The Self-Report Delinquency Scale From the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health Among At-Risk for Delinquency Youths.

Juvenile delinquency is a universal problem, with serious personal, economic, and social consequences that span national boundaries. Thus, cross-culturally valid and reliable measures of delinquency are critical to providing a better understanding of the causes, correlates, and outcomes of delinquency. The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the self-report delinquency measure items created for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). A sample (N = 412) of male (n = 200) and female (n = 212) at-risk for delinquency youths agreed to participate in the present study. The measure demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, namely in terms of its two-factor structure (violent and nonviolent delinquency), internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion-related validity, and known-groups validity. Findings suggest the Add Health Self-Report Delinquency (AHSRD) is an interculturally valid and reliable measure of violent and nonviolent delinquency among at-risk male and female youths.

Clinically speaking, psychological abuse matters.

BACKGROUND: The adverse effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on mental health are well-established, except in the cases of psychological abuse and men's victimization. This research study examines the prevalence and the independent contribution of psychological IPV on mental health for both genders. METHODS: The initial sample comprises 661 college students from a Portuguese public university, who completed an e-survey. Statistical analysis focused on a subsample (n=364), 23% of which were men, after removing cases of physical and/or sexual abuse. RESULTS: A total of 75% of men and 72% of women reported lifetime psychological victimization and no differences were found for sociodemographic factors, including gender. However, women reported significantly more instigations of psychological abusive acts (OR =5.41, 95% CI=1.88-15.55). Multivariate linear regression models revealed that post-traumatic stress symptoms-PTSS (ß=.51; p<.001), depression (ß=.34; p<.001) and anxiety (ß=.22; p<.001)-were predicted by psychological IPV. The strongest relationship was established between psychological IPV and PTSS, and the final model accounts for 28.6% of the variance (F(6357)=23.86, p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: This article provides an empirical basis to recognize the unique and serious impact of psychological IPV on mental health, and recommends screening psychological IPV as part of the clinical routine, developing a gender-inclusive approach, and implementing evidence-based protocols tailored to the needs of these victims.

Cross-cultural adaptability of parenting interventions designed for childhood behavior problems: A meta-analysis.

The dissemination of parenting interventions is one of the advised approaches to globally counteract childhood behavior problems, delinquency, and future criminal careers. Many of these interventions are developed in Anglosphere countries and transported to other contexts with distinct cultural backgrounds. However, there are no meta-analyses evaluating the overall effectiveness of these Anglosphere parenting programs in non-Anglosphere settings. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the effectiveness of parenting interventions developed in Anglosphere countries when transported to non-Anglosphere countries, as well as compare effectiveness levels between Anglosphere and non-Anglosphere trials; and analyze the impact of research and contextual factors in the dissemination of these interventions. Parenting interventions were included if they were: created in an Anglosphere setting; tested in non-Anglosphere countries; focused on reducing childhood behavioral problems; designed for children ranging from two to 12 years old; and tested in an experimental randomized trial. A random-effects model was selected for our meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences, confidence intervals and prediction intervals were also computed. Twenty studies were included, and results suggest that parenting interventions designed for childhood behavior problems can be transported to non-Anglosphere countries and potentially maintain effectiveness. This study is a relevant contribution to the evidence of cross-cultural transportability of parenting interventions.

Psychometric Properties of the Deviant Behavior Variety Scale in Young Spanish Adults.

BACKGROUND: Deviant behavior is a psychosocial problem that has attracted great interest from both the scientific community and society at large due to its prevalence and negative consequences. Valid, reliable measures of deviant behaviors are critical for providing a better understanding of their causes and outcomes. The central aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Deviant Behavior Variety Scale (DBVS) in a sample of young Spanish adults. METHOD: Participants comprised 490 young adults (62.4% female) aged between 18 and 20 years old (M= 18.90; SD= .77). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses yielded a single-factor structure model of DBVS showing, in general, satisfactory or good fit indexes. Moreover, convergent validity was confirmed by assessing correlations between deviant behavior (r = .77) and psychopathy (r = .45), showing that both variables were correlated. Intraclass reliability (ICC) results demonstrated the test-retest reliability of the DBVS, and Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20 = .79) showed appropriate internal item consistency. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the Spanish version of DBVS presented promising psychometric properties supporting it is a reliable, valid measure for assessing young adults, involvement in deviant behaviors.

Meaning in life, meaning-making and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the association between meaning in life (MiL), meaning-making and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the context of cancer. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in eighteen electronic databases. The screening and selection process followed the PRISMA guidelines. For the purpose of the meta-analysis, the correlation coefficients between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth were extracted from the included studies. The effect size (r) was calculated using the restricted maximum-likelihood estimator, a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed through the Q statistic, I2 index and forest plot, while publication bias was analyzed with the use of the funnel plot and Egger's test. Results: 889 records were considered according to the inclusion criteria. A total of nine articles, published between 2006 and 2021, were included in the systematic review. More than half were published in the last five years. The sample was mostly diagnosed with breast cancer. The meta-analysis included five articles (N = 844) and the results indicate a significant moderate correlation between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth (r = 0.43, 95% IC [0.36, 0.50]). Discussion: In conclusion, there is a clear association between meaning in life and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients. Future research should explore this relationship further, in order to better assist and guide meaning centered interventions that can potentiate a positive adjustment and possibly growth from the cancer experience.

Unpacking Violent Behavior in Young Adulthood: The Relative Importance of Hazardous Alcohol Use.

Young adulthood is an important developmental period for investigating the nature of violent behavior. This study examines the unique contribution of alcohol use to violence perpetration among young adults in the Australian community, after accounting for the influence of sociodemographic, early life, trait, and well-being influences. Cross-sectional, self-report data was collected from 507 young adults aged 18-20 years in the Australian general community via an online survey. Sequential logistic regressions examined the relative and independent contribution of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), impulsivity, psychological distress, and hazardous alcohol use to past-year violent behavior. Results show one in eight young adults aged 18-20 (13%) reported at least one act of violent behavior in the past year, primarily assault perpetrated against another person. Sequential logistic regression identified that after controlling for other risk factors, the number of ACEs reported and hazardous alcohol use were independently and positively associated with increased odds of reporting violent behavior in young adulthood. These findings demonstrate that ACEs and hazardous alcohol use are important, independent correlates of violent behavior in young adults. While preventing early adversity is key for reducing violence in the community, this evidence suggests that it is also important to target proximal causes such as hazardous alcohol use. Increasing early and widespread access to evidence-based, trauma-informed violence-prevention programs targeting risk factors across multiple settings is critical for reducing harm and supporting young people into healthy adulthood.

The global impact of adverse childhood experiences on criminal behavior: A cross-continental study.

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a greater risk of later criminal offending. However, existing research in this area has been primarily conducted in Western developed countries and cross-cultural studies are rare. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between ACEs and criminal behaviors in young adults living in 10 countries located across five continents, after accounting for sex, age, and cross-national differences. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: In total, 3797 young adults aged between 18 and 20 years (M = 18.97; DP = 0.81) were assessed locally in community settings within the 10 countries. METHOD: The ACE Questionnaire was used to assess maltreatment and household dysfunction during childhood and a subset of questions derived from the Deviant Behavior Variety Scale (DBVS) was used to determine past-year criminal variety pertaining to 10 acts considered crime across participating countries. RESULTS: Physical and sexual abuse, physical neglect, and household substance abuse were related to criminal variety, globally, and independently across sexes and countries ranked differently in the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). In addition, three out of five experiences of household dysfunction were related to criminal variety, but subsequent analyses indicate that some forms of household dysfunction only hold statistical significance among males or females, or in countries ranking lower in the HDI. CONCLUSIONS: This research strengthens the finding that there are cross-cultural mechanisms perpetuating the cycle of violence. It also indicates that forms of household dysfunction have an impact on criminal behavior that is shaped by gender and the country's levels of social well-being.

Early trauma and associations with altruistic attitudes and behaviours among young adults.

BACKGROUND: Childhood and adolescent traumas are exceptionally prevalent worldwide. Despite their high prevalence and substantial impact, little research has investigated the rates and specific types of early trauma by gender. It is also unknown whether the types of early trauma are differentially associated with heightened or hindered prosocial attitudes and behaviours. OBJECTIVE: To address this gap, this study aims to explore the rates of different types of early trauma (i.e., abuse: sexual, physical, and emotional; neglect: physical and emotional) among young Australian adults and investigate whether these differ according to participant gender (female, male and transgender/gender diverse). The study will also examine the associations between the different types of early trauma and current altruistic attitudes and behaviours (including the affective, behavioural and cognitive altruism domains), among a young adult Australian cohort. METHODS: Cross-sectional data was collected from 511 young Australians aged 18-20 years using an online self-report survey. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses revealed that transgender/gender diverse individuals were over 3-times more likely to experience all types of maltreatment than females and over 3-times more likely to experience emotional and sexual abuse and emotional neglect than males. Experiencing one or more trauma types was negatively associated with the cognitive domain of altruism, experiencing physical neglect was associated with the affective domain, and having a family member involved in domestic violence was associated with the behavioural domain, after controlling for gender. CONCLUSIONS: Findings show how early traumatic experiences can influence individuals' attitudes and behaviours during the pivotal developmental period of young adulthood.

Two Sides of Child Maltreatment: from Psychopathic Traits to Altruistic Attitudes Inhibition.

Child maltreatment is a known risk factor for criminal behavior, however, only a few studies have addressed the relationship between child maltreatment and the development of psychopathic traits. Meanwhile, the effect of adverse childhood experiences on prosocial behavior is practically unknown. The current research aims to explore the relationship between child maltreatment, psychopathic traits and altruistic attitudes among young adults. Six hundred and seventy-three young adults from the community filled out the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire, the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory - Short Version and the Altruistic Attitudes Scale. Results suggest that child maltreatment is related to both psychopathic traits and inhibition of altruistic altitudes. Each adverse childhood experience appears to be associated with the development of specific forms of psychopathic traits and/or altruistic attitudes. Early identification of maltreatment is essential for prevention of antisocial behavior and for the promotion of altruistic attitudes. Research, political and social recommendations are suggested.

How to Improve the YLS/CMI? Exploring a Particularly Predictive Combination of Items.

Recidivism risk assessment is central to addressing criminogenic needs among youth offenders. To accomplish this, the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) is worldwide used, but it is long and has limited predictive validity for minority populations. This study presents a particularly predictive combination of seven items that overcomes these limitations. A sample of 430 Spanish youth offenders participated in this study. The YLS/CMI long version was filled out and reconvictions were collected over a 2-year period. Results show that this combination of seven items reduced more than 80% of the inventory and improved the predictive validity, globally and for minorities. The items that were included were related to psychopathic traits and the lack of protective role models. Therefore, this specific combination of YLS/CMI items has considerable higher predictive validity across gender and culture, and may be useful to practitioners in this field.

Early adversity and adult delinquency: the mediational role of mental health in youth offenders.

This research explores the mediational role of mental health in the relationship between early adverse experiences and current self-reported delinquency in young adults with past juvenile justice involvement. Seventy-five young adults with official records of juvenile delinquency in 2010/2011 filled out our protocol in 2014/2015 including the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the D-CRIM questionnaire (evaluating delinquency). The global level of adverse experiences during childhood and adolescence was related to mental health problems and self-reported delinquency in young adulthood, while psychopathological symptoms were also related to current self-reported delinquency. The mental health indicator partially mediated the link between early adversity and current self-reported offending in individuals with past juvenile justice involvement. Our results are in line with previous psychological and neurobiological approaches and highlight the importance of mental health services in youth offender rehabilitation. Future directions for research are provided.

Needs and Achievements of the Juvenile Justice System: Insights From Two Empirical Studies With Portuguese Young Adults.

Over the last decade, studies have evaluated the effectiveness of interventions for juvenile offenders; nonetheless, those studies were more focused on recidivism than on the mechanisms associated with criminal perpetration. The current study explores the role of juvenile justice involvement and detention measures in a set of psychological, social, and criminal behavior characteristics in early adulthood. Seventy-five young adults with official records of juvenile delinquency in 2010-2011 and 240 young adults from the community filled out our protocol in 2014-2015. Young adults with juvenile justice involvement showed worse psychological, social, and criminal outcomes than those from community. Detention appears to be related to the number of deviant friends, delinquency, and school achievement in early adulthood. Our findings are in line with the labeling and deviant peer contagion theories and establish the main areas of interventions that affect the identified needs. A set of policy implications is provided.

Growing up with adversity: From juvenile justice involvement to criminal persistence and psychosocial problems in young adulthood.

Several studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of child maltreatment on juvenile justice involvement and future criminal life. However, little is known about the impact of other forms of adversity, beyond abuse and neglect, on juvenile delinquency and criminal persistence. The effect of early adversity on psychosocial problems is underexplored, particularly in juvenile delinquents. This study, using the Childhood Adverse Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, a tool accessing the exposure to different types of abuse, neglect and serious household dysfunction, explored the role of each adverse experience on juvenile justice involvement, persistence in crime and psychosocial problems during young adulthood. A Portuguese sample of 75 young adults with official records of juvenile delinquency in 2010/2011, and 240 young adults from a community sample completed ACE questionnaire and measures of psychosocial adjustment. Seven out of ten adverse experiences were significantly more prevalent in young adults with juvenile justice involvement than in the community sample, after matching the main demographic variables. The strongest predictor of juvenile justice involvement and criminal persistence during early adulthood was sexual abuse. Dimensions of child/adolescent emotional maltreatment and a mental illness in the household predicted a set of psychosocial problems in young adulthood. This study indicates that early adversity is significantly related to juvenile justice involvement, criminal persistence and psychosocial problems. This study also suggests that each experience has a different role in this process. There is an urgent need to screen, prevent and stop serious adversity. Future scientific directions and recommendations for policies are provided.

Male psychological adaptation to unsuccessful medically assisted reproduction treatments: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Similarly to women, men suffer from engaging in fertility treatments, both physically and psychologically. Although there is a vast body of evidence on the emotional adjustment of women to infertility, there are no systematic reviews focusing on men's psychological adaptation to infertility and related treatments. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: The main research questions addressed in this review were 'Does male psychological adaptation to unsuccessful medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment vary over time?' and 'Which psychosocial variables act as protective or risk factors for psychological maladaptation?' SEARCH METHODS: A literature search was conducted from inception to September 2015 on five databases using combinations of MeSH terms and keywords. Eligible studies had to present quantitative prospective designs and samples including men who did not achieve pregnancy or parenthood at follow-up. A narrative synthesis approach was used to conduct the review. OUTCOMES: Twelve studies from three continents were eligible from 2534 records identified in the search. The results revealed that psychological symptoms of maladjustment significantly increased in men 1 year after the first fertility evaluation. No significant differences were found two or more years after the initial consultation. Evidence was found for anxiety, depression, active-avoidance coping, catastrophizing, difficulties in partner communication and the use of avoidance or religious coping from the wife as risk factors for psychological maladjustment. Protective factors were related to the use of coping strategies that involve seeking information and attribution of a positive meaning to infertility, having the support of others and of one's spouse, and engaging in open communication about the infertility problem. WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Our findings recommend an active involvement of men during the treatment process by health care professionals, and the inclusion of coping skills training and couple communication enhancement interventions in counselling. Further prospective large studies with high-quality design and power are warranted.

Performance indicators for clinical practice management in primary care in Portugal: consensus from a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Performance indicators assessing the quality of medical care and linked to pay for performance may cause disagreement. Portuguese indicators included in recent health care reform are controversial. OBJECTIVES: To obtain consensus from opinion leaders in family medicine regarding the performance indicators for practice management used in the evaluation of Family Health Units in Portugal. METHODS: Eighty-nine specialists in primary care were invited to answer the following question in an online Delphi study: 'Which performance indicators should be assessed regarding the organization and management of clinical practice in primary care in Portugal?' A Likert scale was used to evaluate validity, reliability, feasibility and sensitivity to change. Twenty-seven experts participated in the second round and achieved a high degree of consensus. Eight categories were created for analysis. RESULTS: The experts suggested the use of existing indicators as well as new indicators. Thirty-nine indicators suggested by the experts are currently in use in Portugal. The assessment of the number of clinical acts performed, the number of administrative acts, and evaluation of the clinical demographic profile achieved a high degree of consensus. The expert panel suggested fifty new indicators. Five categories of these new indicators had a high degree of consensus, and three categories had a low degree of consensus. CONCLUSION: The expert panel recommended that performance indicators of practice management should first assess the quantity of clinical and administrative activities undertaken. These indicators must take into account the human and financial resources available to the clinic and its demographic context.

Early adversity and adult delinquency: the mediational role of mental health in youth offenders / Adversidade precoce e delinquência na idade adulta: o papel mediador da saúde mental em jovens ofensores

Abstract This research explores the mediational role of mental health in the relationship between early adverse experiences and current self-reported delinquency in young adults with past juvenile justice involvement. Seventy-five young adults with official records of juvenile delinquency in 2010/2011 filled out our protocol in 2014/2015 including the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the D-CRIM questionnaire (evaluating delinquency). The global level of adverse experiences during childhood and adolescence was related to mental health problems and self-reported delinquency in young adulthood, while psychopathological symptoms were also related to current self-reported delinquency. The mental health indicator partially mediated the link between early adversity and current self-reported offending in individuals with past juvenile justice involvement. Our results are in line with previous psychological and neurobiological approaches and highlight the importance of mental health services in youth offender rehabilitation. Future directions for research are provided.

Resumo Esta pesquisa explora o papel mediador da saúde mental na relação entre experiências adversas precoces e delinquência autorreportada em jovens adultos com historia de envolvimento no sistema de justiça juvenil. Setenta e cinco jovens adultos com registros de delinquência juvenil em 2010/2011 preencheram o protocolo em 2014/2015, incluindo o Questionário de Experiências Adversas na Infância, o Inventário de Sintomas Psicopatológicos e o D-CRIM (que avalia a delinquência). O nível global de experiências adversas na infância e adolescência associou-se tanto a problemas de saúde mental como à delinquência autorreportada em jovens adultos, os sintomas psicopatológicos estiveram também associados à delinquência juvenil no presente. O indicador de saúde mental parcialmente mediou a relação entre adversidade precoce e o nível atual de delinquência em indivíduos com história de envolvimento no sistema de justiça juvenil. Os nossos resultados estão em linha com abordagens psicológicas e neurológicas prévias e salientam a importância dos serviços de saúde mental na reabilitação de jovens ofensores. Direções futuras são apresentadas.