Sexualized Behavior Among Adolescents Who Sexually Offended.

Early or excessive sexualized behaviors and preoccupations with sexuality (SB) exhibited by juveniles who have sexually offended (JSO) are considered risk factors for sexual recidivism. However, research into SB among JSO is scarce. The present study retrospectively examined prevalence rates and patterns of SB among JSO prior to sexual offending and their relation to psychopathology and sexual recidivism. We systematically assessed information from psychiatric and psychological expert reports in case files of 230 JSO aged 12-18 years (M = 14.46, SD = 1.49) from a population sample of JSO with contact sexual offenses. A total of 93 (40.4%) JSO exhibited SB prior to the index sexual offense. Latent class analysis revealed three SB profiles: (1) "low/no SB" (n = 188), (2) "preoccupied SB" (preoccupation with sexuality, e.g., early pornography consumption, excessive masturbation; n = 29), and (3) "dysregulated SB" (exhibiting inappropriate sexualized behaviors toward others, e.g., sexualized speech, touching others inappropriately; n = 13). The preoccupied SB and the dysregulated SB groups showed higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders than the low/no SB. However, none of the JSO of the preoccupied SB or dysregulated SB groups reoffended sexually within 365 days after conviction for the sexual index offense (low/no SB: 12.8%). Overall, our findings do not support a general notion of the presence of SB as an indicator of high risk for persistent sexual offending among JSO. Instead, JSO with SB appear particularly burdened regarding a range of psychiatric disorders that should be treated accordingly.

Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescent Male and Female Psychiatric Inpatients: A Gender Perspective.

Problematic internet use (PIU) is of treatment interest in adolescent clinical samples. Gender specific differences in terms of personality traits and psychopathological symptoms remain unclear. In an adolescent clinical sample (n = 104; 69 girls) PIU, psychopathology, temperament and character traits as well as emotional and behavioral problems were assessed. 62% of the sample showed subthreshold PIU and 34% full PIU (fPIU). Boys reported more gaming whereas girls social networking. Sex specific analyses revealed gender differences: Girls with fPIU scored significantly higher on internalizing/externalizing problems/behavior, novelty seeking and transcendence, and lower on persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness than girls without fPIU. Boys with fPIU scored significantly higher on internalizing problems and self-transcendence and lower on harm avoidance than boys without fPIU. Gender plays an important role in PIU. Gender specific differences in both application use as well as symptomatic, temperament and character traits call for a gender specific approach in prevention and treatment integration.

What Kind of Therapy Works With Juveniles Who Have Sexually Offended? A Randomized-Controlled Trial of Two Versions of a Specialized Cognitive Behavioral Outpatient Treatment Program.

There is ongoing debate about whether specialized treatment is effective to reduce sexual recidivism in juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs). Although most treatment programs are based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles for preventing sexual offending, accordant scientific evidence is poor. Following CONSORT guidelines, the present study aimed to evaluate two versions of a short-term outpatient treatment program for JSOs in Switzerland: (a) the Therapy Program for Adequate Sexual Behaviors Version 1 (ThePaS-I), which included offending-specific skills training; (b) the ThePaS-II, which included general socioemotional skills training. Based on changes in self-reported mental health, sexual behaviors, victim empathy, and therapist-rated risk, as well as comprehensive data on sexual and general recidivism, we found some similarities regarding the effects of the two treatments. ThePaS-II showed better short-term changes in self-reported mental health than the ThePaS-I. However, JSOs in the ThePaS-I showed lower rates of sexual reoffending (but not general reoffending) after treatment than those in the ThePaS-II. Despite some methodological limitations, the current findings favor offending-specific skills-based therapy over general skills-based ones for preventing sexual reoffenses. The findings may encourage further methodologically sound studies to examine different treatment approaches for juveniles and adults who have committed criminal offenses.

A Cumulative Substance Use Score as a Novel Measure to Predict Risk of Criminal Recidivism in Forensic Juvenile Male Outpatients.

This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate a newly developed cumulative measure for substance use problems as predictor of criminal recidivism in youth. Questionnaires-based substance-related behaviors (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and further drugs), and interview-based psychiatric disorders were assessed in a sample of 142 male adolescent forensic outpatients in Zurich, Switzerland (mean age 16.8 years, SD = 1.4 years). Cox regressions were used to test whether substance use behaviors/disorders were predictors of officially recorded criminal offenses 365 days after the initial assessment. The cumulative substance problem score (SPS) was a valid measure for assessing the risk of criminal recidivism for youth having 2-3 (OR 2.24-2.56) and 4+ problems (OR 3.40-4.37) in comparison to youth with 0-1 problems. Forensic experts and clinicians should comprehensively assess substance use patterns in juvenile offenders and may use the SPS as an indicator for further criminal risks. Additional analysis of the SPS in other forensic samples and cultures would be worthwhile.

Validity of Risk Assessment Instruments Among Juveniles Who Sexually Offended: Victim Age Matters.

Research has identified meaningful subtypes among the heterogeneous population of juveniles who sexually offended (JSO). However, studies that test the validity of risk assessment tools with JSO subtypes are limited. This study compared JSO who offended against a child victim (JSO-C) and JSO who offended against an adolescent/adult victim (JSO-A) with regard to rates of recidivism and the predictive validity of two risk assessment tools (Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism [ERASOR] and Juvenile Sexual Offender Assessment Protocol-II [J-SOAP-II]). Data were analyzed from case files of 185 JSO-C and 297 JSO-A aged 12 to 18 years (M = 14.11, SD = 1.44) from a consecutive sample of JSO with contact sexual offenses. A total of 34 (7.1%) juveniles reoffended sexually, with no significant difference between the subtypes. The present results suggest that the ERASOR, particularly the structured professional judgment, and to a lesser degree the J-SOAP-II are better suited to predicting sexual recidivism in JSO-A than in JSO-C.

Predictors and outcomes of self-reported dysregulation profiles in youth from age 11 to 21 years.

Understanding the dysregulation profile (DP) consisting of high scores in aggression, attention problems, and anxious/depressed problems is still limited. The aims of the present study were threefold: (a) to analyze developmental trajectories of DP (b) to identify predictors of these trajectories, and (c) to study the outcome of DP in terms of mental disorders and criminal offenses in young adulthood. A sample of 402 individuals aged 11-14 years at baseline was followed up during adolescence and young adulthood. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify DP based on the youth self-report and the young adult self-report. Self-related cognitions, perceived parental behavior, life events and coping served as predictors, psychiatric diagnoses and criminal convictions in young adulthood as outcomes. There were three developmental trajectories representing high, moderate, and low DP subgroups with 9.2% of participants represented by the high DP subgroup. Among predictors, self-esteem (negative), self-awareness (positive), and high numbers of life events had the most consistent effect on high DP. Affective and anxiety disorders and any mental disorder were significant outcomes of the high DP subgroup in both sexes at the time of young adulthood. This first report on DP based on longitudinal self-reports shows that DP is stable for a sizeable proportion of youth during adolescence and young adulthood. The predictors for DP share some similarity with those predicting psychopathology in general. However, so far there seems to be no heightened risk for the development of crime in the concerned individuals.

The validity of conduct disorder symptom profiles in high-risk male youth.

Conduct disorder (CD) is a heterogeneous pattern of rule-breaking and aggressive symptoms. Until now it has been unclear whether valid, clinically useful symptom profiles can be defined for populations in youth at high-risk of CD. Interview-based psychiatric disorders, CD symptoms and officially recorded offences were assessed in boys from a detention facility and a forensic psychiatric hospital (N = 281; age 11.2-21.3 years). We used latent class analyses (LCA) to examine CD subtypes and their relationships with comorbid psychiatric disorders, suicidality, and criminal recidivism. LCA revealed five CD subtypes: no CD, mild aggressive CD, mild covert CD, moderate CD, and severe CD. The severe and, to a lesser degree, the moderate CD subtype were related to comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance use disorder, affective disorder, and suicidality. Time to violent criminal re-offending was predicted by severe CD (OR 5.98, CI 2.5-13.80) and moderate CD (OR 4.18, CI 1.89-9.21), but not by any other CD subtype in multivariate Cox regressions (controlling for age, low socioeconomic status and foreign nationality). These results confirm the existence of different CD symptom profiles in a high-risk group. Additional variable-oriented analyses with CD symptom count and aggressive/rule-breaking CD-dimensions further supported a dimensional view and a dose-response relationship of CD and criminal recidivism. Classifying high-risk young people according to the number of aggressive and rule-breaking CD symptoms is of major clinical importance and may provide information about risk of violent recidivism.

[Mental disorders and criminal recidivism in male juvenile prisoners]. / Psychische Störungen und kriminelle Rückfälle bei männlichen jugendlichen Gefängnisinsassen.

Mental disorders and criminal recidivism in male juvenile prisoners Abstract. OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric disorders in juvenile prisoners exhibit a very high prevalence. However, it remains unclear whether this goes along with increased criminal recidivism rates. METHODS: Between August 1, 2010 and October 31, 2012 all male juvenile inmates of the youth penitentiary of the Canton of Zurich were psychiatrically evaluated at admittance (N = 122). Psychiatric disorders were determined on the basis of a standardized diagnostic interview. Information on recidivism within one year after release from prison was drawn from the cantonal legal information system. RESULTS: In total, 90.2 % of the prisoners suffered from at least one mental illness. Four independent psychiatric disorder categories were identified: affective disorders, anxiety disorders, behavioural disorders and substance abuse disorders. Recidivism for violent crime was found more frequently in juveniles with behavioural disorders (especially when suffering from conduct disorder and/or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) and/or substance abuse compared to juvenile ex-convicts without psychiatric disorders. In addition, our study revealed that the time interval between discharge and the commitment of a new violent crime was shorter for juveniles of a younger age. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among juvenile prisoners and its direct relevance to recidivism, it is imperative that every minor held in custody is adequately evaluated and treated with psychiatric and psychological means. Only then, we may meet their individual psychiatric/psychological needs as well as our society's needs for security and the requirements of effective victim protection.

Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Juveniles Who Sexually Offended.

Juveniles who sexually offended (JSOs) are differentially burdened with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The present study used Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to derive subtypes of JSOs according to their patterns of 10 different ACEs. An extensive file analysis of 322 male JSOs ( M = 14.14, SD = 1.94) revealed five subtypes with (a) multiple (9.0%), (b) mainly family related (17.1%), (c) mainly peer related (21.7%), (d) mainly neglectful (18.6%), and (e) little/no (33.5%) ACEs. Differences among ACE subtypes with regard to several offense and victim characteristics (e.g., the use of penetration or violence, the choice of a child, a male, a stranger, or multiple victims) were examined. Whereas no differences were found for the use of physical violence or the choice of male, stranger, or multiple victims, binary logistic regressions revealed associations of the multiple-ACE subtype with the choice of a child victim, the family-ACE subtype with the use of penetration as well as further nonsexual delinquency, the peer-ACE subtype with the use of penetration and the choice of a child victim, and the neglect-subtype with the choice of a child victim. Additional analyses including single ACE categories instead of LCA-derived subtypes supported these results. Findings highlight the need for a comprehensive consideration of ACEs in research and clinical work to understand developmental pathways to juvenile sexual offending.

Parent-Adolescent Cross-Informant Agreement in Clinically Referred Samples: Findings From Seven Societies.

To conduct international comparisons of parent-adolescent cross-informant agreement in clinical samples, we analyzed ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self-Report (YSR) for 6,762 clinically referred adolescents ages 11-18 from 7 societies (M = 14.5 years, SD = 2.0 years; 51% boys). Using CBCL and YSR data, we asked the following questions: (a) Do parents report more problems for their adolescent children than the adolescents report about themselves? (b) How do cross-informant correlations (rs) for scale scores differ by problem type and by society? (c) How well do parents and adolescents, on average, agree regarding which problems they rate as low, medium, or high? (d) How does within-dyad item agreement vary within and between societies? (e) How do societies vary in dichotomous cross-informant agreement with respect to the deviance status of the adolescents? CBCL and YSR scores were quite similar, with small and inconsistent informant effects across societies. Cross-informant rs averaged .47 across scales and societies. On average, parents and adolescents agreed well regarding which problem items received low, medium, or high ratings (M r = .87). Mean within-dyad item agreement was moderate across all societies, but dyadic agreement varied widely within every society. In most societies, adolescent noncorroboration of parent-reported deviance was more common than parental noncorroboration of adolescent-reported deviance. Overall, somewhat better parent-adolescent agreement and more consistency in agreement patterns across diverse societies were found in these seven clinical samples than in population samples studied using the same methods.

Effective Mental Health Screening in Adolescents: Should We Collect Data from Youth, Parents or Both?

Youth- and parent-rated screening measures derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) were compared on their psychometric properties as predictors of caseness in adolescence (mean age 14). Successful screening was judged firstly against the likelihood of having an ICD-10 psychiatric diagnosis and secondly by the ability to discriminate between community (N = 252) and clinical (N = 86) samples (sample status). Both, SDQ and DAWBA measures adequately predicted the presence of an ICD-10 disorder as well as sample status. The hypothesis that there was an informant gradient was confirmed: youth self-reports were less discriminating than parent reports, whereas combined parent and youth reports were more discriminating-a finding replicated across a diversity of measures. When practical constraints only permit screening for caseness using either a parent or an adolescent informant, parents are the better source of information.

Type and timing of maltreatment influence criminal persistence in sexually abusive adolescents.

The development of sexuality is a major goal in the normative course of puberty. However, some adolescents start and maintain sexually coercive behaviors. Maltreatment appears as a contributing factor in juvenile criminal persistence, although its role regarding reoffenses in juveniles convicted of sexual offenses (JSOs) is unclear. We examined time-dependent associations of maltreatment categories and subtypes with criminal persistence in JSOs. Files of 278 male JSOs (M = 14.64 years, SD = 1.58 years) were analyzed for experiences of emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual victimization, emotional neglect, and physical neglect. We found 3 subtypes reflecting severe maltreatment, neglectful experiences, and low maltreatment. Severe maltreatment proved to be a consistent predictor of nonsexual criminal persistence, whereas overall neglectful experiences were related to sexual criminal persistence. More specifically, physical neglect (including lack of parental supervision) appeared of major importance for criminal persistence. Results indicate that maltreatment is a contributing factor in criminal persistence in JSOs and emphasize the potential gain of applying family oriented interventions to reduce criminal persistence in JSOs. (PsycINFO Database Record

Oppositional defiant disorder dimensions and subtypes among detained male adolescent offenders.

BACKGROUND: In adolescent offenders, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and its dimensions/subtypes have been frequently ignored due to the stronger focus on criminal behaviours. The revised criteria of the DSM-5 now allow diagnosing ODD in older youths independent of conduct disorder (CD). This study aimed at analysing ODD dimensions/subtypes and their relation to suicidality, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and criminal behaviours after release from detention in a sample of detained male adolescents. METHODS: Suicidality and psychiatric disorders (including ODD symptoms) were assessed in a consecutive sample of 158 male adolescents (Mage  = 16.89 years) from the Zurich Juvenile Detention Centre. Based on previous research findings, an irritable ODD dimension and a defiant/vindictive ODD dimension based on ODD symptoms were defined. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify distinct subtypes of adolescent offenders according to their ODD symptom profiles. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyse the relations of ODD dimensions/ODD subtypes to comorbid psychopathology and criminal reoffenses from official data. RESULTS: The ODD-irritable dimension, but not the ODD defiant/vindictive dimension predicted comorbid anxiety, suicidality and violent reoffending. LCA identified four subtypes, namely, a no-ODD subtype, a severe ODD subtype and two moderate ODD subtypes with either defiant or irritable symptoms. The irritable ODD subtype and the severe ODD subtype were related to suicidality and comorbid affective/anxiety disorders. The irritable ODD subtype was the strongest predictor of criminal (violent) reoffending even when controlling for CD. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings confirm the presence of ODD dimensions/subtypes in a highly disturbed adolescent offender sample. Irritable youths were at risk of suicide and persistent criminal behaviours. Due to the severe consequences of irritability, a standardized assessment approach and a specific treatment is needed in prison to prevent suicide among the detainees and further harm to the society. As defined in the DSM-5, the present findings confirm the validity of ODD and ODD dimensions/subtypes as a diagnostic category among older youths.

[Pilot study on the effectiveness of a multimodal group treatment for children with oppositional defiant disorder in clinical primary care]. / Pilotstudie zur Wirksamkeit einer multimodalen Gruppenbehandlung für Kinder mit einer Störung des Sozialverhaltens mit oppositionellem, aufsässigem Verhalten in der klinischen Grundversorgung.

Aim: Pilot study on the effectiveness of a multimodal group treatment for children with oppositional defiant disorder in clinical primary care. Objective: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a frequent disorder in children and a common cause for referral to child psychiatric services. ODD consists of irritability, headstrongness and hurtful behaviours. The aim of the pilot study was to assess the effectiveness of combined cognitive-behavioural group interventions ­ the Baghira group training for the children and the Positive Parenting Program Triple P ­ in an outpatient child psychiatric service. Method: 42 children with ODD who attended the combined interventions were compared to 26 untreated probands in a waiting list control group. Externalizing problem behaviour, aggression and delinquency were assessed at treatment begin, treatment end and at the 6-month follow-up with questionnaires for the children, parents and teachers. Results: In comparison to the waiting list control group in the treatment group parent-reported externalizing problems decreased significantly between pre- and posttreatment assessment. A trend to significance was found for the decrease of teacher reported delinquency. Medium effect sizes were found and all effects were stable at follow-up. Conclusions: In this pilot study the combined interventions have shown to be effective in clinical primary care for the treatment of ODD and beneficial for the children and their families. For the assessment of the specific effectiveness of the Baghira group training further and larger studies are required.

[Psychosocial disadvantages in incarcerated girls and boys]. / Psychosoziale Belastungen bei inhaftierten Mädchen und Jungen.

OBJECTIVE: Longitudinal studies found that criminal behavior in juveniles often concurs with neighborhood disadvantage and family dysfunction, especially in girls. In this study we assessed the psychosocial background in incarcerated juveniles and analyzed the data for each gender separately. METHOD: The Multidimensional Clinical Screening Inventory for delinquent juveniles (MCSI) was used to assess school history, psychiatric history, family background, abuse and neglect and motive for crime. The sample consisted of 294 juveniles (46 females and 248 males). RESULTS: Innerfamilial abuse/neglect was reported by 91% (girls) and 79% (boys). 76% (girls) and 88% (boys) reported school-problems. 57% (girls) and 29% (boys) reported to have recieved psychiatric pretreatment. In girls we found significantly higher prevalence rates for parental divorce, incarceration of mother, abuse/neglect and psychiatric pretreatment. Significantly more girls reported a co-occurrence of school-problems and experiences of separation and loss and abuse (65.2% vs. 46.4%, χ²=5.51, df=1, p<.05). CONCLUSION: Incarcerated juveniles, especially females, are and have been exposed to multiple psychosocial burdens. Therefore it is necessary to implement prevention programs for psychosocially stressed families. Forensic intervention in and after detention has to include a family centered approach.

Gene-set and multivariate genome-wide association analysis of oppositional defiant behavior subtypes in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a frequent psychiatric disorder seen in children and adolescents with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ODD is also a common antecedent to both affective disorders and aggressive behaviors. Although the heritability of ODD has been estimated to be around 0.60, there has been little research into the molecular genetics of ODD. The present study examined the association of irritable and defiant/vindictive dimensions and categorical subtypes of ODD (based on latent class analyses) with previously described specific polymorphisms (DRD4 exon3 VNTR, 5-HTTLPR, and seven OXTR SNPs) as well as with dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin genes and pathways in a clinical sample of children and adolescents with ADHD. In addition, we performed a multivariate genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the aforementioned ODD dimensions and subtypes. Apart from adjusting the analyses for age and sex, we controlled for "parental ability to cope with disruptive behavior." None of the hypothesis-driven analyses revealed a significant association with ODD dimensions and subtypes. Inadequate parenting behavior was significantly associated with all ODD dimensions and subtypes, most strongly with defiant/vindictive behaviors. In addition, the GWAS did not result in genome-wide significant findings but bioinformatics and literature analyses revealed that the proteins encoded by 28 of the 53 top-ranked genes functionally interact in a molecular landscape centered around Beta-catenin signaling and involved in the regulation of neurite outgrowth. Our findings provide new insights into the molecular basis of ODD and inform future genetic studies of oppositional behavior. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genome-wide analyses of aggressiveness in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Aggressiveness is a behavioral trait that has the potential to be harmful to individuals and society. With an estimated heritability of about 40%, genetics is important in its development. We performed an exploratory genome-wide association (GWA) analysis of childhood aggressiveness in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to gain insight into the underlying biological processes associated with this trait. Our primary sample consisted of 1,060 adult ADHD patients (aADHD). To further explore the genetic architecture of childhood aggressiveness, we performed enrichment analyses of suggestive genome-wide associations observed in aADHD among GWA signals of dimensions of oppositionality (defiant/vindictive and irritable dimensions) in childhood ADHD (cADHD). No single polymorphism reached genome-wide significance (P < 5.00E-08). The strongest signal in aADHD was observed at rs10826548, within a long noncoding RNA gene (beta = -1.66, standard error (SE) = 0.34, P = 1.07E-06), closely followed by rs35974940 in the neurotrimin gene (beta = 3.23, SE = 0.67, P = 1.26E-06). The top GWA SNPs observed in aADHD showed significant enrichment of signals from both the defiant/vindictive dimension (Fisher's P-value = 2.28E-06) and the irritable dimension in cADHD (Fisher's P-value = 0.0061). In sum, our results identify a number of biologically interesting markers possibly underlying childhood aggressiveness and provide targets for further genetic exploration of aggressiveness across psychiatric disorders. © 2016 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Testing the "Sexually Abused-Abuser Hypothesis" in Adolescents: A Population-Based Study.

A long-standing belief in the literature on sex offenders is that sexually victimized youths are at increased risk of becoming sex offenders themselves. The present study tested the link between past sexual abuse, either with or without contact, and sexually offending behavior in a representative sample of male and female adolescents while controlling for other types of abuse, mental health problems, substance use, and non-sexual violent behaviors. Self-reported data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 6,628 students attending 9th grade public school in Switzerland (3,434 males, 3,194 females, mean age = 15.50 years, SD = 0.66 years). Exposure to contact and non-contact types of sexual abuse was assessed using the Child Sexual Abuse Questionnaire and sexually offending behavior by the presence of any of three behaviors indicating sexual coercion. Two-hundred-forty-five males (7.1 %) and 40 females (1.2 %) reported having sexually coerced another person. After controlling for non-sexual abuse, low parent education, urban versus rural living, mental health problems, substance use, and non-sexual violent behavior, male adolescents who were victims of contact sexual abuse and non-contact sexual abuse were significantly more likely to report coercive sexual behaviors. Females who experienced contact or non-contact sexual abuse were also found at increased risk of committing sexual coercion after controlling for covariates. The present findings demonstrate a strong relationship between past sexual abuse, with and without physical contact, and sexual-offending behavior in male and female adolescents. Reducing exposure to non-contact sexual abuse (like Internet-based sexual exploitation) should become a new area of sexual violence prevention in youths.

Problem coping skills, psychosocial adversities and mental health problems in children and adolescents as predictors of criminal outcomes in young adulthood.

The purpose of this study was to test child and adolescent psychosocial and psychopathological risk factors as predictors of adult criminal outcomes in a Swiss community sample. In particular, the role of active and avoidant problem coping in youths was analysed. Prevalence rates of young adult crime convictions based on register data were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyse the prediction of adult criminal convictions 15 years after assessment in a large Swiss community sample of children and adolescents (n = 1,086). Risk factors assessed in childhood and adolescence included socio-economic status (SES), migration background, perceived parental behaviour, familial and other social stressors, coping styles, externalizing and internalizing problems and drug abuse including problematic alcohol consumption. The rate of any young adult conviction was 10.1 %. Besides externalizing problems and problematic alcohol consumption, the presence of any criminal conviction in young adulthood was predicted by low SES and avoidant coping even after controlling for the effects of externalizing problems and problematic alcohol use. The other predictors were significant only when externalizing behaviours and problematic alcohol use were not controlled. In addition to child and adolescent externalizing behaviour problems and substance use, low SES and inadequate problem-solving skills, in terms of avoidant coping, are major risk factors of young adult criminal outcomes and need to be considered in forensic research and criminal prevention programs.

Criminal history and future offending of juveniles convicted of the possession of child pornography.

Most child pornography is distributed online. It is estimated that 3% to 15% of child pornography consumers are juveniles. The present study analyzed a consecutive sample of 54 male juveniles convicted of the possession of child pornography. Demographic characteristics, criminal history, and subsequent offending were assessed from criminal files and official reports. Juvenile possessors of child pornography were compared to three different groups of juveniles: Juvenile possessors of other illegal pornography (n = 42), juveniles who committed a sexual contact offense against a child (n = 64), and juveniles who committed a sexual contact offense against a peer or adult (n = 104). Juvenile possessors of child pornography were found to have downloaded the illegal material more frequently and over a longer time period than juvenile possessors of other illegal pornography. Furthermore, juvenile possessors of child pornography differed from juveniles who had committed a sexual contact offense in terms of demographics and showed fewer previous and subsequent offending than juveniles who sexually offended against a peer or adult. We conclude that juvenile possessors of child pornography need a specific target intervention focusing on dysfunctional Internet use and sexually deviant arousal.