Rearrest is associated with heightened callous-unemotional traits: No moderating effect of maternal relationship quality.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in adolescence predisposes youth to negative behavioral and social outcomes and may be particularly damaging to youth involved in the justice system. Whereas research has shown that CU traits predict later arrest, it remains unknown whether rearrest predicts changes in CU traits and whether these associations may be modified by maternal relationship quality. The present study assessed whether being rearrested predicted changes in CU traits and whether these associations varied by maternal warmth and maternal hostility. HYPOTHESES: We hypothesized that self-reported CU traits would increase at data collection time points following rearrest. Further, we hypothesized that maternal warmth would buffer the negative effects of rearrest, whereas maternal hostility would not have a significant moderating effect on the associations. METHOD: Hypotheses were tested using a large, multisite longitudinal data set of 1,216 justice-involved male youth (Mage = 15.82 years at baseline; 47% Latino, 38% Black/African American, 15% White). Data from a series of nine interviews (across a 7-year period) were used to determine associations between rearrest at one-time point and CU traits at the subsequent time point. RESULTS: Rearrest is associated with a significant increase in CU traits. However, these associations are not moderated by either maternal warmth or maternal hostility. CONCLUSIONS: Rearrest predicts increases in a known risk factor for healthy socioemotional development among justice-involved youths (CU traits). Moreover, the way rearrest is associated with CU traits does not change depending on maternal warmth; rearrest is associated with increases in CU traits irrespective of the quality of a youth's relationship with their mother. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Network analysis of trait aggression among community youths and juvenile offenders.

OBJECTIVE: The mainstream view in trait aggression research has regarded the structure as representing the latent cause of the cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that supposedly reflect its nature. Under network perspective, trait aggression is not a latent cause of its features but a dynamic system of interacting elements. The current study uses network theory to explain the structure of relationships between trait aggression features in juvenile offenders and their peers. METHODS: Network analysis was applied to investigate the dynamic system of trait aggression operationalized by the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire in a sample of community youths (Mage = 17.46, N = 715) and juvenile offenders (Mage = 18.36, N = 834). RESULTS: The facet level networks showed that anger is a particularly effective mechanism for activating all other traits. In addition, anger was more strongly associated with physical aggression and the overall network strength was greater in juvenile delinquency networks than in their peers. The item level networks revealed that A4 and A6 exhibited the highest predictability and strength centrality in both samples. Also, the Bayesian network indicated that these two items were positioned at the highest level in the model. There are similarities and differences between juvenile delinquents and community adolescents in trait aggression. CONCLUSION: Trait aggression was primarily activated by difficulty controlling one's temper and feeling like a powder keg.

Neighborhood disorder as a predictor of perceptions of firearm access: Examining peers effects.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to examine the relationship between neighborhood disorder and perceptions of gun access. Further, this study focused on determining whether or not antisocial peer affiliation mediates this relationship. METHODS: The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. This is an 11-wave longitudinal study following 1,354 justice-involved youth across seven years post-adjudication. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect relationships of interest. RESULTS: Greater levels of neighborhood disorder were associated with increased perceptions of access to guns in the community. Affiliation with antisocial peers significantly mediated this relationship, accounting for about 15 % of this relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Affiliation with antisocial peers may be greater in disordered neighborhoods and they may facilitate access to guns for adolescents living in such communities. Mentoring programs for adolescents living in disordered communities may have some capacity for attenuating this relationship.

A follow-up study of peer relationships in autistic and non-autistic youths: Mediating effects from autistic, emotional and behavioral symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how clinical features prospectively influence peer relationships in autistic populations. AIMS: This study investigated the clinical symptoms mediating the link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and peer relationships at follow-up, i.e. the second time evaluation of this study. METHODS: The sample consisted of 366 autistic youths and 134 non-autistic comparisons. The autistic traits and emotional/behavioral problems were measured at baseline by Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The interactions and problems with peers were assessed by the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents (SAICA) at follow-up. RESULTS: Each subscore of SRS and CBCL showed significant mediation effects. Multiple mediation analyses showed atypical social communication, social awareness problems, and delinquent behaviors mediated the link from ASD to less active peer interactions after controlling for sex, age, and IQ. Moreover, atypical social communication, social-emotional problems, and attention difficulties predicted problems with peers. After considering these mediation effects, the diagnosis of ASD still demonstrated a significantly direct effect on peer relationships at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings support that social-related autistic features, attention problems, and delinquent behaviors mediated a link between ASD and peer relationships. These mediators are potential measures for improving interactions and decreasing difficulties with peers in the autistic population.

Childhood maltreatment, shame, and self-esteem: an exploratory analysis of influencing factors on criminal behavior in juvenile female offenders.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between childhood maltreatment, shame, and self-esteem among juvenile female offenders and to explore the potential influencing factors on their criminal behavior. METHODS: Using a stratified cluster sampling method, 1,227 juvenile female offenders from 11 provinces in China were surveyed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and a self-developed Shame Questionnaire for Juvenile Offenders. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, chi-square tests, t-tests, and structural equation modeling with mediation analysis. RESULTS: (1) Childhood maltreatment have a significant potential influencing factors on criminal behavior; (2) Childhood maltreatment was positively correlated with self-esteem(ß = 0.351, p < 0.001); (3) shame (ß = 0.042, p < 0.001) mediate the relationship between Childhood maltreatment and self-esteem (childhood maltreatment → shame → self-esteem (95% Cl: 0.033, 0.052)). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that childhood maltreatment is a significant predictor of criminal behavior among juvenile female offenders. childhood maltreatment can directly influence of self-esteem, which can also affect juvenile female offenders'self-esteem indirectly through shame. The findings suggest that shame are important variables that mediate the effect of the juvenile female offenders'childhood maltreatment on their self-esteem.

Religious coping and delinquent behaviors: Moderated mediation roles of religion affiliation and prosocial moral reasoning.

Religion has been shown to have a positive impact for developing adolescents; however, the processes underlying this relation are not well known. In his almighty prosocial theory, Anazonwu (Conceptualizing and testing almighty prosociality theory for a more peaceful world, SCOA Heritage Nigeria, 2017) proposed that the activation of learnt prosocial moral reasoning through religion enabled performance of prosocial peace behavior that will benefit society. Thus, religion coping enhances the development of prosocial reasoning which in turn propagate prosocial acts while reducing delinquent behaviors. Similarly, developmental system theory (Lerner, Developmental science, developmental systems, and contemporary theories of human development, John Wiley & Sons, 2006) assumed that in every individual three mechanisms: plasticity (potential to change), context (environment), and developmental regulation (learnable principles) interact to describe the direction of the transactions between individuals and their various embedded sociocultural context of development which will also determine other developmental outcomes. Based on these two theoretical assumptions, the present study examined whether prosocial moral reasoning (developmental regulation) was the mechanism in the negative correlation between religious coping (plasticity) and delinquent behaviors (outcome), and if religious affiliation(context) (Christianity and Islam) moderated these paths. We hypothesized that the link from prosocial moral reasoning to lower delinquent behaviors would be stronger for Muslim compared with Christian youth. These questions were tested among Nigerian adolescence, an important sample because of high interreligious and interethnic tension among youth in the country. 298 adolescents (Mean age = 15.03 years, SD = 1.76; male = 176, female = 122; 46.3% Muslim, 53.7% Christian) were sampled using questionnaires in senior secondary schools in Nigeria. Moderated mediation result shows that greater religious coping was linked with higher prosocial moral reasoning, which in turn predicted fewer delinquent behaviors. Religious coping interacted with religion affiliation to influence delinquent behavior; there was a stronger link between these two constructs for Muslim compared to Christian youth. Thus, interventions aiming to reduce youth delinquent behaviors should consider promoting prosocial moral reasoning, particularly among the various religions (i.e., Christian/Muslim) communities.

Juvenile Justice-Based Interdisciplinary Collective Care: An Innovative Approach.

Mental health concerns among juvenile-justice-involved youth (JJIY) continue to be a major health crisis in the United States (US). While scholarship has explored mental health concerns among JJIY, and the link to negative life outcomes, there are gaps in the existing research, particularly in effective interventions and models aimed at addressing both the mental health concerns and criminogenic risk contributing to recidivism and other negative life outcomes of this population. In this paper, we present Justice-Based Interdisciplinary Collective Care (JBICC), an innovative framework to address both the mental health needs and delinquent behavior of youth offenders. The model bridges community partners, with the purpose of informing future interventions, implementations, and research in this area. Increased justice-based interdisciplinary collective collaboration between the juvenile justice system and community programs/organizations would be a major benefit to youth offenders and their families. We also focus on the need for cultural responsiveness to be interwoven throughout all aspects of treatment. JBICC offers an opportunity to expanded services outside traditional settings and methods to ensure that youth offenders and their families receive validating and culturally responsive access to services.

Adaptation of the Communities That Care Youth Survey for Use in Estonia: A Pilot Study.

The Communities That Care Youth Survey (CTCYS) assesses risk and protective factors, predicting a range of behavioural health problems, including substance use, violence, and delinquency. Although the survey has been adapted to other contexts and languages, further studies on cross-cultural adaptations, particularly in non-English speaking countries, are needed. In 2022, CTCYS was adapted for Estonia, incorporating 38 risk and protective factors, along with measures of substance use, antisocial behaviour, mental health problems, and self-harm. This study investigated the psychometric properties and applicability of the CTCYS in Estonia. The adaptation process involved translating and refining the US CTCYS, followed by focus group discussions with students and specialists and a pilot study in two municipalities, with data obtained from 265 students. A focus group with municipality members explored the measure's feasibility. Results indicate that the original CTC framework largely captures key issues within the Estonian context. Overall, the survey showed good validity, as evidenced by its ability to predict problem outcomes through both risk and protective factors. Regarding reliability, with the removal of one item, internal consistency reached acceptable levels for all but eight risk and protective factor subscales. The most problematic scales in the Estonian context were Prosocial Involvement, Social Skills, and Belief in the Moral Order. Municipality members perceived the measure as useful but highlighted some challenges regarding its practicality and comprehensibility. It became clear that other elements are needed to effectively support communities in using the CTCYS results for preventive efforts.

Functional family therapy for adolescent disruptive behavior in Norway: Results from a randomized controlled trial.

Disruptive behavior during adolescence is linked to severe problems for the youths later in life and poses challenges to the families, schools, and treatment systems these youths meet. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the short- and long-term effectiveness of functional family therapy (FFT) for adolescents aged 11-17 referred for disruptive behavior to Child Welfare Services in Norway. One hundred sixty-one youths (Mage = 14.7, 45.9% female) were randomly assigned to FFT (n = 88) or treatment as usual (TAU, n = 73). Primary outcomes were parent- and teacher-reported youth aggressive behavior, rule-breaking behavior, internalizing problems, and social skills; youth self-reported delinquency (SRD) and negative peer involvement; and teacher-reported academic performance and adaptive functioning. Outcomes were collected before treatment (pretest), 6 months after pretest (posttest), and 18 months after pretest (follow-up). The results showed no intervention effect for FFT compared to TAU between pretest and posttest (p > .05). Significant improvements between pretest and posttest were found for youth receiving both FFT and TAU on parent-reported aggressive and rule-breaking behavior, internalizing problems, and social skills (ranging from d = 0.56 to -0.45) and youth SRD (d = 0.29). Between posttest and follow-up, however, a significant intervention effect in favor of TAU was found for parent-reported youth internalizing (d = 0.27). Significant improvements between posttest and follow-up were also found for youth receiving both FFT and TAU on parent- and teacher-reported aggressive behavior. Findings did not support the hypothesized superiority of FFT over TAU. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Behavior problems, social relationships, and adolescents' future orientation. Links from middle to late adolescence.

INTRODUCTION: As adolescents leave high school, plans for the future are of great importance. Future orientation reflects positive thoughts regarding further education, employment, and family life. While future orientation has been found to affect behavior problems, the influence of behavior problems on future orientation is mainly unknown. Positive parent-child and peer relations may boost positive outlooks, but the interplay of behavior problems and social relations for future orientation remains to be studied. METHODS: Participants were 485 adolescents, 54% girls, living in Mid-Sweden. At age 15, parents and adolescents rated ADHD- and internalizing symptoms, parents rated ODD-symptoms, and adolescents rated their relationship with parents and peers. At age 18, adolescents rated future orientation regarding education, employment, and family, and reported on delinquent acts. RESULTS: Low levels of inattention symptoms and of delinquency were important for all higher future orientation aspects. In contrast, higher levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were associated with more positive outlooks on work and family life. Relationships with parents and peers were stronger predictors of future outlooks, compared with behavior problems. There were few interaction effects of behavioral symptoms and social relationship quality. CONCLUSIONS: Behavior problems in middle adolescence may negatively affect future outlooks. However, positive social relations, especially relations with peers, seem more important for optimistic views than behavior problems and thus may have a compensatory effect. The clinical implications should be to address the young person's social world, in the case of misgivings about the future, also in the presence of problematic behaviors.

Alcohol Use and Moffitt's Maturity Gap Thesis for Adolescent Offending: An Evolutionary Perspective and Analysis.

While a wealth of research has focused on testing several arguments from Moffitt's developmental taxonomy of antisocial behavior-mainly the presence of life-course-persistent vs. adolescence-limited offending and predictors of each trajectory-much less attention has been devoted to examining how evolutionarily adaptive lifestyle factors common during adolescence may condition the relationship between the maturity gap and delinquent offending. One factor that may play a role during this period of development is alcohol use, as many adolescents begin to experiment with consuming alcohol in varying degrees in social settings to model adult-like behaviors. Yet presently much is unknown about the role of alcohol use on the association between the maturity gap and delinquency. The current study aims to address this void in the literature by analyzing data from a U.S. sample of adolescent males (N = 1,276) to assess whether alcohol use moderates the relationship between the maturity gap and delinquent behavior. Findings suggest that the maturity gap is associated with delinquent behavior and that the association becomes weaker at higher levels of alcohol use. The implications of these findings for Moffitt's maturity gap thesis and male offending from an evolutionary perspective are discussed.

Childhood maltreatment and psychopathy in Chinese juvenile offenders: person-centered perspective.

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment stands as a salient risk factor in the etiology of juvenile delinquency, with a profound impact on the behavioral trajectories of young offenders. However, there is limited research on latent profile analysis to explore distinctive patterns of childhood maltreatment in Chinese juvenile offenders. Consequently, there is a lack of understanding regarding the associations between maltreatment profiles and relevant variables in this context. The present study aimed to explore meaningful subgroups of childhood maltreatment in juvenile offenders, and we further examined the associations between subgroups and multiple outcomes especially psychopathy. METHODS: The data was obtained from a sample of Chinese juvenile offenders (N = 625, M age = 17.22, SD = 1.23). This study employed a latent profile analysis (LPA) based on factor scores of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form to identify the subgroups and examined the differences across subgroups using outcomes variables including psychopathy, callous-unemotional traits, aggression and anxiety. This study includes three self-report measures to evaluate psychopathy, with due regard for the nuanced considerations on the factor structure inherent in the conceptualization of psychopathy. RESULTS: Two subgroups were identified, including the non-maltreatment subgroup (80.2%) and the maltreatment subgroup (19.8%). Maltreatment subgroup was characterized by a greater level of all types of maltreatment with particularly higher of emotion neglect. Besides, we found that maltreatment subgroup showed a significantly higher level of psychopathy across multiple self-report measures, and greater callous-unemotional traits, lack of empathy, aggression and anxiety. We found two subgroups of child maltreatment in Chinese juvenile offenders. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may provide a further understanding of childhood maltreatment and the clinical intervention on psychopathy in the early period.

Cooperative coparenting and the associations with adolescent behavioral problems and delinquency in unmarried families.

INTRODUCTION: Coparenting in unmarried families is a protective factor for positive adolescent adjustment. Although the relations between coparenting and adolescent outcomes have been investigated, it remains unclear whether the specific patterns of maternal and paternal coparenting are associated with adolescent behavioral outcomes. METHODS: The present study includs a longitudinal cohort of 1143 triads of unmarried parents and their adolescents to examine the associations between different patterns of coparenting and adolescent behavioral problems and delinquency. The data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study in the United States. Our study used six waves of publicly available data at children's birth, ages 1, 3, 5, 9, and 15. RESULTS: The latent profile analyses identified four coparenting profiles of maternal and paternal coparenting perceived by the other unmarried parent. Comparing average levels of coparenting between mothers and fathers, the profiles were entitled Low Mom-Low Dad, High Mom-Medium Dad, Low Mom-Medium Dad, and High Mom-High Dad. Parents characteristics, such as cohabitation and marital status, predicted the likelihood of being in cooperative coparenting profiles. Furthermore, all the identified coparenting profiles predicted adolescent externalizing behavioral problems; only the high mom cooperative coparenting profiles predicted adolescent internalizing behavioral problems; none of the coparenting profiles predicted adolescent delinquency. CONCLUSIONS: Our study adds empirical evidence for coparenting research by revealing that coparenting patterns vary in unmarried families and that cooperative coparenting benefits child behavioral outcomes. The findings encourage introducing different coparenting training programs targeting unmarried parents' diverse needs, thus promoting positive adolescent adjustment.

Conditions of successful treatment referral practices with justice-involved youth: Qualitative insights from probation and service provider staff involved in JJ-TRIALS.

INTRODUCTION: Compared to the general U.S. adolescent population, young people involved in the juvenile justice system are at greater risk of experiencing substance use (SU) issues. There are critical opportunities across the juvenile justice continuum, at points of interface with community-based treatment services, to screen and assess for SU issues, identify unmet treatment needs, and refer those in need to treatment. The treatment referral process is, however, complex, and contingent on a seamless nexus between juvenile justice operations and the wider treatment provider landscape. Given the lack of successful SU referrals among justice-involved youth and the variable referral rates across jurisdictions, this study's aim is to provide a qualitative, explanatory understanding of the conditions that together contribute to successful referring practices. METHODS: The study is based on an analysis of a qualitative dataset comprising focus group data with probation and community-based behavioral health treatment staff working in 31 sites in 6 different states as part of the clustered randomized trial of an organizational change intervention known as JJ-TRIALS (Juvenile Justice Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System). The data contain respondents' narratives on the achievements, successes, and challenges with implementing the intervention. The data were analyzed through a combination of strategies to identify the conditions that both facilitate and impede referral processes between probation offices and community-based SU treatment providers. RESULTS: Participants across sites discussed the positive impacts that the JJ-TRIALS intervention had on their improved ability to communicate, collaborate, and collect data. From the interviews, seven main conditions were observed to contribute to successful SU treatment referral practices: (1) communication (inter-organizational); (2) collaboration; (3) data-driven practices; (4) family engagement; (5) institutionalized policy and referral documentation; (6) efficient referral policies and procedures; and (7) suitable and accessible system of treatment providers. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the value of a holistic understanding of successful treatment referrals for justice-involved youth and help inform research and practice efforts to identify and measure the many dimensions of referral-making at the interface of juvenile probation and behavioral health services.

A County-Level Case Study of Early Psychosis in the Context of a Hybrid Juvenile Competency Restoration and Mental Health Problem-Solving Court and Linkage to Coordinated Specialty Care Services.

An important and unresolved question in the context of the implementation of coordinated specialty care (CSC) for early psychosis in the United States is the extent to which youth and young adults from marginalized backgrounds are able to equitably access CSC services. In this brief report, we describe pathways between a county hybrid juvenile competency restoration and mental health problem-solving court ('Court'), serving youth with high rates of psychosis and multiple risk factors for poor long-term outcomes, and local CSC services. We found that the Court was overall successful in linking youth with psychosis to care, but in the majority of cases this was not CSC programming more specifically. Drawing on Court and CSC records as well as family interviews, we report on factors contributing to low linkage to CSC, including family-side barriers (lack of transportation, preference for lower intensity / lower demand services) and provider-side barriers, including eligibility criteria such as duration of psychosis, that ultimately exclude otherwise eligible Court-involved youth.

Psychopathy Scores Predict Recidivism in High-risk Youth: A Five-year Follow-up Study.

Psychopathic traits have been associated with rearrest in adolescents involved in the criminal legal system. Much of the prior work has focused on White samples, short follow-up windows, and relatively low-risk youth. The current study aimed to evaluate the utility of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) for predicting general and violent felony recidivism in a large sample of high-risk, predominantly Hispanic/Latino, male adolescents (n = 254) with a five-year follow-up period. Results indicated higher PCL:YV scores and lower full-scale estimated IQ scores were significantly associated with a shorter time to felony and violent felony rearrest. These effects generalized to Hispanic/Latino adolescents (n = 193)-a group that faces disproportionate risk of being detained or committed to juvenile correctional facilities in the U.S. These results suggest that expert-rated measures of psychopathic traits and IQ are reliable predictors of subsequent felony and violent felony rearrest among high-risk male adolescents.

Interpersonal Violence, Racial Discrimination, and Mental Health Symptoms Among Adolescents of Color in the Juvenile-Justice System.

The current study examined how interpersonal racial discrimination experiences operate together with other forms of interpersonal violence to contribute to mental health symptoms among justice-involved adolescents of color. Participants were 118 justice-involved adolescents of color aged 14 to 17 (M = 15.77, SD = 1.08; 52.5% male; 77.1% Black/African American) and their mothers. At baseline, adolescents reported on experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination, harsh parenting, teen dating violence, and exposure to interparental physical intimate partner violence. At baseline and the 3-month follow-up assessment, adolescents reported on trauma symptoms, and adolescents and their mothers reported on the adolescents' externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Multivariate multilevel modeling results indicated that interpersonal racial discrimination experiences contributed additively to adolescent mental health symptoms at both the baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments, after accounting for exposure to other forms of interpersonal violence. The current findings highlight the importance of considering adolescents' experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination, together with other forms of interpersonal violence, in work focused on understanding the mental health symptoms of justice-involved adolescents of color.

Narrative Discourse in Youth Offenders: Examining Individual Differences.

PURPOSE: This study examined narrative discourse in youth offenders, focusing on quality of story retelling, story comprehension, critical thinking, and the use of complex syntax. METHOD: The participants were 15 incarcerated adolescents, ages 13-18 years (Mage = 16 years). Each was evaluated at their detention center via Zoom, using a standardized language test and language samples that elicited narrative speaking with fables. After retelling a fable, the participant answered questions that examined story comprehension and critical thinking. RESULTS: Most participants performed below average on the standardized language test and had difficulty on one or more of the language sampling measures. Areas of concern included quality of story retelling, story comprehension, critical thinking, and the use of complex syntax. Had language sampling not been employed, those weaknesses might have been overlooked. CONCLUSIONS: When evaluating youth offenders, it is important to elicit language samples that can provide detailed information about an adolescent's ability to communicate for genuine purposes. In this regard, the tasks employed in the current study could be helpful to speech-language pathologists in working with youth offenders, enabling them to pinpoint deficits and offer targeted intervention.

Neuropsychological profiles of adolescents sentenced to detention in Western Australia with and without prenatal alcohol exposure.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Youth with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are under-recognised in the justice system, warranting improved identification. This study aimed to compare neuropsychological profiles of adolescents, with and without PAE and identify neuropsychological tasks predictive of PAE-group membership. It was hypothesised that participants with PAE would score significantly lower on neuropsychological tests. METHODS: Participants included 85 young people sentenced to detention (mean 15.7 years, 78 males), 46 with PAE. A one-way-multivariate analysis of variance tested differences in neuropsychological functioning between PAE/No-PAE groups, while logistic regression determined tests predictive of PAE. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in test scores emerged between groups, and regression was not indicative of any models predictive of PAE-group membership. Neuropsychological profiles were characterised by both strengths and weaknesses, with lower verbal and mathematical skills. CONCLUSION(S): While no statistically significant differences were found between the groups, the results provided a unique insight into the neurocognitive profile of Australian youth in detention. Routine screening assessments were recommended for young people sentenced to detention.

Evolution, the Cognitive Sciences, and the Science of Victimization.

Despite clear aversion to such labels, one of the most impactful criminological theories is rooted in cognitive science. Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory has been repeatedly tested, replicated relatively well, and has since reached beyond its original scope to explain other important outcomes like victimization. However, the work never viewed itself as part of a larger scientific landscape and resisted the incursion of neuroscience, cognitive science, and evolutionary theory from the start. This missed opportunity contributes to some of the theory's shortcomings. We begin by considering relevant literatures that were originally excluded and then conduct a new analysis examining the cognitive underpinnings of victimization in a high-risk sample of adolescents. We used the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 3,444; 48% female; 49% Black, 25% Hispanic) which contained sound measures of self-control and intelligence, as well as four types of adolescent victimization. Self-control was robustly associated with all forms of victimization, whereas intelligence had generally no detectable effect. We discuss how these findings fit into a broader understanding about self-control and victimization.