Adolescents Engaged in Radicalisation and Terrorism: A Dimensional and Categorical Assessment.

Guillaume Bronsard,Aurélien Varnoux,David Cohen,Hugues Pellerin,Priscille Gerardin,Nicolas Campelo,Marc-Antoine Podlipski,Issaga Diallo,Laurent Boyer

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.774063

Abstract

Since 2010 and the founding of the Islamic State, the radicalisation phenomenon in Europe has involved more adolescents and converts to Islam than in previous Islamist terrorist group movements (e.g., Al-Qaeda). In most cases, these adolescents are “homegrown terrorists,” a challenging difference, as they are in confrontation with their home and societal environment. As a new and emerging phenomenon, radicalisation leads to many questions. Are empathic capacities altered? Are they presenting psychiatric pathologies or suicidal tendencies that explain why they put themselves in serious dangers? Are they just young delinquents who simply met a radical ideology? In January 2018, by special Justice Department authorisation, we contacted all minors (N = 31) convicted in France for “criminal association to commit terrorism.” We assessed several sociodemographic, clinical and psychological variables, including empathy and suicidality, in half of them (N = 15) and compared them with 101 teenagers convicted for non-terrorist delinquency who were placed in Closed Educational Centres (CEC). The results show that adolescents engaged in radicalisation and terrorism do not have a significant prevalence of psychiatric disorders, suicidal tendencies or lack of empathy. It also appears that they have different psychological profiles than delinquent adolescents. “Radicalised” adolescents show better intellectual skills, insight capacities and coping strategies. In addition, the manifestation of their difficulties is less externalised than adolescents from the CEC, having committed very few delinquent acts.

Highlights

If we focus on the radicalisation phenomenon as it has appeared in Europe, at the same time as the advent of the Islamic State, we can identify several characteristics
In terms of family environment, 5 (33.3%) of them had poor socio-economic backgrounds, 12 (80%) of them went through either a bereavement or a sudden separation during their life, seven (46.7%) of them expressed that they suffered a sort of negligence during childhood, nine (60%) of them notified social care interventions, and five (33.3%) of them confirmed that they experienced family socioeconomic insecurity
We found that one third of association to commit terrorism” (AMT) adolescents expressed no such feelings or political discourse for themselves or their families, one third had such feelings that contrasted with their own families, and one third shared these feeling with their families

Summary

Introduction

If we focus on the radicalisation phenomenon as it has appeared in Europe, at the same time as the advent of the Islamic State (or Daesh), we can identify several characteristics. France has been concerned with the radicalisation phenomenon compared to other European countries, either in terms of the number of nationals involved or as a target of terrorist attacks [3,4,5,6,7]. The radicalisation phenomenon would appear prevalent among subjects involved with delinquency during their life and who have presented difficulties at familial, social, and professional integration [4]

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion