Photographic self-concept enhancement of male juvenile delinquents.

Describes the enhancement of self-concepts of 16 13-16 yr old male juvenile delinquents using a program of photographic feedback about themselves. According to their Tennessee Self-Concept Scale scores, Ss who received the weekly photographic feedback sessions, compared to 14 controls increased in total self-concept, self-satisfaction, and the use of psychological defenses necessary for the maintenance of self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time orientation in male and female juvenile delinquents.

"This paper represents an attempt to relate findings obtained from three independent studies. Using a story completion technique to assess time orientation in imaginal processes, no difference was found between adolescent delinquent boys and adolescent delinquent girls. The measures of time orientation… were practically identical with findings… in a previous study of adolescent delinquent boys. Moreover, time orientation in the… delinquents was very similar to time orientation evidenced by much younger emotionally disturbed boys and normal boys." The delinquent children were found to be more present-oriented than nondelinquent adolescent boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discrimination learning in juvenile delinquents.

Tested 45 delinquent and 45 nondelinquent males in a 2-choice discrimination task with either reward for correct responses, punishment for incorrect responses, or reward and punishment for correct and incorrect responses, respectively. A modified Wisconsin General Test Apparatus was used. Results indicate a significant Group * Reward interaction in which nondelinquent Ss learned best for punishment and delinquent Ss learned best for reward. Results are interpreted as reflecting possible group differences in reward expectancies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Skills training as treatment for juvenile delinquents.

Viewing skills deficits as parameters of juvenile offender dysfunctioning, and considering skills training as a treatment modality represent relatively new strategies for rehabilitation. Data from a police diversion project (the Dallas Police Department's Youth Services Program) are presented, indicating that levels of certain physical, emotional, and intellectual skills are related to rearrest recidivism for juvenile offenders. The results of providing skills training as a treatment program for both the juvenile offenders and their parents are presented, and implications for rehabilitation strategies are discussed. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variables associated with recidivism among juvenile delinquents.

Isolated variables which would discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists in a sample of formerly institutionalized juvenile delinquents. Institution case files were selected and compared for 100 male and 100 female 11-18 yr. old Ss, 1/2 of them recidivists. 34 family background and personality variables were compared, of which 7 significantly discriminated between recidivists and nonrecidivists, 10 between males and females, and 4 demonstrated Recidivism * Sex interactions. Recidivists got into trouble and were 1st institutionalized at younger ages, had lower estimated verbal intelligence, and were more frequently diagnosed as sociopathic personality. Females more frequently came from personally and socially disorganized families than did males. The findings underline the importance of considering sex differences in future research designed to predict juvenile recidivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI--A scores and high points of male juvenile delinquents: Scales 4, 5, and 6 as markers of juvenile delinquency.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI--A) clinical, supplementary, and content scale score patterns for 655 male delinquents were examined. Low scores on Scale 5 (Masculinity/Femininity) were found to be the most frequent deviation, followed by elevations on Scales 6 (Paranoia) and 4 (Psychopathic Deviate). This is consistent with previous research, although the importance of Scale 5 deviations has been little noted because of the traditional focus on scale elevations only. Classification analysis indicated that a combination of MMPI--A scales discriminated between this delinquent sample and the normative sample, with a sensitivity of 90%-95% and a specificity of 80%-95%. This level of sensitivity was maintained in a replication sample (N=473). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling and group discussion in the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents.

Compared the relative effectiveness of 2 group methods of communicating information relevant to the social, vocational, and educational adjustment of 15-18 yr old institutionalized male juvenile delinquents (N = 192). One method relied on modeling procedures and required Ss to imitate roles which they had observed models perform. The other method employed structured discussions of the same material but without modeling or imitation. Both groups were attended by 2 models or discussion leaders and 4 or 5 Ss. A control group did not participate in any meetings and received no special condition. Treatment effectiveness was evaluated through changes on a number of attitude, self-concept, and behavior ratings, obtained on a repeated-measures basis, and through follow-up interviews and indices of recidivism. Both treatment conditions prompted more positive attitudes, behavior change, and less recidivism among participants than did the control condition. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual monitoring performance in three subgroups of male delinquents.

Administered a questionnaire measuring psychopathic, neurotic, and subcultural delinquency to 268 male delinquents. 3 groups of 15 Ss each were formed from Ss who scored above the mean on 1 scale and below the mean on the other 2. It was predicted that the more psychopathic Ss would show a greater performance decrement on a vigilance task. A significant effect was found between groups and a significant decrement over trials for signals detected and RTs; psychopathic Ss performed consistently poorer than the other 2 groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Violent juvenile delinquents: Treatment effectiveness and implications for future action.

Traditionally, the juvenile justice system has emphasized the goals of treatment and rehabilitation of young offenders, while protecting them from punishment, retribution and stigmatization. Violent juvenile offenders have posed a challenge to this rehabilitative ideal because of mounting public pressure to ensure societal protection. Juveniles who are perceived as dangerous or persistent in their criminal activity are increasingly transferred to the adult criminal justice system, where they may receive much harsher consequences. Whether violent delinquents can be successfully treated is a key point in the debate regarding the wisdom of this trend in juvenile justice. This article considers the available research to address the policy question of how society should reasonably invest in the treatment of violent juvenile offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor analysis of WISC-R scores of male delinquents referred for evaluation.

WISC-R subtest scaled scores of 305 delinquents (mean age 15.3 yrs) were intercorrelated and factor analyzed to (a) determine the number of relevant dimensions, (b) describe these dimensions, and (c) assess the extent of congruence with dimensions reported for the WISC-R standardization. The 3-factor varimax rotated solution was judged representative of measured intelligence among Ss. Results support the generalizability of verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, and freedom from distractibility dimensions of WISC-R performance among delinquent males. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some ego functions associated with delay of gratification in male delinquents.

Compared 2 groups of 20 institutionalized adolescent delinquent males, matched for age and IQ, on measures of (a) foresight and planning ability, (b) impulsiveness, (c) verbal delay of gratification, (d) internal vs. external control, and (e) adjustment ratings, using the nonverbal Porteus Maze Tests. The experimental group consisted of Ss who had chosen to live in a special cottage and attend public school even though this choice was made with the understanding that it would delay their release from the institution. The control group consisted of Ss from the remaining cottages. The 2 groups differed in the hypothesized direction on measures of impulsiveness, verbal delay of gratification, and internal vs. external control, but not on measures of foresight and planning ability or adjustment ratings. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sociodemographic associations with mental health and residential care utilization among juvenile delinquents.

Research has supported the notion that ethnoracial minorities in the juvenile justice system use fewer mental health services than Caucasians do. The authors' aim was to examine potential sociodemographic (including racial background) associations with the use of mental health and residential care among juvenile delinquents adjudicated through court services. The authors extracted demographic, mental health, and residential care data from archival records of 149 juveniles consecutively adjudicated from a midwestern city's juvenile court services facility (from 1999 to 2002). The authors found no significant associations with mental health treatment or residential care utilization based on ethnoracial background, age, gender, and educational level, neither in bivariate nor multivariate analyses. Implications for policy in the juvenile justice system are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examination of the validity of the Adolescent Problems Inventory among incarcerated juvenile delinquents.

Investigated the validity of the B. J. Freedman et al (see record 1979-26248-001) Adolescent Problems Inventory (API), a measure of social competence in situations related to antisocial behavior in adolescence, in 60 incarcerated male 14–18 yr olds. Criterion variables included historical and current behavioral indices of antisocial and disruptive behavior. Statistical analyses revealed no significant relationships in the expected direction between the API and the criteria in either the full sample or in the Black or White subsamples. Results challenge the validity of the API, and recommendations for a more refined assessment of social skills in juvenile delinquents are made. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family environments of adolescent sex offenders and other juvenile delinquents

This study compared the family environments of adolescent sex offenders and violent and nonviolent juvenile delinquents with a normative sample of adolescents. Differences between the juvenile delinquents and the normative sample were found on six of the ten subscales of the Family Environment Scale (i.e., cohesion, expressiveness, independence, intellectual-cultural orientation, active-recreational orientation, and control). No differences were found on four variables (i.e., conflict, achievement orientation, moral-religious emphasis, and organization). No differences were found among the three categories of juvenile delinquents. Implications of the findings for clinical intervention and further research are offered.     

Immediate effects of group therapy upon response to social reinforcement among juvenile delinquents.

Using a paper-and-pencil measure of the degree of effective assimilation or recognition of interpersonal approval and disapproval statements as reward and punishment events, a group of 89 institutionalized delinquent male adolescents tested immediately following a 1-hour group-therapy session were compared with an identical group tested immediately prior to their weekly group-therapy session. Analysis of variance and Cochran-Cox tests revealed that the posttherapy group scored significantly (p     

Autonomic reactivity to sensory stimulation in psychopathic, neurotic, and normal juvenile delinquents.

To test the hypothesis that lowered reactivity and/or more rapid adaptation to sensory inputs is a primary characteristic in psychopaths, 19 psychopathic, 21 neurotic, and 26 normal juvenile delinquents were identified by a behavior checklist and were presented with 21 successive tone stimuli while skin conductance and heart rate (HR) were being monitored. Results indicate that psychopaths gave significantly lower GSRs to the initial stimulus and lower, though not significantly lower, HR changes and prestimulus to poststimulus basal skin conductance increases. Skin conductance levels during rest and stimulation periods were not significantly different. It is concluded that the psychopathic autonomic characteristic resides in lower initial reactivity and not in more rapid adaptation, at least in response to a simple auditory stimulus. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time orientation in delinquents.

The time orientation of a group of 26 delinquent boys is compared with that of a matched control group of non-delinquents by obtaining stories from all Ss and scoring them in terms of the length of time covered by the action of the stories. The delinquent boys produce stories with significantly shorter time spans than do the control boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demographic variables, base rates, and personality characteristics associated with recidivism in male delinquents.

Studied demographic variables, base rates, and personality characteristics of 455 adolescent male delinquents in 3 studies. The total population discharged from a treatment-oriented facility was followed, and data were recovered from 98%. The recidivism rate was 37.5%, which compares to the recidivism base rates found in similar rehabilitation facilities. Significantly higher rates of recidivism were found among the younger delinquents, delinquents with prior institutional experience, and delinquents who had previously run away from an institution. Measures of impulse control and foresight and planning ability derived from the Porteus Maze Test differentiated 10 recidivists from 10 nonrecidivists. A follow-up study of 68 consecutively discharged Ss from the same institution replicated the findings with respect to impulse control but not foresight and planning ability. One measure of future time perspective and some staff ratings were also related to recidivism. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detecting fake-good MMPI-A profiles in a correctional facility.

This study examined the extent to which the validity scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A; J. N. Butcher et al., 1992) could differentiate between correctional adolescents instructed to fake good and both correctional and noncorrectional adolescents who received standard instructions. The noncorrectional participants (n?=?137) were from settings not connected with treatment or correctional facilities. Correctional participants (n?=?140) were from a facility in Northeastern Ohio. Mean profiles resembled those previously reported for adults on the MMPI and MMPI-2 and for adolescents on the MMPI and MMPI-A. It was possible to differentiate between (a) correctional youth instructed to fake good and noncorrectional youth with standard instructions and (b) correctional youth who were faking and correctional youth with standard instructions. Slightly different cutoff scores were needed for these two discriminations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of the Mini-Mult with delinquents.

Investigated the accuracy with which the Mini-Mult, a 71-item short form of the MMPI, could predict features of the standard MMPI in a nonpsychiatric population of 100 male and 25 female delinquents. The Mini-Mult and MMPI were administered in that order to all Ss with a 24-48 hr. intertest interval. Group results for both sexes show good correspondence between Mini-Mult and MMPI scores, while individual profile pairs suggest that for these Ss the Mini-Mult allows few conclusions about the validity, high points, or general elevation of an MMPI profile obtained soon after. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)