Psychopathology in incarcerated juvenile delinquents: does it extend beyond externalizing problems?

The present study attempted to delineate factors that are associated with and may contribute to juvenile delinquency. Delinquents were compared to a matched control group of nonoffenders on a measure of mental health problems. Twenty-four male and female incarcerated juvenile offenders and 24 nonoffending adolescents were evaluated on the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (RBPC). As expected, the offenders scored higher (an indication of more psychopathology) on the subscales of the RBPC which represent externalizing types of problems. The offenders also scored significantly higher on the subscales reflecting internalizing problems and psychotic behavior. The results of this study point to the importance of assessing and treating offenders, especially those who are incarcerated, for difficulties other than externalizing problems.     

Juvenile Offending and Crime in Early Adulthood: A Large Sample Analysis

Using large sample archival data from the state of South Carolina’s juvenile justice agency and other state agencies, we examined the background, early experiential and delinquency-related variables predicting young adult (ages 17–30 years) offending among juvenile offenders. We also examined characteristics of juvenile offenders who committed only a single misdemeanor offense, compared to non-juvenile offenders. Finally, we examined the variables that accounted for group differences in persistence of juvenile offending. Early adverse experiences including family-related adversities, mental health problems, identification as having school-related disabilities and juvenile recidivism accounted for more than 20 % of the variance in adult offending. Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed several time-dependent covariates including gender, age at first offense and repeat versus one time offending. Contrary to the view that the one time, misdemeanor level juvenile offending represents only minor departure from normative adolescent behavior, we found that this group of offenders differed significantly from non-delinquents on every category of risk for adult offending and also were more likely than non-delinquents to commit felonies as adults. Finally, in comparing adolescence-limited offenders with life-course persistent offenders, we accounted for more than 50 % of the variance in criminal outcomes on the basis of measures of background, early adversity, psychological characteristics and age of first juvenile arrest or referral.     

Jugendliche Sexualstraftäter: Spezialfälle der Prognoseerstellung?

This study compared a sample of 273 juvenile (aged 14 to under 18), 178 adolescent (aged 18 to under 21) and 273 adult (older than 20 years) male sex offenders modus operandi (or MO, the way in which they committed their offenses), frequency of recidivism and predicted recidivism via the static-99. In terms of the frequencies of the MO aspects we found that juveniles and adolescents differed significantly from adult sexual offenders. However, concerning the frequency of sexual violent behaviors, adolescents committed more severe offenses in contrast to the two other groups. The comparison of recidivism rates indicated that adolescent sexual offenders were significantly less likely to commit a new sexual offense, but were considerably more likely to commit a non-sexual violent offense compared to adult sexual offenders. For juvenile offenders, only few static-99 variables were predictive of future recidivism in comparison to the other groups, suggesting that the static-99 may only have a restricted utility in juvenile offenders. Further, juvenile offenders risk levels were found to fall primarily within the medium risk group making individual differentiation of potential risk difficult. It is suggested that additional predictors, which help to differentiate young sexual offenders must be investigated.     

Juvenile recidivism: a comparison of three prediction instruments

Risk-assessment instruments are increasingly being used, the majority of research evaluating such instruments with adult offenders. The purpose of this study was to compare three models being used to predict recidivism in juvenile offenders. Discriminant analysis was used to examine the extent to which these various models could discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists. The results indicated that only one model had adequate predictability. Since little research has been done with risk-prediction instruments for juvenile offenders, these results offer tentative promise for the future development of such an instrument.     

Development of adolescence‐limited,late‐onset,and persistent offenders from age 8 to age 48

This article investigates the life success at ages 32 and 48 of four categories of males: nonoffenders, adolescence‐limited offenders (convicted only at ages 10–20), late‐onset offenders (convicted only at ages 21–50), and persistent offenders (convicted at both ages 10–20 and 21–50). In the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, 411 South London males have been followed up from age 8 to 48 in repeated personal interviews. There was considerable continuity in offending over time. Persistent offenders had the longest criminal careers (averaging 18.4 years), and most of them had convictions for violence. Persistent offenders were leading the most unsuccessful lives at ages 32 and 48, although all categories of males became more successful with age. By age 48, the life success of adolescence‐limited offenders was similar to that of nonoffenders. The most important risk factors at ages 8–18 that predicted which offenders would persist after age 21 were heavy drinking at age 18, hyperactivity at ages 12–14, and low popularity and harsh discipline at ages 8–10. The most important risk factors that predicted which nonoffenders would onset after age 21 were poor housing and low nonverbal IQ at ages 8–10, high neuroticism at age 16, and anti‐establishment attitudes and motoring convictions at age 18. It was suggested that nervousness and neuroticism may have protected children at risk from offending in adolescence and the teenage years. Aggr. Behav. 35:150–163, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Relation of Family Problems to Patterns of Delinquent Involvement Among Urban Youth

The relation of patterns of family problems and patterns of delinquent behavior over time was evaluated among a sample of inner-city minority adolescent males. Empirically derived groups were identified and included: nonoffenders, chronic minor offenders, escalators, and serious chronic offenders. Patterns of family problems were also identified and differentially related to delinquency groups. Members of the group involved in serious chronic offending were more likely to have families characterized by multiple problems including disruption, conflict, and lack of parental involvement, sometimes so extreme as to meet the legal requirement of neglect. They were also more likely to have families characterized by deviant behavior and attitudes. The finding of specific relations between types of family problems and patterns of delinquent behavior has important implications for intervention and prevention. Rather than assuming a general relation between family functioning and delinquent involvement, specific aspects of family functioning may need to be targeted to affect different patterns of delinquent involvement.     

Temporal discounting of monetary rewards in children and adolescents with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders

It has been difficult to differentiate attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in terms of some aspects of their cognitive profile. While both show deficits in executive functions, it has been suggested that they may differ in their response to monetary reward. For instance, children with ADHD prefer small immediate over large delayed rewards more than typically developing controls. One explanation for this is that they discount the value of rewards to a higher degree as they are moved into the future. The current study investigated whether children with ADHD can be differentiated from those with ASD in terms of reward discounting. Thirty‐nine children (8–16 y) with ADHD, 34 children with ASD and 46 typically developing controls performed a hypothetical monetary temporal discounting task. Participants were instructed to make repeated choices between small variable rewards (0, 5, 10, 20, 30€) delivered immediately and large rewards delivered after a variable delay. Children with ADHD but not ASD discounted future rewards at a higher rate than typically developing controls. These data confirm steeper discounting of future rewards in ADHD and add to a small but growing literature showing that the psychological profile of ADHD can be distinguished from that of ASD in terms of disrupted motivational processes.     

睾酮素与反社会倾向未成年犯的攻击行为：敌意注意偏向的中介和皮质醇的调节作用

为考察睾酮素与反社会倾向未成年犯攻击行为的关系,在整合攻击行为生物激素视角和社会认知视角的基础上,探究敌意注意偏向的中介作用与皮质醇的调节作用。对84名未成年犯的激素水平、敌意注意偏向以及攻击行为进行调查。结果显示：(1)敌意注意偏向(注意不稳定性、注意回避)在睾酮素对攻击行为的影响中起完全中介作用;(2)皮质醇调节睾酮素与敌意注意偏向的关系,仅在高皮质醇水平下,敌意注意偏向的中介效应显著。基于生物激素影响攻击行为的中介机制和调节机制,可尝试从增加对敌意刺激的注意回避和提高皮质醇水平两个方面对反社会倾向未成年犯的攻击暴力行为进行干预。     

Attributional style in aggressive adolescent boys

Past research suggests that aggressive children misattribute hostile intentions to peers during ambiguous provocative interactions. This study sought to extend the analysis of attributional differences between aggressive and nonaggressive boys to a sample of court-involved adolescents and their perceptions of interactions involving both peers and adults. Three groups of youngsters (nonoffenders, nonaggressive offenders, and aggressive offenders) participated in a structured interview and provided causal attributions for interpersonal problems commonly faced by teenagers. Results indicated that offenders were more likely than nonoffenders to attribute blame to others in ambiguous problem situations. Among offenders, external, person-centered blame attributions were significantly related to aggressiveness. This relationship was found only in ambiguous situations, and the correlation between such person-centered attributions and aggressiveness was higher in adult-oriented interactions than in peer-oriented ones. Overall, the results suggest that aggressiveness among offenders is associated with an attributional style that is characterized by the tendency to attribute blame for problems in ambiguous interactions to global, dispositional characteristics of others.     

Fatherhood and Delinquency: An Examination of Risk Factors and Offending Patterns Associated with Fatherhood Status among Serious Juvenile Offenders

Despite a large body of literature across multiple disciplines on adolescent motherhood, adolescent fathers have been largely absent from empirical research. Previous findings suggest that young men who experience multiple risk factors across a range of life domains have a high likelihood of becoming fathers at an early age, which can negatively impact their developmental trajectories and age-normative transitions (e.g. from school to work). However, little is known about the risk factors for fatherhood among high-risk juvenile offenders; nor is it well understood how fatherhood is related to criminal behavior in this population. The current study investigated risk factors and offending patterns associated with adolescent fatherhood status in a sample of serious juvenile offenders (N?=?1170). Consistent with previous studies, fatherhood status was associated with greater risk exposure among serious juvenile offenders. Furthermore, change in fatherhood status was associated with higher levels of overall offending, aggressive offending, income-related offending, and non-drug-related income offending. In light of these findings, we propose that supports and resources are needed to facilitate juvenile offenders in their role as fathers during this time.     

Are juvenile offenders extreme future discounters?

It has been the prevailing view that young offenders are more present oriented than their peers, but this view has little empirical basis other than the actions that have defined these youth as offenders. In the present study, we used a decision task with actual monetary consequences to assess the tendency of young offenders and a control group of high school students to discount the future. The young offenders were not significantly different from the students in discounting the future, even though the young offenders scored significantly higher on a sensation-seeking personality scale, were less likely to have lived with their fathers, and had changed schools more often. Young offenders and control participants were also similar in the extent to which they manifested a clear vision of the future by anticipating which future milestones would occur sooner, in a task pairing milestones with each other and with year markers.     

A validational note on the revised Socialization Scale of the California Psychological Inventory

The revised (1987) Socialization Scale of the California Psychological Inventory was studied in a sample of 121 delinquent and nondelinquent males to determine if the revised scale, compared to the original version of the scale (1957), could differentiate among a group of nonoffenders and a comprehensive typology of offenders. Results of an ANOVA and product-moment correlations provided significant and considerable support for the discriminability of the revised So Scale. Obtained results indicate that the revised instrument can differentiate offenders from nonoffenders to about the same, or a greater, degree than the original scale.     

Preliminary Development of Trauma-Focused Treatment Groups for Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders

Summary

Most male juvenile offenders have been exposed to trauma. Many juvenile offenders have experienced both acute and chronic trauma. Trauma exposure among offenders is closely linked to their criminal behavior, yet few protocols have been developed to treat posttraumatic sequelae in a delinquent population. This article describes initial efforts to develop group therapy services for incarcerated male juvenile offenders who have histories of significant trauma exposure and current symptoms of PTSD. Four separate pilot groups were conducted in two Massachusetts Department of Youth Service secure residential facilities. The treatment included trauma psychoeducation (including the relationship between trauma and offending), therapeutic trauma exposure through discussion and expressive arts, and coping skill development. The treatment development and initial implementation as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Individual,Family, Peer,and Academic Characteristics of Male Juvenile Sexual Offenders

This study examined the individual functioning, interpersonal relations, and academic performance of 115 male juveniles who were divided into 5 demographically matched groups (sexual offenders with peer/adult victims, sexual offenders with child victims, violent nonsexual offenders, nonviolent nonsexual offenders, and nondelinquent youths). Parents and youths completed self-report instruments, behavior rating inventories, and a videorecorded interaction task, and teachers completed a rating measure. Results showed that juvenile sexual offenders, like juvenile nonsexual offenders, had more behavior problems, more difficulties in family and peer relations, and poorer academic performance than did nondelinquent youths. However, juvenile sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders did not differ on any of the measures of individual or interpersonal adjustment. The implications of these findings for research, theory, and treatment are discussed.

Now for Me,Later for Us? Effects of Group Context on Temporal Discounting

Delayed rewards are less valuable than immediate rewards. This well‐established finding has focused almost entirely on individual outcomes. However, are delayed rewards similarly discounted if they are shared by a group? The current article reports on three experiments exploring the effect of group context on delay discounting. Results indicate that discount rates of individual and group rewards were highly correlated, but that respondents were more willing to wait (decreased discounting) for shared outcomes than for individual outcomes. An explanatory model is proposed suggesting that decreased discount rates in group contexts may be due to the way the effects of both delay and social discounting are combined. That is, in a group context, a person values both a future reward (discounted by delay) and a present reward to another person (discounted by the social distance between them). The results are explained by a combined discount function containing a delay factor and a factor representing the social distance between the decision maker and group members. Practical implications of the fact that shared consequences can increase individual self‐control are also discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mindreading abilities in sexual offenders: an analysis of theory of mind processes

The paper aims to assess the theory of mind (ToM) of sexual offenders. We administered to 21 sexual offenders and to 21 nonoffenders two classical first- and second-order ToM tasks, a selection of six Strange Stories, and a semi-structured interview, the Theory of Mind Assessment Scale (Th.o.m.a.s), which provides a multi-dimensional evaluation of ToM, investigating first- vs. third-person and egocentric vs. allocentric perspectives. Results show that sexual offenders performed worse than controls on second-order ToM tasks, on Strange Stories and on each of the Th.o.m.a.s dimensions, whereas they did as well as the control group on first-order ToM tasks. A detailed analysis of participants’ performance on Th.o.m.a.s. showed that sex offenders performed worse on the third-person than on the first-person ToM scale, and worse on the allocentric than on the egocentric perspective; these findings did not apply to the controls. Implications for future research and treatment are discussed.     

The Development of Marijuana Dealing Behavior During Adolescence and Early Adulthood Among Juvenile Offenders: Risk Factors for Development

ABSTRACT

Despite the amount of attention paid to marijuana use, there has yet to be any research that examines heterogeneity in the development of marijuana dealing behavior across time. This research used group-based trajectory modeling to elucidate developmental trends in this behavior and examines how risk factors may predict heterogeneity in marijuana dealing among a sample of juvenile offenders. The Pathways to Desistance data set, a sample of 1,354 juvenile offenders followed across 84 months during adolescence and early adulthood following a recent adjudication, was utilized in analyses. Results indicate that a five-group model best fits the data. Results indicate that higher baseline resistance to peer influence was associated with increased risk of assignment to the Accelerating and High Chronic groups, whereas baseline marijuana use was associated with assignment to the Accelerating, Desisting, and High Chronic groups when all covariates were included in estimation. This indicates that juvenile offenders may be at risk for dealing marijuana during adolescence and use of the drug and low susceptibility to peer influence may indicate higher risk for engagement.     

High temporal discounters overvalue immediate rewards rather than undervalue future rewards: An event-related brain potential study

Impulsivity is characterized in part by heightened sensitivity to immediate relative to future rewards. Although previous research has suggested that “high discounters” in intertemporal choice tasks tend to prefer immediate over future rewards because they devalue the latter, it remains possible that they instead overvalue immediate rewards. To investigate this question, we recorded the reward positivity, a component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) associated with reward processing, with participants engaged in a task in which they received both immediate and future rewards and nonrewards. The participants also completed a temporal discounting task without ERP recording. We found that immediate but not future rewards elicited the reward positivity. High discounters also produced larger reward positivities to immediate rewards than did low discounters, indicating that high discounters relatively overvalued immediate rewards. These findings suggest that high discounters may be more motivated than low discounters to work for monetary rewards, irrespective of the time of arrival of the incentives.     

Family secrecy: a comparative study of juvenile sex offenders and youth with conduct disorders

The reported research was designed to compare adjudicated male juvenile sexual offenders and youth with conduct disorders on five aspects of family secrecy and deception. Twenty-nine male juvenile sex offenders and 32 comparison youth from three child welfare agencies in New York State participated in the study. Research assistants, blind to the hypotheses of the study and status of the youth, coded agency records for five variables identified a priori as a basis of comparison. Analyses revealed that the two groups were different on three of the five and on the total number of items scored. Families of juvenile sex offenders told more lies, had more family myths, and were more likely to be involved in taboo behavior. Logistic regression revealed that this factor of family deception significantly increased the odds of sexual offending over and above other measures of family pathology. These data support the hypotheses of the study and have implications for both clinical practice and future research in this area.