Factors influencing the decision to commit violence in Thai male juvenile offenders: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Background: Violence is a social problem that affects the physical and mental health of adolescents. For a long time, Thailand has adopted strategies formulated by the World Health Organization to reduce violence but has been unsuccessful. The aim of the current qualitative study was to understand the decision of adolescents to commit violence and to identify factors contributing to violence among male juvenile delinquents. Methods: Data were collected from 50 male juvenile offenders at the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection detention facilities located in 5 regions of Thailand through in-depth interviews focusing on delinquent violence committed in the past year. Results: Adolescents who decide to use violence have been associated with and live in environments where they face conflicts in their neighborhood and violence in their community. Mostly, juveniles were found to drop out of school, engage in abuse and supply of drugs, consume alcohol, and experienced domestic violence problems and family divorce. Juvenile offenders typically experience and learn about violence from family and peers, which creates a positive attitude toward violent behavior in them. These offenses can be categorized into intentional violence, which involves seeking revenge or resolving prior conflicts and requires premeditation, and unintentional violence, which results from a situation escalating quickly and usually requiring no preplanning, such as insults, conflicts, power struggles, self-defense, or protecting peers. Conclusions: A violence prevention model and guidelines need to be introduced into Thailand’s youth health care system. This study identified a lack of both decision-making skills and socially adequate adjustment to difficult situations among adolescent perpetrators as precursors to violent behavior.