Predictors Of Delinquency Research Articles

Differential Impacts of Maternal and Paternal Attachments on Adolescent Delinquency: Implications for Counselling

Delinquency among adolescents is a growing concern in Iranian society. Research on the role of maternal and paternal attachments, particularly in the Iranian context, has received limited attention. This correlational study aims to concurrently investigate the predictive capacity of both maternal and paternal attachment on delinquent behaviours among Iranian adolescents. The sample included 528 students aged 15 and 17 from 10 government high schools in Tehran who were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires using two established instruments. The findings highlighted a significant association between high parental attachment scores and low adolescent delinquent activity. Secure attachments to mothers and fathers were found to reduce engagement in delinquency. Adolescent age, fathers’ educational level, and maternal attachment emerged as significant predictors of delinquency. Adolescents with insecure maternal attachments and older adolescents with educated fathers showed greater susceptibility to delinquent behaviour. The study also emphasises the vast contribution of mothers to adolescent development, suggesting the need for further exploration of paternal influence on internal dynamics and delinquency in future research. In a broader sense, understanding the differential impacts of these attachments on adolescent delinquency may help counsellors to effectively address these issues and provide appropriate interventions.

Cognitive-behavioral reciprocity: Testing the bidirectional relationship between antisocial cognition and delinquency.

Although reciprocity between variables is a topic of interest in the field of criminology, we cannot simply assume that all or even most criminological relationships are bidirectional without testing them empirically. The objective of the current investigation was to test whether delinquency and antisocial cognition are reciprocally or bidirectionally related. The hypotheses evaluated as part of the present study proposed that antisocial cognition would predict delinquency, delinquency would predict antisocial cognition, and bidirectional models would display significantly better fit than the unidirectional models on which they are based. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance study (1,354 serious justice-involved youths), I explored whether antisocial cognition predicts delinquency and a change in delinquency and whether delinquency predicts antisocial cognition and a change in antisocial cognition. I paired two forms of antisocial cognition-moral neutralization and cognitive impulsivity-with delinquency to predict a single future outcome with a zero-order correlation and a lagged outcome or change with a partial correlation. Findings showed that 40 out of 40 prospective zero-order correlations and 36 out of 40 prospective partial correlations achieved significance, with moderate and small effect sizes, respectively. Structural equation modeling revealed that the bidirectional models linking moral neutralization to delinquency and cognitive impulsivity to delinquency using lagged outcome measures both achieved significantly better fit than the unidimensional models on which they were based. The results of this study are congruent with the conclusion that the relationship between antisocial cognition and delinquency is reciprocal and that antisocial cognition is as much a predictor of delinquency as delinquency is a predictor of antisocial cognition. Thus, both patterns need to be taken into account for the purposes of theory integration in criminology, clinical practice in forensic psychology, and policy implementation in criminal justice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Beyond conventional models: Lending by Native Community Development Financial Institutions

AbstractNative Community Development Financial Institutions (Native CDFIs) have become an increasingly important source of credit and financial services in the areas on or near American Indian reservations in the United States. Guided by a conceptual framework developed on the basis of the related finance literature and drawing on loan‐level data from eleven Native CDFI loan funds, we offer the first systematic quantitative analysis of lending in the Native CDFI industry. As hypothesized, Native CDFIs on average give out small loans but support borrowers in varied circumstances with diverse loan products. Important predictors of delinquency include both conventional, hard information‐based, measures of client risk, and alternative, soft information‐based, community‐informed and character‐based measures. Overall, these findings lend strong support to holistic approaches for assessing client creditworthiness for Native CDFI operations. More generally, our analysis contributes new insights into the operations of an industry that plays an instrumental role in removing barriers to socioeconomic development in Native communities.

중학생 비행 유형에 대한 초등학교 6학년 시점 예측요인 탐색

Objectives The purpose of this study is to classify middle school students accoring to the change of their delinquency measures and to find predictors of delinquency among variables in their 6th grade.
 Methods Using Gyeonggi Education Panel Study(GEPS) data for the elementary students panel from 3th year(6th grade in elementary school) to 6th year(3rd grade in middle school), latent growth mixture modeling was applied to classfy middle school students' pattern of delinquency changes, and multinomial logistic regression was conducted to find predictor variables.
 Results With latent growth mixture analyses, three latent classes were identified: ‘decreasing from high level’, ‘increasing from low level’, and ‘low-level’. The probability of class membership was significantly predicted by gender, physical self-concept, academic achievement, parental attachment, parental monitoring, and peer relationship.
 Conclusions It was suggested to develop a policy-based support system to affect variables in elementary school that predicts students' delinquency in middle school and that teachers in elementary schools can detect easily. Specifically, an early intervention for students with low academic achievement was suggested as an effective approach to prevent delinquency.

Adverse childhood experiences and delinquency: Does age of assessment matter?

PurposeAlthough a growing body of literature has documented the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and delinquency, these studies vary widely in the age ranges used to assess the accumulation of ACEs. This poses drawbacks to our understanding of the link between ACEs and delinquency and undermines scholars' ability to compare findings across studies. MethodsRelying on a longitudinal sample of at-risk youth, this study examines cumulative ACE scores measured through different periods – early childhood (through age 6), childhood (through age 12), and the teenage years (through age 16) – and their relations to adolescent delinquency and arrest. ResultsResults show notable differences when accumulation of ACEs is assessed in early childhood compared to being measured throughout childhood. In fact, ACEs were unrelated to delinquency and arrest when assessed in early childhood, while they were significant predictors of these outcomes when assessed at through childhood or through teenage years. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the extent to which ACEs are related to delinquency depends on the ages in which ACEs are assessed. Cumulative ACE scores assessed during early childhood only may be poor predictors of delinquency and should be avoided in favor of more longer assessment periods.

Protective Factors Against Aggression and Antisocial Attitudes Among Probation Youth with Childhood Adversity Histories.

Childhood adversity is linked to adolescent aggression and antisocial attitudes, which are common predictors of delinquency and violence. Early interruption of these negative trajectories is important for preventing serious criminality. Efforts to bolster protective factors such as social-emotional skills and positive relationships may attenuate this link, but research is needed to clarify salient factors for court-involved youth. Using risk assessment data for a diverse sample of youth on probation (N = 5378), this study investigated the role of adverse childhood experiences in increasing aggression and antisocial attitudes and the degree to which protective factors (self-regulation, future orientation, positive parenting, prosocial connections) mitigated those relationships. Multivariate models controlling for antisocial peers demonstrated that childhood maltreatment was the most salient form of adversity for increasing both aggression and antisocial attitudes. All protective factors were associated with reduced aggression and antisocial attitudes and, in moderation models, muted the impact of childhood adversity on both outcomes. These findings highlight the need for practice efforts geared toward bolstering protective factors for youth on probation, especially among those with child maltreatment histories.

The Variable Association Between Religiosity and Delinquency

Although religion and crime occupies a relatively small space in contemporary criminological research, religious beliefs, and practices are central to classical social theory. This study uses fixed effects models to analyze three waves of panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to examine the relationship between a multidimensional measure of religiosity and several forms of delinquency. The results indicate that the relationship between religiosity and delinquency is offense-specific. While religiosity is inversely related to substance use in the presence of social bonds and predictors of delinquency, its relationship with non-violent delinquency is mixed. Finally, religiosity is not associated with violent offending. The results suggest that renewed interest in religion among criminologists is warranted.

Predicting delinquent behavior in young adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD: results from the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment (CAMT) Study

The aim of this study was to investigate which factors predict lifetime reports of delinquent behavior in young adults who had received adaptive multimodal treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) starting at ages 6–10 years. Participants were reassessed 13–24 years (M = 17.6, SD = 1.8) after they had received individualized ADHD treatment in the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment Study (CAMT). Their behavior was classified as non-delinquent (n = 34) or delinquent (n = 25) based on self-reports regarding the number of police contacts, offenses, and convictions at follow-up. Childhood variables assessed at post-intervention (e.g., externalizing child behavior problems, intelligence, and parenting behavior) that were significantly associated with group membership were entered as possible predictors of delinquency in a Chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID) analysis. Delinquent behavior during adolescence and adulthood was best predicted by (a) meeting the symptom count diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder (CD) according to parent ratings, in combination with a nonverbal intelligence of IQ ≤ 106 at post-intervention, and (b) delinquent behavior problems (teacher rating) at post-intervention. The predictor variables specified in the CHAID analysis classified 81% of the participants correctly. The results support the hypothesis that a childhood diagnosis of ADHD is only predictive of delinquent behavior if it is accompanied by early conduct behavior problems. Low nonverbal intelligence was found to be an additional risk factor. These findings underline the importance of providing behavioral interventions that focus on externalizing behavior problems to children with ADHD and comorbid conduct problems.

Use of a Multitheoretic Model to Understand and Classify Juvenile Computer Hacking Behavior

Criminological inquiry has identified a range of risk factors associated with juvenile delinquency. However, little research has assessed juvenile computer hacking, despite the substantial harm and opportunities for delinquent behavior online. Therefore, understanding the applicability of criminological risk factors among a cross-national sample of juvenile hackers is important from a theoretical and applied standpoint. This study aimed to address this gap using a logistic regression and latent class analysis (LCA) of risk factors associated with self-reported hacking behavior in a sample of more than 60,000 juveniles from around the globe. Results demonstrated support for individual- and structural-level predictors of delinquency, although distinct risk factors for hacking among three subtypes are identified in the LCA. This study examines criminological risk factors for juvenile hacking in a cross-national sample and provides insight into the distinct risk factors of hacking, so more tailored prevention and treatment modalities can be developed.

The Effect of Muslim Religiosity on Youth Delinquency

Conceptualizing religiosity as a multidimensional construct, this study aimed to investigate the influence of religiosity on youth delinquency. Three dimensions of religiosity—belief about religion, religious practice, and religious social environment—were examined as predictors of delinquency. The survey data collected in 2010 by the Governance of Istanbul, Istanbul Department of Education, and Istanbul Police Department were used. Participants were high school students ( n = 31,272) between 14 and 18 years. Structural equation modeling was used for statistical analysis and hypothesis testing. The study found a relationship between the dimensions of religiosity and delinquency. While dimensions of beliefs about the religion and religious social environment correlate negatively with delinquency, the dimension of religious practices correlates positively with it. Belief about one’s religion was found to be the strongest of the three dimensions. The findings suggested that religion has the potential to reduce the risk of delinquency among youth. Implications for future research and policy makers were also discussed.

Relationships Among Callous-Unemotional Traits, Future Orientation, Optimism, and Self-Esteem in Justice-Involved Adolescents

Both negative future orientation and elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits are well-established predictors of delinquency during adolescence. However, CU traits have been related to a grandiose self-worth, which is not consistent with a pessimistic outlook towards the future. We examined whether the association between future orientation and CU traits differs depending on whether the optimism was specific to prosocial outcomes (e.g., success with family, jobs, and education) or whether it was measured as more general optimism for success or self-esteem. We also examined the association between future orientation and CU traits controlling for the main and interactive effects of delinquency. The sample included male adolescents (n = 1216) who were arrested for the first time for a moderate level offense. Results revealed that CU traits were negatively related to future optimism and self-esteem, irrespective of whether this outcome was measured as expectations (r = −0.33, p < 0.01) and aspirations (r = −0.38, p < 0.01) for success in prosocial outcomes or as a more general indicator of optimism (r = −0.24, p < 0.01) and self-esteem (r = −0.34, p < 0.01). Further, CU traits continued to be negatively associated with an optimistic view of the future (β = −0.24, p < 0.001), even when considering both the main and interactive effects of self-reported delinquency. Thus, this negative cognitive style needs to be considered as possibly contributing to the risk for later antisocial behavior experienced by youth with elevated levels of CU traits.

A Longitudinal Test of the Mediational Role of Delinquent Peer Association on the Link Between Psychopathy and Offending.

Although prior research has found that psychopathy and delinquent peer association are predictors of delinquency, less research has assessed the dynamic role of peers in the relationship between psychopathic traits and offending. Using 10 waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance longitudinal study (n = 1,354), the current exploratory study investigates the impact of changes in delinquent peer association on the relationship between psychopathy and self-reported offending. Although the effects are small, results indicate that youth with higher Psychopathy Checklist Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth etal.) scores report higher initial levels of delinquent peer association, which results in increases in offending over the study period. Initial levels (intercept) and change (slope) in delinquent peer association are positively associated with offending. Findings also demonstrate that initial levels and changes in delinquent peer association mediate the relationship between psychopathy and changes in offending. The findings have implications for delinquency prevention and intervention efforts for all adolescents and particularly serious offenders.

Psychopathological and neuropsychological endophenotypes of children with disruptive behaviour

Childhood Disruptive Behaviors (DBs) are a robust predictor of delinquency, academic failure, social difficulties, and persistent mental health disorders and one of the most frequent reasons for referral to children's mental health services. Although high prevalence and referral rates and negative outcomes signal great need, current treatment approaches are inadequate with recent data estimating that approximately 25–40% of children continue to experience clinically-significant symptoms following treatment completion. Current research points to heterogeneity as one factor limiting treatment effectiveness, and the present study aimed to distill some of this heterogeneity by identifying data driven subgroups based on key dimensions of psychopathology and neuropsychological abilities. First, data from children 6–12 years ( n = 143) referred to a clinic for youth with DBs were analyzed using Latent class analysis (LCA) to determine classes (i.e., subgroups) based on measures of children's callous-unemotional (CU) traits, emotion regulation, and objective executive function (EF) task performance. Second, identified classes were compared on three parent- and teacher-rated outcome variables: level of functional impairment, social functioning, and conduct problems. Four classes emerged with varying relative levels of psychopathology and EF task performance. Classes with elevated levels of CU traits and poor selective attention had the greatest levels of conduct problems and overall impairment. Findings may inform more refined assessment processes, the discovery of novel treatment targets, and future treatment innovation for children with DBs and their families.

Sanctions, short‐term mindsets, and delinquency: Reverse causality in a sample of high school youth

PurposeWe question the commonly assumed view of a fixed causal ordering between self‐control, delinquency, and sanctions and test the hypothesis that experiencing sanctions may reduce levels of self‐control, thereby increasing the risk of future delinquent behaviour. As a subsidiary goal, we argue for a parsimonious view of self‐control that is limited to its key components, risk‐taking, and impulsivity.MethodsWe use three waves of data from the Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood into Adulthood (z‐proso), an ongoing prospective longitudinal study of Swiss urban youth (N = 1,197), and include police contacts and school sanctions as predictors of delinquency. We test our hypothesis using path analysis and control for a series of potential confounders, including prior levels of self‐control and earlier delinquency.ResultsIn line with our hypothesis, the results indicate that sanctioning reduces levels of self‐control, net of prior levels of self‐control, and earlier delinquency and that self‐control mediates the relation between sanctioning and subsequent delinquency.ConclusionsWe conclude that the relation between self‐control and crime may be bi‐ rather than unidirectional with sanctions reducing levels of self‐control, which in turn contributes to criminal behaviour. Implications for theory are discussed.

22q11.2 duplication: a review of neuropsychiatric correlates and a newly observed case of prototypic sociopathy.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are highly disabling behavioral characteristics, common predictors of delinquency and criminality, and pathognomonic for antisocial personality disorder. They are highly heritable, but their specific molecular genetic causes are unknown. Here, we briefly review the literature on neuropsychiatric correlates of 22q11.2 duplication and describe a newly identified case of a 737-kb microduplication within the low copy repeat (LCR) B-D region, involving a 13-yr-old early adoptee with mild developmental delay and severe, chronic antisocial behavior of early childhood onset. When psychiatric symptoms have been reported in relation to duplications in this specific region, 19% of the reports feature aggression—but never previously CU traits—as a component of the phenotype. We discuss the potential implications of gain of function in this chromosomal region for heritable origins of sociopathy and their possible relation to genetic influences on aggression.

Parent and Child Perceptions of Collective Efficacy as Predictors of Delinquency

AbstractJuvenile delinquency has a negative effect on victims, communities and the individual who commits a delinquent act. However, exposure to the juvenile justice system can be a traumatic event that results in further delinquency—highlighting a need to develop community-based interventions to prevent delinquency. Collective efficacy theory is a commonly used framework to prevent juvenile delinquency. Although community-level interventions have been developed based on collective efficacy, research suggests that they are limited in their effectiveness. This may be due to limitations in our conceptualisation of collective efficacy, and our limited understanding of how perceptions of collective efficacy differ between youths and parents. The present study utilises data from the Fragile Families Child Wellbeing Study to test parent and youth perceptions of collective efficacy as predictors of self-reported juvenile delinquency. The results indicate that—although collective efficacy is typically associated with lower levels of juvenile delinquency in neighbourhoods—neither parents’ nor youths’ perceptions of collective efficacy are strong predictors of self-reported juvenile delinquency. The findings suggest that focusing on youth, family and neighbourhood characteristics may maximise the effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing juvenile delinquency.

Examining Parental Factors as Moderators Between Maltreatment and Adolescent Delinquency.

There is a well-established relationship between child maltreatment and delinquency, indicating that maltreated youth are at a heightened risk for later delinquency. However, the literature is unclear as to why some maltreated youth proceed to engage in delinquent behaviors, whereas others do not. The present study examined whether parental or family factors moderated the relation between a history of maltreatment and engagement in delinquent behavior during adolescence. Parental and family moderators included parental monitoring, parental emotional distress (depression and everyday stressors), parent-child relationship quality, family community and religious disengagement, poverty, and negative life events. This study utilized data on 1,149 children from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), a collaborative effort across research sites that collected data regarding the risk factors and consequences of child maltreatment. For the purposes of this study, we utilized adolescent self-reports of delinquency, caregiver reports of parental and family variables, and administrative data on child maltreatment. Community and religious disengagement was the only variable that moderated the relation between maltreatment and delinquency. The effects of community and religious disengagement varied by maltreatment group such that greater community and religious disengagement was related to increased delinquent involvement for those in the no maltreatment, childhood-only maltreatment, and persistent maltreatment groups. Child maltreatment was not a significant predictor of delinquency over and above the effect of parenting and family variables that were measured during adolescence. Findings point to the importance of considering proximal parenting and family factors in understanding the maltreatment-delinquency relationship.

Examining the Impact of Victimization on Girls' Delinquency: A Study of Direct and Indirect Effects.

Previous research has acknowledged that there is a relationship between victimization and later delinquency, but the specific attributes of this relationship are unclear because measures of both direct and indirect victimization are rarely explored in a single study. We included both indirect and direct victimization to examine which form of victimization was a stronger predictor of substance use, fighting, running away, and sex work among girls committed to a juvenile justice facility. Findings indicated that direct victimization was typically a more salient predictor of delinquency than indirect forms of victimization. Further, running away and sex work appear to be unique outcomes that are particularly likely when girls experience direct rather than indirect victimization. Findings are summarized with implications for health and public policy.

Moderating effects of personal strengths in the relationship between juvenile victimization and delinquent behaviors.

Robust evidence suggests a strong association between juvenile victimization and delinquency. Yet, there is a lack of research on the protective factors at the individual level that may buffer the relationship between victimization and delinquent behaviors. This study adopted a positive psychology perspective to examine the effects of three types of personal strength (self-regulation, interpersonal, and intellectual) on the relationship between different types of victimization and delinquency. Data were collected from 631 Chinese migrant children (mean age = 10.52 ± 0.92 years) via convenience sampling. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire that assessed experiences of victimization in family, interpersonal, and community settings, involvement in delinquent behaviors, and personal strengths. The prevalence of different delinquent behaviors was significantly higher in the victimization groups than in the non-victimization groups. Regression analyses revealed that all three types of personal strength served as direct predictors of delinquency (Bself-regulation = -0.46, SEself-regulation = .09, p < .001; Binterpersonal strength = -0.23, SEinterpersonal strength = .06, p < .001; Bintellectual strength = -0.19, SEintellectual strength = .05, p < .001), while self-regulation further moderated the victimization-delinquency relationship. When self-regulation was high, the association between victimization and delinquency was significantly weaker than when self-regulation was low. Our findings suggest that personal strengths are important protective factors for youth exposed to experiences of victimization. Identifying methods to help victims recognize, develop, and use their personal strengths should be integral to support and intervention efforts for young victims.

Examining family and school factors as predictors of delinquency: A study of juvenile offenders, at‐risk students, and low‐risk students in Malaysia

AbstractThis study aims to examine family and school factors as predictors of delinquency among adolescents in Malaysia. A total of 101 juvenile offenders, 86 at‐risk students, and 92 low‐risk students were involved in this study. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict the likelihood of an adolescent being in a group of juvenile offenders or of being an at‐risk or low‐risk student, based on four predictor variables: family structure, family relationships, school relationships, and commitment to learning. The results show that family relations, school relations, and commitment to learning have different predictive effects on the likelihood of different levels of delinquent behavior. However, family structure is not found to be a significant predictor in the logistic regression in this study. The findings of the study suggest that keeping young people in school can serve as a strong protective factor that serves to prevent at‐risk students from moving along the trajectory of serious delinquent behaviors.