Analysis of Violent and Non-violent Versatility in Self-reported Juvenile Delinquency.

Situational action theory (SAT) has emphasized the interaction between individual and social influences on youth crime involvement. In this study, attitudes towards violence, self-control and perception of neighbourhood are tested in order to determine to what extent they predict versatility in violent and non-violent offences. In order to attain this goal, 2309 Belgian youths aged from 12 to 18 years were administered the Self-report Delinquency Questionnaire. When the offences are divided into violent and non-violent versatilities, the results show differences in the factors that predict delinquency; whereas attitudes towards violence and self-control predict all type of offences, the perception of neighbourhood is only a predictive factor for non-violent offences. External and internal factors need to be included in order to predict the widest range of criminal versatility, since committing a crime involves making choices that depend on the perceived alternatives.

Adolescent risk behaviours and protective factors against peer influence.

This study examined the relationships between protective factors and involvement in risk behaviour of Italian adolescents with friends involved in risk. Protective factors were drawn from models of peers and from individual skills (perceived regulatory self-efficacy, intolerant attitudes about deviance) and orientation (to health, school, religion). The data are from two waves, 1 year apart, of a questionnaire survey of adolescents in northwestern Italy. Participants were 908 adolescents (42% boys) ages 14-16 years. Results of a hierarchical regression revealed that religiosity is a protective factor and that friends' models for conventional behaviours and positive attitude about health can mitigate the influence of deviant friends on adolescent risk behaviour 1 year later, even after controlling for prior levels of risk behaviour. Possible implications of this study suggest the importance of implementing preventive interventions by involving the peer group, especially at about 16 years, and working with heterogeneous (deviant and nondeviant) groups.

Do adolescent child abusers, peer abusers, and non-sex offenders have different personality profiles?

The aim of this study was to identify two sub-populations of sex offenders based on the age of the victims and on the age difference between the abuser and the victim (child sexual abusers vs. peer sexual abusers), and to compare the personality characteristics of these two subgroups with those of juvenile non-sex offenders. The group was composed of 67 adolescent offenders aged 13-18 years who were adjudicated for sexual offenses or non-sexual offenses: 20 non-sex offenders (JNSOs), 26 child sexual abusers (CAs), and 21 peer sexual abusers (PAs). The Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) was administered to all participants. The mean scores and clinical cutoffs on the MACI scales were compared across the three samples. Compared with PAs, CAs were more submissive and conforming, and they experienced more anxious feelings. Peer sexual abusers scored higher on the unruly and forceful personality scales, on social insensitivity, and on delinquent predisposition. Peer sexual abusers also reported higher scores on substance-abuse proneness, impulsive propensities, and antisocial functioning than CAs, but their scores were similar to those of JNSOs. Our results show clear similarities between PAs and JNSOs in terms of personality and clinical characteristics, especially with regard to antisocial personality traits. Child sexual abusers did not display the personality characteristics typical of PAs and JNSOs which predisposed them to delinquent activities. These results raise questions as to whether juvenile sex offenders should be treated within the same institutions as non-sex offenders and whether the same treatment programs should be implemented for all types of juvenile sex offenders.

Deviancy and normative training processes in experimental groups of delinquent and nondelinquent male adolescents.

The goal of this study was to identify the predictors and the moderators of group characteristics that influence deviancy and normative training processes in delinquent male adolescents. The authors experimentally tested the effects of group composition on deviant talk interaction processes among groups in which all members presented delinquent behaviors ("pure" delinquent group condition), those that included adolescents with no delinquent behaviors ("pure" normative group condition), and adolescents with both profiles ("mixed" group condition). Participants were 70 male adolescents aged 15-18 (M = 16.5; 56% Caucasian), with a random assignment to groups. Data were collected among three group sessions (T1, T2, T3), one session a week, using videotape. Two contents of interactions were also measured: antisocial and normative stories, counterbalanced across sessions. Results showed a significant group effect for antisocial talk and its reinforcement, with less antisocial talk within the mixed group condition in comparison to the pure delinquent group condition. The topic of interaction was also observed as a predictor of antisocial talk, with less normative interactions and more antisocial talk associated with antisocial topics. Finally, time moderated some relations between experimental groups and talk. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this work for future research on deviancy training processes.

Social context in school: its relation to adolescents' depressive mood.

This study examined the impact of various school-related factors on adolescents' depressive mood, including prosocial behavior, verbal aggression, and relationships with teachers. The data used in this study were collected in the context of a larger survey on victimization in secondary schools from the French Community of Belgium. Participants were 2896 secondary school students (1520 males; 1376 females) aged 12-18 years. Results showed that for both genders, the three strongest predictors of depressive mood were age, feeling of exclusion, and verbal aggression. This study focusing on school-related predictors of depressive mood confirmed the importance of the social context in school as a predictor of depression in both girls and boys.

Gender differences in youths' political engagement and participation. The role of parents and of adolescents' social and civic participation.

Research examining youths' political development mostly focused on young people as a general group; comparatively less attention has been devoted to the examination of gender pathways toward citizenship. Two studies were conducted addressing (a) the role of parents' participation and the moderating role of adolescent gender and age group (n = 1419) and (b) the role of adolescent social and civic participation and the moderating role of adolescent gender and type of school (n = 1871). Results confirmed the gender gap in political interest and in the use of the Internet for political participation, while no differences emerged for political activity and voting intentions. Adolescents' political engagement and participation are influenced by parents' participation (especially among girls) and by adolescents' social and civic participation (especially among boys). The impact of adolescents' social and civic participation on conventional participation (voting intentions) is partially mediated by sense of community and institutional trust.

"If It Helps, I'll Carry On": Factors Supporting the Participation of Native and Immigrant Youth in Belgium and Germany.

In this article we propose looking into some factors for Civic Participation and the intention to continue to participate among local (Study I) and immigrant (Study II) young people living in Belgium and Germany. In Study I, 1,079 young people (M(age) = 19.23, 44.9% males) completed a self-report questionnaire asking about their Civic Participation. Multiple linear regressions reveal (a) evidence of a pool of variables significantly linked to Civic Participation: Institutional Trust, Collective-Efficacy, Parents' and Peers' Support, Political Interest, Motivations and (b) that Civic Participation, along with the mediation of the Participation's Efficacy, explains the Intention to Continue to Participate. An explanatory model was constructed on participation and the Intention to Continue to Participate on behalf of the native youth. This model is invariant between the two countries. In Study II, 276 young Turkish immigrants (M(age) = 20.80, 49.3% males) recruited in Belgium and Germany filled out the same questionnaire as in Study I. The same analysis was conducted as for Study I, and they provided the same results as the native group, highlighting the invariance of the model between natives and immigrants. Applicative repercussions are discussed.

Characteristics of adolescent attempts to manage overweight.

This study evaluates the actions taken by obese adolescents in an attempt to lose weight in relation to changes in weight. Particular emphasis is put on the context surrounding the management process. Thirty one obese adolescents aged 14-18 participated in this study. The adolescents answered a written questionnaire, took a body-size dissatisfaction test and were interviewed. Their family physicians were interviewed by telephone. Quantitative data concerned changes in weight and body-size dissatisfaction scores. Qualitative analysis included cases analyses and building up of synthesis variables. Loss of weight is linked with continuity of management attempts as well as with medical follow-up. The most frequent management attempt is diet. Self-image is correlated with weight. The exclusive emphasis put on diet is discussed in relation to the importance of more psychosocial factors such as self-image, denial and attraction to discontinuity. Some recommendations for the management of overweight adolescents are then outlined.