders also become secondary victims and are impacted psychologically by a kidnapping event. Dr. Charles R. Figley (1995) describes this in his book on compassion fatigue.

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