Higher Levels Of Delinquent Behavior Research Articles

Parental Arrest and Adolescent Delinquency in Singapore: The Moderating Roles of Narcissism, Callous-Unemotional Traits, and Impulsivity

Adolescent delinquency is an important issue, and of universal concern. Parental arrest history has been recognized to have negative impacts on children’s delinquent behavior. This study focused on the predictors of adolescent delinquency, including parental influences and adolescents’ own personal traits. We explored the relationship between parental arrest and children’s delinquency among 1027 Singaporean secondary school students aged between 12 and 19 years (Mage = 14.10). Specifically, we used hierarchical multiple regression to examine the moderating effects that different dimensions of psychopathic traits, including narcissism, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and impulsivity, have on the relation between parental arrest and adolescent delinquency. Findings suggested that parental arrest significantly and positively predicted the delinquent behavior of their children. Although narcissism, CU traits, and impulsivity showed significant main effects on delinquency, only narcissism and CU traits, but not impulsivity, were found to significantly interact with parental arrest in predicting adolescent delinquency. With a high level of narcissism and CU traits, adolescents whose parents have had a prior arrest history were more likely to display higher levels of delinquent behavior. These findings shed light on the importance of reducing adolescents’ narcissism and CU traits when developing prevention and intervention strategies to combat delinquency of adolescents with arrested parents in an Asian context.

Psychosocial Aspects of Pornography

Introduction: Pornography is the term given for non-relational sex without any requirements for relational intimacy. It has appeared in all cultures and civilizations over centuries. Research into the area of addictive sexual behaviors on the Internet incorporates the various constructs surrounding compulsive sexual behavior. Pornography and society: Excess viewing of pornography has been said to be associated with psychiatric comorbidities such as anxiety and depression, and even sexual dysfunction. Individuals with pornography addiction have lower degrees of social integration, increase in conduct problems, higher levels of delinquent behavior, higher incidence of depressive symptoms, and decreased emotional bonding with caregivers. Pornography is an expression of fantasies and is said to have the potential to rewire pleasure centers of the brain and alter structures and function. Conclusion: Pornography can bring about significant changes in the brain similar to what can be seen in drug addictions. Owing to the boom of technology and easy access to such material, it is imperative to provide specifically designed pornography addiction education programs to educate students about the adverse effects of pornography.

Structural Brain Connectivity in Childhood Disruptive Behavior Problems: A Multidimensional Approach

BackgroundStudies of white matter connectivity in children with disruptive behavior have yielded inconsistent results, possibly owing to the trait’s heterogeneity, which comprises diverse symptoms like physical aggression, irritability, and delinquency. This study examined associations of global and specific white matter connectivity with childhood disruptive behavior problems, while accounting for their complex multidimensionality. MethodsIn a large cross-sectional population-based study of 10-year-old preadolescents (n = 2567), we assessed four previously described empirically derived dimensions of disruptive behavior problems using the Child Behavior Checklist: physical aggression, irritability, disobedient behavior, and delinquent behavior. Global and specific white matter microstructure was assessed by diffusion tensor imaging. ResultsGlobal fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were not associated with broad measures of disruptive behavior, e.g., Child Behavior Checklist externalizing problems scale. Global fractional anisotropy was negatively associated with delinquent behavior (β = −.123, pfalse discovery rate adjusted = .028) and global mean diffusivity was positively associated with delinquent behavior (β = .205, pfalse discovery rate adjusted < 0.001), suggesting reduced white matter microstructure in preadolescents with higher levels of delinquent behavior. Lower white matter microstructure in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum, and uncinate underlie these associations. Global white matter microstructure was not associated with physical aggression, irritability, or disobedient behavior. ConclusionsDelinquent behavior, a severe manifestation of childhood disruptive behavior, was associated with lower white matter microstructure in tracts connecting frontal and temporal lobes. These brain regions are involved in decision making, reward processing, and emotion regulation. This study demonstrated that incorporating the multidimensional nature of childhood disruptive behavior traits shows promise in advancing the search for elucidating neurobiological correlates of disruptive behavior.

The relationships between gender, psychopathic traits and self-reported delinquency: a comparison between a general population sample and a high-risk sample for juvenile delinquency

BackgroundStudies have shown that youths with high psychopathic traits have an earlier onset of delinquent behavior, have higher levels of delinquent behavior, and show higher rates of recidivism than youths with low psychopathic traits. Furthermore, psychopathic traits have received much attention as a robust indicator for delinquent and aggressive behavior in both boys and girls. However, there is a notable lack of research on gender differences in the relationship between psychopathic traits and delinquent behavior. In addition, most of the studies on psychopathic traits and delinquent behavior were conducted in high-risk samples. Therefore, the first objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between psychopathic traits and specific forms of self-reported delinquency in a high-risk sample for juvenile delinquency as well as in a general population sample. The second objective was to examine the influence of gender on this relationship. Finally, we investigated whether the moderating effect of gender was comparable in the high-risk sample for juvenile delinquency and the general population sample.MethodsParticipants were 1220 adolescents of the German-speaking part of Switzerland (N = 351 high-risk sample, N = 869 general population sample) who were between 13 and 21 years of age. The Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI) was used to assess psychopathic traits. To assess the lifetime prevalence of the adolescents’ delinquent behavior, 15 items derived from a self-report delinquency instrument were used. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between gender, psychopathic traits and self-reported delinquency across both samples.ResultsOur results demonstrated that psychopathic traits are related to non-violent and violent offenses. We found no moderating effect of gender and therefore we could not detect differences in the moderating effect of gender between the samples. However, there was a moderating effect of sample for the relationship between the callous and unemotional YPI scale and non-violent offenses. In addition, the regression weights of gender and sample were, for non-violent offenses, reduced to non-significance when adding the interaction terms.ConclusionsPsychopathic traits were found to be present in a wide range of youths (i.e., high-risk as well as general population sample, young children as well as adolescents, boys as well as girls) and were related to delinquent behavior. The influence of age and YPI scales on self-reported delinquency was more robust than the influence of gender and sample. Therefore, screening for psychopathic traits among young children with psychosocial adjustment problems seems relevant for developing effective intervention strategies.

At the End of Their Rope

The concept of self-control has been used to account for a wide variety of outcomes, both criminal and otherwise. Recently, researchers have started investigating associations between parental self-control and family functioning. This study expands this area of research by assessing the extent to which parental low self-control and official involvement in juvenile delinquency is associated with parental exasperation among a sample of parents ( N = 101) whose children have been processed through a juvenile justice assessment facility. The results indicate that parents who are lower in self-control and whose children have had more extensive involvement in officially recorded delinquency report greater exasperation regarding their children. In addition, the data indicate the effect of parental low self-control on parental exasperation is stronger at higher levels of delinquent behavior. The implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

Adolescent Delinquency: Is Too Much or Too Little Parental Control a Problem?

Delinquent behavior is a parental concern during the period of adolescence. Previous theories and studies suggested that high parental control relates to lower delinquent behavior. However, Nye’s social control theory suggests a curvilinear rather than a linear relationship between parental control and delinquency. This study uses Nye’s social control theory to explore a curvilinear relationship between parental control and delinquency. Data concerning parental control and delinquency from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) was analyzed using negative binomial regression in conjunction with “Svy” estimation method. The adolescents in the sample ranged from ages 12–21 years old (M = 15.55) and varied in race/ethnicity, family structure, and socioeconomic status. The quadratic term of parental control had a significant relationship with delinquency while controlling for the linear term of the parental control variable and covariates. The results suggested that high and low parental control related to higher levels of delinquent behavior. Moderate amounts of parental control related to lower levels of delinquent behavior. The practical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed within the study.

Delinquent Behavior in High School Students in Hong Kong: Sociodemographic, Personal, and Family Determinants

Study ObjectiveOn the basis of longitudinal data collected over 6 years, the changes in delinquent behavior and the related sociodemographic, personal, and family determinants were examined in this study. Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome MeasuresA 6-year longitudinal research design was used. Students responded to a questionnaire containing sociodemographic questions and validated measures of positive youth development, family functioning, and delinquent behavior. ResultsThere was an increasing trend of delinquent behavior with the growth rate slowing down over the high school years. Male adolescents reported higher levels of delinquent behavior and showed a greater increase of delinquent behavior relative to female adolescents. Although positive youth development and family functioning were negatively associated with the initial level of delinquent behavior, they were positively associated with the growth rate of delinquent behavior over time. ConclusionDelinquent behavior could be described by a quadratic growth curve during high school years. Gender, positive youth development, and family functioning influence the level and developmental trajectory of delinquent behavior in adolescence.

Delinquent behavior, the transition to adulthood, and the likelihood of military enlistment

Using data taken from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth we examine the relationship between delinquency and enlistment in the military. We argue that delinquent behavior is positively related to enlistment because military service is an attractive alternative for delinquents to mark their transition to adulthood and their desistance from delinquent behavior. We also argue, however, that this relationship is not linear, with higher levels of delinquent behavior actually acting to reduce the likelihood of enlistment. We further suggest that the relationship between delinquency and enlistment is similar for men and women. We test and find support for our hypotheses using data taken from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.

Groups, gangs, and delinquency: Does organization matter?

Purpose A consistent finding of research on delinquency has been that gang members show higher levels of delinquent behavior than non-gang members. However, research attempting to understand the mechanisms underlying this finding is lacking. The basic premise of the current article is that the level of organization found in delinquent groups and gangs matters in clarifying the relationship between membership and delinquency. Methods This article examined the association between organization and delinquency in a sample of 523 self-reported juvenile offenders from a high school survey conducted in the province of Quebec, Canada. Results The results showed that 1) there is clearly something special about membership in a gang that influences delinquency beyond the more general membership in a delinquent group; 2) the key to understanding finding lies, in part, in the level of organization found in gangs. Organization emerged as the most important factor associated with general delinquency, involvement in violence, and in drug supply offences, significantly (but not completely) reducing the effect of gang membership on delinquency. Conclusions Even if most delinquent associations show little signs of formal structure and organization, this study demonstrates the importance of organization as a key mechanism to understand the gang effect on delinquency.

Anticipating Problem Drinking Risk From Preschoolers' Antisocial Behavior: Evidence for a Common Delinquency-Related Diathesis Model

ObjectiveEarly first drinking (EFD) experiences predict later alcohol problems. However, the longitudinal pathway from early childhood leading to EFD has not been well delineated. Based on documented links between drinking behaviors and chronic antisocial behaviors, this article tests a common diathesis model in which precursive patterns of aggression and delinquent behavior—from preschool onward—anticipate EFD. MethodParticipants were 220 male children and their parents in a high risk for substance use disorder prospective study. Early first drinking was defined as having had a first drink by 12 to 14 years of age. Stacked structural equation models and configural frequency analyses were used to compare those with and without EFD on aggression and delinquent behavior from ages 3 to 5 years through 12 to 14 years. ResultsDelinquent behavior and aggression decreased normatively throughout childhood for those with and without EFD, although those with EFD showed precocious resurgences moving into early adolescence. Early first drinking was associated with delinquent behavior more than aggression. Early drinkers were more delinquent at most ages—with a direct effect of preschool predisposition on adolescent behavior only within the EFD group. Early first drinking was disproportionately likely among individuals with high levels of delinquent behavior at both 3 to 5 and 12 to 14 years of age but uncommon among individuals with low levels of delinquent behavior during those two age periods. ConclusionsEarly first drinking and delinquent behavior share a common diathesis evident before school entry. Intervention and prevention programs targeting problem drinking risk should focus on dismantling this emergent primarily delinquency-related developmental trajectory.

The Structure of Male Adolescent Peer Networks and Risk for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: Findings from a National Sample

Although peer networks have been implicated as influential in a range of adolescent behaviors, little is known about relationships between peer network structures and risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) among youth. This study is a descriptive analysis of how peer network "types" may be related to subsequent risk for IPV perpetration among adolescents using data from 3,030 male respondents to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Sampled youth were a mean of 16 years of age when surveyed about the nature of their peer networks, and 21.9 when asked to report about IPV perpetration in their adolescent and early adulthood relationships. A latent class analysis of the size, structure, gender composition and delinquency level of friendship groups identified four unique profiles of peer network structures. Men in the group type characterized by small, dense, mostly male peer networks with higher levels of delinquent behavior reported higher rates of subsequent IPV perpetration than men whose adolescent network type was characterized by large, loosely connected groups of less delinquent male and female friends. Other factors known to be antecedents and correlates of IPV perpetration varied in their distribution across the peer group types, suggesting that different configurations of risk for relationship aggression can be found across peer networks. Implications for prevention programming and future research are addressed.

Family and Religious Characteristics' Influence on Delinquency Trajectories from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

This study takes a life-course approach to examine whether family and religious characteristics influence individual-level delinquency trajectories from early adolescence through young adulthood. Based on data from the NLSY79, results suggest that residing with two parents deters youths from becoming delinquent and that supportive parenting practices reduce their likelihood of becoming involved in delinquent behavior early in adolescence. There is also evidence that family and religion interact to predict delinquency trajectories. Religion enhances the effect of parental affection in deterring delinquent behavior and mitigates the increased risk of high levels of delinquent behavior among youths in single-parent families. Moreover, the findings indicate that delinquency trajectories are not immutable; family transitions are associated with increases in delinquency, but religious participation throughout adolescence and marriage are associated with declines in delinquent behavior. Overall, results suggest that family and religious characteristics continually influence the extent to which youths commit delinquent acts.

Testing an Interactive Model of Symptom Severity in Conduct Disordered Youth

This study presents data from 85 young offenders referred for court-ordered mental health assessments. A model of interactive risk was tested, in which parent-child relationships, social-contextual adversity, and antisocial thinking were predicted to be associated with aggressive and delinquent behavior in a multiplicative fashion. For aggression, strong associations were found with parent-adolescent alienation, but there were no interactions with social-contextual risk or antisocial thinking. For delinquency, parent-adolescent relationship quality interacted with both social-contextual risk and antisocial thinking. Better parent-adolescent trust-communication was associated with an attenuated effect of social-contextual risk and antisocial thinking on delinquency. Greater parent-adolescent alienation, however, was associated with relatively high levels of delinquent behavior irrespective of social-contextual risk, whereas adolescents reporting less attachment-alienation showed greater delinquency as social-contextual risk increased.

Gender and alcohol moderate prenatal cocaine effects on teacher-report of child behavior

Prenatal cocaine exposure has been associated with behavior problems at school age. However, the correspondence between use of cocaine and alcohol during pregnancy is often high, making appropriate allocation of variance and control for other exposures and their interactions difficult. Additionally, gender-specific effects are not typically reported. The purpose of the current study was to determine the degree to which gender-specific effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on teacher-reported child externalizing behavior problems were evident when evaluated in relation to prenatal alcohol exposure. Subjects were singleton infants of mothers who were prospectively evaluated during pregnancy. At age seven, 499 children (214 exposed prenatally to cocaine) were evaluated in our laboratory and teacher reports were solicited. Analyses stratified by gender and prenatal alcohol exposure status, and controlled for significant pre- and postnatal confounders, revealed that among boys with prenatal alcohol exposure, those with persistent cocaine exposure throughout pregnancy had significantly higher levels of Delinquent Behavior compared to boys with no cocaine exposure. Boys with any prenatal cocaine exposure were twice as likely as unexposed boys to have clinically significant Externalizing Behavior scores. However, no association was found between prenatal cocaine exposure and scores on Externalizing Behavior and specific syndromes for boys with no prenatal alcohol exposure. Among girls with no prenatal alcohol exposure, those with persistent cocaine exposure had significantly higher levels of Externalizing Behaviors and Aggressive Behaviors compared to girls with no prenatal cocaine exposure after control for confounding, and were almost five times as likely to have clinically significant Externalizing Behavior scores. However, for girls with prenatal alcohol exposure, no association between prenatal cocaine exposure and scores on Externalizing Behavior and specific syndromes was found after control for confounding. The current findings support gender- and alcohol-moderated effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on school-age teacher-reported child behavior problems. These findings are similar to what we have reported for independent parent-reported behavioral evaluation.

Parents' monitoring-relevant knowledge and adolescents' delinquent behavior: evidence of correlated developmental changes and reciprocal influences.

Links between parental knowledge and adolescent delinquent behavior were tested for correlated rates of developmental change and reciprocal associations. For 4 years beginning at age 14, adolescents (N = 396) reported on their delinquent behavior and on their parents' knowledge of their whereabouts and activities. Parents completed measures of their adolescents' delinquent behavior. Knowledge was negatively correlated with delinquent behaviors at baseline, and increases over time in knowledge were negatively correlated with increases in parent-reported delinquent behavior. Reciprocal associations indicate that low levels of parental knowledge predict increases in delinquent behavior and that high levels of delinquent behavior predict decreases in knowledge. Discussion considers both youth-driven and parent-driven processes that may account for the correlated developmental changes and reciprocal associations.

Self-reported delinquent behavior and psychosocial functioning in inner-city teenagers: a brief report.

Evaluated psychosocial characteristics of inner-city ninth graders exceeding a cutoff for clinically significant delinquent behaviors (n = 27), as compared to youth whose self-reported delinquent behaviors fell below this cutoff (n = 136). Youth reporting high levels of delinquent behavior reported more life stress, depression and anxiety, lower self-concept, and less cohesive families than other students. Females reporting high levels of delinquent behavior were more likely to have poor classroom and school attendance than other females; this relationship did not hold for males.