Psychological Correlates of Violent and Non‐violent Hong Kong Juvenile Probationers

Abstract

There is little known about Hong Kong juvenile offenders on probation. The purpose of this study was to compare Hong Kong juvenile violent with non‐violent probationers on static demographic and psychological variables. The study comprised 109 male juvenile probationers aged 14–20 years (M = 16.97, SD = 1.44) in community transitional housing; 34 were adjudicated for violent offenses, while 75 were non‐violent. The Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Social Bonding Scale‐Theft (SBS‐T), Social Bonding Scale‐Violent Crime (SBS‐VC), Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS), Impulsiveness Scale‐Short Form (IS‐SF) and CRIME‐PICS II were administered to measure self‐esteem, life satisfaction, social bond, positive and negative affect, impulsivity, pro‐offending attitudes, and self‐perceived life problems. Data on onset age of delinquent behavior, age of first adjudication, number of prior adjudications, and frequency of self‐reported delinquency in the past year were also collected. t‐tests were consistent with significant differences for violent offenders including higher self‐esteem (p < 0.05). Non‐violent offenders self‐reported significantly more theft (p < 0.05) with a tendency to deny victim hurt more often (p < 0.01); 76.5% of violent offenders self‐reported both violent and non‐violent crime, while 58.7% of non‐violent offenders reported only non‐violent crime. For violent and non‐violent offenders, the onset of delinquency was inversely related to the frequency of self‐reported delinquency. Using ordinary least‐squares (OLS) regression analyses, self‐anticipated violent reoffending risk was predicted by age of onset, frequency of self‐reported delinquency, social bond (inversely), and impulsivity, while non‐violent reoffending risk was predicted by the number of prior convictions and self‐reported delinquency. Only two psychological correlates, social bond and impulsivity, were related to violent delinquency; interventions are suggested. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Traditional School Bullying and Cyberbullying Perpetration: Examining the Psychosocial Characteristics of Hong Kong Male and Female Adolescents

“…Effective communication among family members, a positive family atmosphere, and adequate parental monitoring and supervision are also crucial. Research has consistently demonstrated that the propensity to engage in antisocial and delinquent activities (in this case, the perpetration of traditional school bullying and cyberbullying) is likely to be reduced if the adolescents in question are healthy in terms of their psychosocial well-being (Chan & Chui, 2012, 2015a, 2015b). The failure to securely bond with their families is likely to expose adolescents to various forms of delinquency, including bullying perpetration behaviors (Chan & Chui, 2013).…”

Psychological characteristics of male 14‐ to 20‐year‐olds on probation and in a residential home in Hong Kong

“…Sample items include, ‘I would like to be the kind of person my best friend is,’ ‘I talk over future plans with my parents’ and ‘I have lots of respect for the police’. The SBC has rarely been used with the Hong Kong Chinese population (see exceptions, Chan & Chui, ; Chui & Chan, , , ). In the study of Chapple et al (), the alpha coefficients of six latent social bonding constructs were between 0.46 and 0.80.…”

Juvenile offenders' perceptions of probation officers as social workers in Hong Kong

“…In general, juvenile probationers in Hong Kong have rarely been studied. However, in recent years, a number of studies have specifically examined their socio-psychological characteristics and their risk of recidivism (see, for example, Chan & Chui, 2012; Chui & Chan, 2011a, 2011b, 2012). In Chui and Chan's (2011a) study, juvenile probationers who were less bonded with their parents, involved in more organizational activities, and who held negative beliefs about the legal system were more likely to engage in delinquent activities, even during their probation period.…”

“…Furthermore, most of the published studies have been conducted using adult samples (see, for example, Chui, 2004, 2006), with juvenile probationers rarely being studied. Only a handful of studies set in Hong Kong, all of which have been published relatively recently, focus on this population (see, for example, Chan & Chui, 2012; Chui & Chan, 2011a, 2011b, 2012). The present study is therefore the first attempt to explore Hong Kong juvenile probationers' perceptions of their probation officers.…”