Portuguese juvenile delinquents: An exploratory study from a sample of institutionalized young offenders

Abstract

Persistent and severe antisocial behaviour in adolescence is a matter of concern in every society, especially when it translates in juvenile delinquency that persists through adulthood. In this study we asked a sample of 121 institutionalized juvenile offenders to fill several self-report measures in an attempt to understand young delinquents and their social and academic conditions, behavioural manifestations and individual dispositions. Results reveal peculiarities on academic achievement, socioeconomic status and family size. Analysis confirmed the predictive role of personality, self-concept, self-control and family environment on antisocial scores. There were differences in psychoticism, antisocial behaviour and family environment according to behavioural sub-types. However, there were no correlations between antisocial tendency and age, school year or family size. Our paper may open the path for important advances in intervention approaches, with the knowledge that, unlike age, school year or family size, different types of behaviour may imply differentiated interventions.