Adverse Childhood Experiences and Forensic Typologies: Getting Specific about Trauma among Institutionalized Youth.

Ilma Jahic,Jonathan W Caudill,Chad R Trulson,Matt Delisi,Alexandra Slemaker,Taea Bonner

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111307

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to various conduct and behavior problems within juvenile delinquents, but fewer studies focused on these associations among specific forensic typologies of offending. Utilizing data from 3382 institutionalized delinquents in Texas, logistic regression models indicated multiple associations between ACEs and forensic typologies in both adjusted and unadjusted models, with sexual abuse and physical abuse emerging as the most consistent and robust predictors. Supplemental sensitivity models confirmed the associations between sexual abuse and physical abuse among youth who fit multiple forensic typologies. Models fared poorly at identifying youth who are engaged in fire setting. Implications for total and singular ACEs are discussed, along with how those relate to more clinically meaningful, forensic forms of juvenile delinquency.

Highlights

IntroductionA host of developmental factors contributes to conduct problems, delinquency, and serious psychopathology among juveniles
Numerous studies employing data on community, school, clinical, and correctional samples of youth from multiple nations found that greater and more varied trauma exposure was significantly associated with more severe behavioral outcomes [8,9] and greater psychopathology [8,10], and trauma exposure is acute among justice system involved youth [9,11,12,13]
adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are salient among youth involved in the justice system and within detention centers

Summary

Introduction

A host of developmental factors contributes to conduct problems, delinquency, and serious psychopathology among juveniles. These factors span temperamental, personality, family background, health, peer, socioeconomic, and neighborhood domains [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Numerous studies employing data on community, school, clinical, and correctional samples of youth from multiple nations found that greater and more varied trauma exposure was significantly associated with more severe behavioral outcomes [8,9] and greater psychopathology [8,10], and trauma exposure is acute among justice system involved youth [9,11,12,13]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion