Protective Factors in Male Adolescents With a History of Sexual and/or Violent Offending

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the presence and impact of dynamic protective factors for delinquency in male adolescents with a history of sexual and/or violent offending. Bipolar factors (factors with risk and protective factors being the ends of the same continuum) were examined in male adolescents with a history of sexual offenses against younger children (CSOs; n = 341), a history of sexual offenses against peers and/or adult victims (PSOs; n = 207), and a history of nonsexual violent offenses (VOs; n = 1,356). We conducted secondary analyses on data collected with the Washington State Juvenile Court Assessment and on general recidivism data. ANOVA, correlations, Fisher's z tests, and logistic regression analyses were applied. Results showed that, in VOs, the number of risk factors was greater than the number of protective factors, whereas in PSOs, and especially CSOs, the number of protective factors was greater than the number of risk factors. Protective factors appeared to be especially important for juveniles with a history of sexual offenses for two reasons. First, the impact of most protective factors on recidivism was larger among juveniles with a history of sexual offenses than among those with a history of violent offenses. Second, protective factors added to the predictive accuracy over and above risk factors in juveniles with a history of sexual offenses, but not in those with a history of violent offenses.

Protective factors in the prediction of criminal outcomes for youth with sexual offenses using tools developed for adults and adolescents: Tests of direct effects and moderation of risk.

“…Tests of incremental validity using assessment tools focused on risks and strengths used in applied practice have yielded statistically significant findings (cf. Chu et al, 2016; de Vries Robbé et al, 2013; Kleeven et al, 2022; van der Put & Asscher, 2015; van der Put et al, 2011; Viljoen, Bhanwer, et al, 2020; Yoon et al, 2018), although no other researchers have investigated incremental validity of the present study’s combinations of risk- and strength-focused tools. It is important to note that use of the Static-99 or the SAPROF would not be appropriate in applied settings with justice-involved youth, but these findings, taken altogether, do support further investigations of what “added value” strengths-focused tools might bring to the assessment endeavor.…”

Treatment effect on psychosocial functioning of juveniles with harmful sexual behavior: A multilevel meta-analysis

“…In their comprehensive "Self Determination Theory", Ryan and Deci (2017) have postulated that improving general well-being (i.e., a state of good mental health and social adaptation) is an important protective factor for reducing recidivism (See also, Willis, Yates, Gannon, & Ward, 2012), in particular with respect to externalizing disorders (Wibbelink, Hoeve, Stams, & Oort, 2017). Van der Put and Asscher (2015) found protective factors to have a pronounced effect on the prediction and prevention of recidivism by juveniles with harmful sexual behavior. The effect treatment is thought to have on psychosocial functioning has not been the topic of meta-analytic research yet.…”

Caracterización psicosocial y criminológica de adolescentes chilenos con prácticas abusivas sexuales

“…En general, estos hallazgos siguen la tendencia de otros estudios publicados a nivel internacional, por ejemplo, en cuanto a la propensión de los adolescentes con PAS-VP a tener más problemas educativos (Leroux et al, 2016;van der Put & Asscher, 2015) y ser menos proclives a sufrir acoso escolar (Benedicto et al, 2017;Hendriks & Bijleveld, 2004). Estos datos podrían ser explicados por variables de personalidad de los adolescentes, ámbito en el que algunos estudios han encontrado que los adolescentes con PAS-VM tienen mayor tendencia a internalizar problemas de comportamientos y a mostrar un patrón de funcionamiento inclinado hacia la sumisión y el conformismo; mientras que los adolescentes con PAS-VP revelan mayores problemas de conductas y rasgos antisociales, de modo que es entendible una mayor cantidad de problemas en esta área (Aebi et al, 2012;Glowacz & Born, 2013;Joyal et al, 2016;Lillard et al, 2019;van der Put & Asscher, 2015).…”