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.

The Prediction of Youth Recidivism in a Spanish Roma Population by the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI).

Despite the increasing interest in the accuracy of youth risk assessment tools, the amount of research with ethnic minorities remains relatively modest. For this reason, the main goal of this study was to assess the predictive validity and disparate impact of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in a Spanish ethnic minority. The participants consisted of 88 Roma youth offenders and 135 non-Roma youth offenders, aged between 14 and 17 years old. Their risk of recidivism was assessed by means of the YLS/CMI Inventory and their recidivism rate was obtained from the Juvenile Justice Department. Results showed that the Inventory presented slightly lower predictive validity for the Roma group. Moreover, Roma juveniles presented higher risk scores and lower strength scores than non-Roma juveniles. These results supported the idea that professionals must therefore be aware of these cultural differences in predictive validity and the existent potentiality for disparate impact.

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.

The effect of adverse childhood experiences on deviant and altruistic behavior during emerging adulthood.

BACKGROUND: The experience of coping with negative events in early ages (childhood and adolescence) has consistently been linked to some specific deviant behaviors, such as juvenile justice involvement or persistence in crime. In contrast, very few studies have focused on the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences and altruistic behavior. The objective of this study is to examine the possible influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on the social behavior exhibited in emerging adulthood (specifically deviant and altruistic behavior). METHOD: The study population consisted of 490 young adults between the ages of 18 and 20, with a mean of 18.90 years (SD = .77). All voluntarily completed the following self-report questionnaires: the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire, the Deviant Behavior Scale, and the Altruistic Scale. RESULTS: Linear regression models found that Adverse Childhood Experiences were strong, positive predictors of deviant behaviors. Moreover, specific Adverse Childhood Experiences (physical abuse for deviant behavior, and emotional neglect for altruistic behaviors) had notable, differential effects. CONCLUSIONS: The prevention or early detection of Adverse Childhood Experiences during childhood could contribute to reducing maladaptive patterns of behavior and to increasing altruistic patterns during emerging adulthood.