Non-offender Adolescents Research Articles

Reflective functioning and emotion regulation in adolescents with a history of sexual offending: a comparative study with a non-offending control group

BackgroundSexual offenses encompass a diverse array of behaviors across various contexts, affecting numerous individuals. Despite the prevalence of sexual offending among adolescents, there is still a limited understanding of this population. To contribute further to the literature in this field, the present study was conducted to compare a group of male adolescents convicted of sexual offenses with a control group in terms of reflective functioning (RF), emotion regulation (ER) strategies, and emotion dysregulation (ED).Methods60 male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 16.90; SD = 0.97) who had been convicted of at least one serious sexual offense were recruited from male adolescents referred by juvenile courts to the Legal Medicine Organization in Mashhad, Iran, and compared with a control group of non-offending adolescents consisting of 60 male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 16.97; SD = 0.82) who were attending school. The groups were matched on age and education level.ResultsA comparison between these two groups revealed that adolescents with a history of sexual offending exhibited poorer RF capacity, greater use of suppression as an ER strategy, and higher scores in all ED domains (p’s < 0.001) except non-acceptance of emotional responses compared with the control group.ConclusionsResults suggest that RF, ER strategies, and ED need to be considered as important psychological factors in understanding and treating adolescents with a history of sexual offending.

Mapping Conscience: Network Analysis Into the Differences in Maturation of Offending and Non-Offending Adolescents.

Conscience is a diagnostically relevant concept in forensic psychiatry, but often misinterpreted as an all-or-none phenomenon. We conceptualize the conscience as a psychic function in which elements like empathy, self-conscience emotions such as shame, guilt and pride, and moral orientation work together. The differences in conscience functioning can be described in terms of developmental levels of integration. We conducted network analyses on data collected via a questionnaire survey held among 52 offending and 243 non-offending juveniles. We displayed two networks: One representing the non-offenders' normative and one representing the offenders' defiantly maturing conscience. As was hypothesized, in the non-offenders network, almost all elements clustered into one clinically meaningful network, indicating integration of the different elements of the normative maturing conscience. In the offenders network, the correlations between the elements were sporadic, indicating a lack of integration of the defiantly maturing conscience. The difference between the two networks was more prominent for empathy and moral orientation than for self-conscious emotions. This research supports the theory of differences in maturation of conscience instead of being an all-or-none phenomenon and calls for further research, taking a deeper look at the significance of integration of the conscience and its implications for offending behaviour.

The nexus between gender, parental supervision, and opioid misuse among justice-involved adolescents.

Justice-involved adolescents (JIA) are at higher risk for opioid misuse (OM) and opioid-related overdose than nonoffending adolescents. Untreated OM can lead to severe consequences (e.g., trauma), which may be harsher for female JIA. Therefore, examining risk and protective factors, such as parental supervision, is essential to identify factors that may impact OM. The current study used a statewide, cross-sectional dataset including 79,960 JIA from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Stratified logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that JIA who experienced sporadic or inadequate supervision had 2.14 and 3.54 higher odds, respectively, of misusing opioids compared to JIA who experienced consistent supervision. Female JIA who experienced sporadic or inadequate supervision had 2.23 and 3.70 higher odds, respectively, of misusing opioids. Results suggest parental supervision is an important protective factor that should be considered in developing prevention and treatment efforts that serve JIA who misuse opioids, especially females.

Parenting Styles and Moral Emotions of Adolescents in Conflict with the Law

Abstract The cognitive and emotional development of adolescents is affected by how they perceive their parents’ upbringing, or parenting style. This study aimed to verify the relationship between the perception of parenting styles by adolescents who committed transgressive acts and compare it to that of adolescents without such a history, also searching for associations with the moral emotions of pride, shame, and guilt. In total, 219 adolescents in conflict with the law and 243 non-offender adolescents participated in the study. They answered questionnaires containing sociodemographic questions and scales that assess moral emotions and parenting styles. The Chi-square and t-test were used to verify significant correlations between the demandingness dimension of the perceived parenting style and the practice of transgressive acts. Results revealed that the demandingness dimension and two guilt factors can act as protection against transgressive acts, especially in male adolescents.

Validation of the Low Self-Control Scale Spanish Version: a bifactor model approach

General Theory of Crime has considered low self-control as the main cause of crime, and the Low Self-Control Scale (LSCS) is the tool derived from this theory to measure it. However, a debate exists about self-control dimensionality, and the LSCS has been used as a suitable tool in spite of this discussion. The present work explored the LSCS psychometric properties in 272 offender and non-offender adolescents from Argentina. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the scale is best represented by a bifactor structure, so a general latent self-control factor exists beyond its elements and vice versa. Internal consistency indexes were good to excellent for total and elements scores. Criterion validity analyses indicated that risk-seeking and self-centered subscales are associated with different types of deviance to the same extent as the total scale. The present study aims to provide new evidence on the use of the LSCS in research and professional practice.

Parenting Styles, Prosocial, and Aggressive Behavior: The Role of Emotions in Offender and Non-offender Adolescents.

The aim is to analyse the parenting styles effects (acceptance, negative control and negligence) on prosociality and aggressive behavior in adolescents through the mediator variables empathy and emotional instability, and also, if this model fits to the same extent when we study adolescents institutionalized due to problems with the law and adolescents from the general population, and at the same time, if the values of the different analyzed variables are similar in both groups of adolescents. We carried out a cross-sectional study. 220 participants from schools in the metropolitan area of Valencia took part in the study. Also, 220 young offenders took part recruited from four Youth Detention Centres of Valencia, in which they were carrying out court sentences. The age of the subjects range from 15-18 years. The results indicate that the emotional variables act as mediators in general, in the non-offender adolescents, but it has been observed, in the offender adolescents, a direct effect of support on aggressive behavior in a negative way and on prosociality in a positive way; and of negligence on aggressive behavior and of permissiveness on prosociality in a negative way.

Child-to-parent violence: The role of exposure to violence and its relationship to social-cognitive processing

Research suggests that child-to-parent violence (CPV) is related to a previous history of violence within the family setting. The current study was aimed to explore the exposure to violence in different settings (school, community, home, and TV) and its relationship to some variables of the social-cognitive processing (hostile social perception, impulsivity, ability to anticipate the consequences of social behaviors and to select the appropriate means to achieve the goals of social behaviors) in a group of juveniles who assaulted their parents. It is also examined how they differ from other young offenders and non-offender adolescents. The sample included 90 adolescents from Jaén (Spain). Thirty of them were juveniles who had been reported by their parents for being violent towards them and 30 were juveniles who had committed other types of offences. The third group was made up of 30 adolescents without any criminal charge. Adolescents answered measures of exposure to violence, perception of criticism/rejection from parents, hostile social perception, and social problem- solving skills. Results revealed that juveniles who abused their parents reported higher levels of exposure to violence at home when comparing to the other groups. In addition, exposure to violence at home was significantly correlated to the hostile social perception of adolescents in CPV cases. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed.

Social Competence and Child-to-Parent Violence: Analyzing the Role of the Emotional Intelligence, Social Attitudes, and Personal Values

This study examined some variables of the so-called social competence, such as the emotional intelligence, social attitudes, and personal values in adolescents who had committed a parent-abuse offense, analyzing whether there were some differences with respect to non-offender adolescents. The sample included 60 participants. From them, 30 were adolescents who had been charged with committing a parent-abuse offense and 30 were non-offender adolescents. Results revealed that parent-abuse offenders showed lower levels of emotional intelligence, more antisocial and less prosocial attitudes than non-offender adolescents, as well as higher scores in hedonism and power values.

Exploring psychological features in adolescents who assault their parents: a different profile of young offenders?

This study aimed to explore some psychological features of adolescents who have been reported by their parents for being violent towards them, analysing how they differ from other young offenders and from non-offender adolescents. Concretely, the presence of clinical diagnosis was explored and whether these juveniles received some psychological/psychiatric treatment. Moreover, this study examined substance use and some variables that characterise the social-cognitive style of these juveniles, along with the level of self-esteem. Information concerning clinical diagnosis and psychological/psychiatric treatment was extracted from the young offenders’ legal files. Measures included the social-cognitive subscale from the attitudes and social-cognitive strategies questionnaire (AECS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and a structured interview to assess substance use. Results indicated that juveniles who assaulted their parents present a different profile when compared to the other groups, as they showed a higher presence of psychopathology and more social-cognitive difficulties. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the design and implementation of specific treatments with these aggressive adolescents.

Family Profile of Young Offenders Who Abuse Their Parents: A Comparison With General Offenders and Non-Offenders

This study aimed to explore the family profile of adolescent-to-parent abuse cases. Concretely, this paper examines whether or not there is a different family profile of parent-abuse offenders compared with other types of offenders and with non-offender adolescents. The sample included 90 adolescents who were clustered into three groups (parent-abuse offenders, other type of offenders, and non-offender adolescents). Participants completed measures of quality of communication with parents and parents’ educational styles. They were also evaluated using a brief interview with questions about family structure. Results indicate offenders who assault their parents have a different family structure and dynamics. Differences were found concerning the type of household, family size, and family incomes. In addition, parent-abuse offenders reported a lower quality of communication with both parents perceiving them as less warm, more rejecting, and less inductive than did the other groups.

Sexual knowledge and empathy: A comparison of adolescent child molesters and non-offending adolescents

Despite a rapid growth in research interest and treatment facilities for adolescent sex offenders, understanding of how these adolescents differ from non-offending adolescents remains incomplete. This study contributes to knowledge of the distinguishing characteristics of offenders and focuses on levels of sexual knowledge and empathy that differentiates adolescent sex offenders and normative comparators. Data were collected from 55 male non-offending adolescents and compared to 221 male adolescent child molesters of a similar age who had attended a treatment clinic. Measures used were the Sexual Matters Questionnaire (ADOL) and the Victim Empathy Scale. The present study found that adolescent sexual offenders have less sexual knowledge and less victim empathy skills than non-offending adolescents. Results are discussed in terms of ethical, methodological and intervention implications.

Impulsivity in Juvenile Delinquency: Differences Among Early-Onset, Late-Onset, and Non-Offenders

The present research investigated differences in levels of impulsivity among early-onset, late-onset, and non-offending adolescents. 129 adolescents (114 males, 15 females), of whom 86 were institutionalised (M age=15.52 years) and 43 were regular school students (M age=15.40 years) participated. Each participant completed the Adapted Self-Report Delinquency Scale, Stroop Colour and Word Test, Time Perception task, Accuracy Game, Risk-Taking Game, and the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire. Results suggest that adolescents who display rapid cognitive tempo, poor mental inhibitory control, and high impulsivity are more likely to be early-onset offenders. Offender and non-offender groups showed significant differences on several measures of impulsivity, which may suggest that late-onset offenders acquire or exacerbate impulse-related problems through social mimicry of early-onset offender peers. Potentially important implications for our understanding of delinquency and the design and provision of prevention programs are highlighted.

Thoughts on Combating Pedophilia in Non-Offending Adolescents

Thoughts on Combating Pedophilia in Non-Offending Adolescents

Comparing the Behaviors and Social Environments of Offending and Non-Offending African-American Adolescents

Examined in the study were the behaviors and social environments of 106 (13 through 17 years old) African-American adolescent males in juvenile detention compared with 106 not in juvenile detention using age as the matching criterion. A modified version of the Children's Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (C-SAGA) was used as the interview scale. Chi-square analyses showed significant differences in the relative proportion of adolescents in detention and those not in detention with respect to alcohol abuse and conduct disorder. Logistic regression analysis showed the following to increase the likelihood of being in detention: (1) drinking alcohol and getting into fights; (2) being suspended from school; (3) being expelled from school; (4) breaking into property; (5) being held back in school. On the other hand, mother's time spent with the child was found to decrease the likelihood of adolescents serving juvenile detention.