The linkage between mental health, delinquency, and trajectories of delinquency: Results from the Boricua Youth Study

Exploring the relationship between depression and delinquency: a sibling comparison design using the NLSY

Relative to the general population, adolescents with psychiatric disorders such as major depression disorder are incarcerated (and reincarcerated) at higher rates. Current research is mixed on whether this association is a cause, consequence, or the product of selection. For example, aggression can lead to more depressive symptoms, yet depression is associated with antisocial behaviors (e.g., delinquency). To better understand the relationship between depression and delinquent behavior, we used the discordant kinship model to examine data from sibling pairs in the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth 1979, a nationally representative study. By explicitly modeling within- and between-family variance, we reduced the influence of genetic and shared-environmental confounds on our analysis. Our results suggest that the relationship between depression and delinquency is not causal, but rather a product of selection.

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.

Bidirectional Associations of Mental Health with Self-Reported Criminal Offending Over Time for At-Risk Early Adult Men in the USA

Criminal offending and mental health problems often co-occur. This study examined competing models to understand bidirectional associations between crime and mental health problems over time among at-risk men in the U.S. It was hypothesized that there would be significant cross-lagged associations of offending and mental health problems in early adulthood. Longitudinal data were drawn from 206 at-risk men enrolled in the Oregon Youth Study. Random intercept cross-lagged models examined bidirectional associations between mental health problems (assessed with the 53-item Brief Symptom Inventory) and self-reported offending in early adulthood across 6 time points from ages 19-20 to 29-30 years. Sociodemographic factors, prior levels, and common risk factors (i.e., parents' criminality, mental health problems, and socioeconomic status, as well as child age, antisocial propensity, and internalizing behaviors) were controlled during analysis. A robust association between mental health problems and offending was found for the early adult period, especially for total and violence offenses. Findings did not support the hypothesized positive cross-lagged effects. Instead, two cross-lagged effects emerged indicating that offending was inversely related to subsequent mental health problems. Childhood antisocial propensity and internalizing behaviors emerged as important predictors of stable between-person level differences in offending and mental health problems, respectively, although results differed as a function of offense categories (total, violence, property, drug). Findings indicate that the relation between mental health problems and offending is unidirectional, temporal, and partially spurious. Preventing child internalizing behaviors and child antisocial behaviors holds promise for reducing early adult mental health problems and offending.

Diversion as a Pathway to Improving Service Utilization Among At-Risk Youth

Despite the high rates of mental illness among youth in the juvenile justice system, many justice-involved youth do not receive adequate behavioral health services. We examined differences in health service utilization outcomes between youth who were diverted through a community-based, precomplaint program (Safety Net; n = 41), and youth with juvenile justice involvement in neighboring cities (n = 154). Individual arrest and health care records were combined to evaluate the rate of health care service utilization before and after initial police contact. A difference-in-differences approach with propensity score weighting was used to evaluate the impact of Safety Net on health service use, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency department (ED), and primary care visits. Compared to their nondiverted counterparts, Safety Net youth had a significant increase in psychiatric outpatient visits (average treatment effect [ATE] of 26%; p < .05) and psychiatric outpatient and primary care visits among those with a diagnosed mental illness (ATE of 19% and 12%, respectively); p < .05). There were no significant differences in ED or hospitalization outcomes. Results suggest that precomplaint diversion through Safety Net fosters access to outpatient behavioral health and primary care services that address the underlying issues that put youth in contact with police.

Materialism, Egocentrism and Delinquent Behavior in Chinese Adolescents in Mainland China: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study

Although research generally showed that holding materialistic beliefs would lead to poor developmental outcomes, few studies have used adolescent delinquency as an outcome measure. In addition, the intervening processes between materialism and adolescent developmental outcomes are unclear. In particular, it is not clear how materialistic beliefs influence egocentrism and adolescent delinquency. Methodologically, the existing studies have several weaknesses, including small samples, cross-sectional research designs, and being limited to people living in Western cultures. Using two waves of data collected from Sichuan, China (N = 4981), we studied the predictive effect of adolescent materialism on delinquency and the mediating role of egocentrism. Over two occasions separated by six months, students aged 11 and above responded to a questionnaire evaluating adolescent materialism, egocentrism, and delinquency (mean Wave 1 age = 13.15, range between 11 and 20.38). Results of multiple regression analyses suggested that materialism at Time 1 positively predicted Time 2 egocentrism. Additionally, Time 1 materialism positively predicted the level and change in Time 2 delinquency. Finally, based on 5000 bootstrap samples with gender, age, ethnic group, and Time 1 delinquent behavior as covariates, PROCESS analyses showed that egocentrism partially mediated the influence of Time 1 materialism delinquency and its change at Time 2. This study suggests that materialistic beliefs shape egocentrism, which further strengthens adolescent delinquent behavior. This study also replicates the findings of a pioneer study in China reported previously.

Parental Control and Adolescent Delinquency Based on Parallel Process Latent Growth Curve Modeling

Although ample evidence demonstrates parental influences on delinquent behavior in adolescent years, few studies have examined how change in adolescent delinquency and change in parental behavior are related to each other, particularly in late adolescence. This study utilized survey data collected over three high school years (N = 3074 Grade 10 students; mean age = 15.57, SD = 0.74 at Time 1) to examine how change trajectory of adolescent-reported delinquency is related to change trajectory of adolescent perceived parental behavioral and psychological control using parallel process growth curve modeling. Results revealed that adolescent delinquency level was negatively associated with both parents’ behavioral control and positively associated with parents’ psychological control at Time 1 (Grade 10). However, adolescent delinquency increased in parallel with decreased parental behavioral control, but not a change in psychological control. Initial paternal behavioral control positively predicted a linear increase slope of adolescent delinquency while initial adolescent delinquency level also positively predicted a linear decrease slope of paternal behavioral control. These results highlight the parallel development of parents’ behavioral control and children’s delinquent behavior and delineate the reciprocal influence between paternal behavioral control and adolescent children’s delinquency.

Positive University Environment and Agreeableness as Protective Factors Against Antisocial Behavior in Mexican University Students

Violence in schools is a global issue. Approximately 32% of Mexican students have experienced some form of violence in the school setting in their lives. Previous research has tended to focus on the causes of violence and antisocial behaviors in offenders or adolescent samples and has found evidence to suggest the underlying role of environmental and personal factors. The present study investigates the effect of positive school environment and agreeableness as protective factors against antisocial behaviors in a sample of undergraduate and graduate students (n = 304) from northwestern Mexico. Our results demonstrate that a positive school environment has a negative effect on antisocial behaviors via mood and anxiety disorders as well as in interaction with agreeableness, suggesting an interplay between personality and environment. These findings can provide some basis for the development of university programs aimed at fostering positive environments that promote student mental health and protect against antisocial behaviors.

Effects of a Whole-School Health Intervention on Clustered Adolescent Health Risks: Latent Transition Analysis of Data from the INCLUSIVE Trial

Whole-school interventions are a promising approach to preventing bullying and aggression while promoting broader health. The main analyses from a trial of the INCLUSIVE whole-school intervention reported reductions in bullying victimisation but not aggression and improved mental well-being. Latent transition analysis can examine how interventions ‘move’ people between classes defined by multiple outcomes over time. We examined at baseline what classes best defined individuals’ bullying, aggression and mental well-being and what effects did the intervention have on movement between classes over time? INCLUSIVE was a two-arm cluster-randomised trial with 20 high schools per arm, with 24-month and 36-month follow-ups. We estimated sequential latent class solutions on baseline data. We then estimated a latent transition model including baseline, 24-month and 36-month follow-up measurements. Our sample comprised 8179 students (4082 control, 4097 intervention arms). At baseline, classes were (1) bullying victims, (2) aggression perpetrators, (3) extreme perpetrators and (4) neither victims nor perpetrators. Control students who were extreme perpetrators were equally likely to stay in this class (27.0% probability) or move to aggression perpetrators (25.0% probability) at 24 months. In the intervention group, fewer extreme perpetrators students remained (5.4%), with more moving to aggression perpetrators (65.1%). More control than intervention extreme perpetrators moved to neither victims nor perpetrators (35.2% vs 17.8%). Between 24 and 36 months, more intervention students moved from aggression perpetrators to neither victims nor perpetrators than controls (30.1% vs 22.3%). Our findings suggest that the intervention had important effects in transitioning students to lower-risk classes.