8,631 research outputs found
Does socio-economic disadvantage lead to acting out? A reinvigoration of an old question
Research into socio-economic determinants of school deviance is inconclusive. Recently, scholars argued that economic deprivation, rather than SES background, affects delinquency. Using multilevel analyses on data of 9,174 students across 111 schools in 4 European cities (2013-2014), we investigate the association of SES and economic deprivation with school-deviant behavior. Furthermore, we study the role of academic self-efficacy. Lower-SES and deprived students might perceive goal blockage with regard to study-related goals, leading to deviant coping – that is self-efficacy as mediator – or self-efficacy might condition SES and deprivation effects – that is self-efficacy as moderator. Results showed that deprivation relates to school-deviant behavior. This association was not mediated, nor moderated, by academic self-efficacy. The relationship with SES was moderated by academic self-efficacy. We conclude that deprived and lower SES-students are prone to break school rules, the latter more so when feeling less competent at reaching academic goals
How can research on children of incarcerated parents in the United States alter corrections practice?
The upsurge in people incarcerated in the United States since the late 1970s has meant that many
people in prison and jail are parents. Currently 2.7 million children in the United States have
incarcerated parents, and more than 10 million children have had an incarcerated parent (Johnston
2010). Given these numbers, researchers began to examine how a parent’s imprisonment impacted
a child’s growth and development. The history of this research and researchers’ findings can be
useful to the corrections community. While much of the information below is specific to the United
States, this article also has implications for children internationally.Accepted manuscrip
Micro-Sociological Implications of Domestic Violence on Adolescents in a School Setting
Adolescent victimization and exposure to domestic violence has the ability to yield negative psychological, social, behavioral, developmental, and cognitive outcomes. Unfortunately, violence within the home is becoming increasingly prevalent. In 2007 alone, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that roughly 794,000 adolescents were either abused or neglected within their household (Sousa et al. 2011:112). Another form of violence that is becoming recognized as a widespread public-health concern is intimate partner violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, intimate partner violence is present when the juvenile is not directly involved and acts more as a witness to domestic violence between his/her caregivers. Within many households where this occurs, adolescents may witness the physical and emotional pain inflicted on adult victims, or they may not actually observe the altercations but are well aware of their existence. It is conservatively estimated that over 200,000 cases of intimate partner violence occur in the United States annually (Sousa et al. 2011:112). Within this Literature Review, the overall purpose is to examine how the side effects of domestic violence impact an adolescent’s school performance. This paper will analyze several characteristics that come with the results of domestic violence separately, such as developmental, psychological, cognitive, social, and behavioral outcomes in order to sufficiently explain how this public-health problem impacts adolescents within a school setting. This paper will mainly focus on the negative outcomes associated with this phenomenon in heterosexual relationships, as they are the most commonly reported
Police stress, depression, and substance use among police officers: a general strain perspective.
This dissertation examines the utility of general strain theory in explaining substance use as a form of coping among a sample of police officers in a Midwestern, metropolitan city. The dissertation is comprised of five chapters, including the introduction, literature review, method, results, and discussion. Chapter one describes the stressful nature of a career in law enforcement, concentrating on the adverse consequences of prolonged stress, including depression and substance use. Chapter one also examines strain, depression, and substance use among police officers using a general strain perspective, highlighting the limitations of existing empirical studies. Chapter two details the theoretical premise in relation to strain, depression, and substance use and also presents empirical evidence for general strain theory. Chapter three describes the data, sample, measures, and analytic strategy that will be used. In particular, participants were surveyed regarding their demographic characteristics, levels of strain, symptoms of depression, and frequency of substance use as a form of coping. Structural equation modeling will be used to analyze multiple research hypotheses among the latent measures of strain, depression, and substance use as a form of coping simultaneously. Chapter four describes the results of the data analyses. Chapter five discusses the anticipated findings within the context of the theoretical premise; provides policy implications; and highlights study limitations and directions for future research
Substance use disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomology on behavioral outcomes among juvenile justice youth
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Substance use behaviors have been identified as a risk factor that places juveniles at greater risk for engaging in delinquent behaviors and continual contact with the juvenile justice system. Currently, there is lack of research that explores comorbid factors associated with substance use, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, that could help identify youth who are at greatest risk. The aim of the present study was to examine if PTSD symptomology moderated the relationship between substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms and externalizing behaviors and commission of a violent crime; hypothesizing that risk would be heightened among youth with elevated SUD and PTSD symptomology compared to those with elevated SUD symptoms but lower PTSD symptoms.
METHOD:
The study included 194 predominantly male (78.4%), non-White (74.2%) juvenile justice youth between the ages of 9-18 (M = 15.36). Youth provided responses to assess PTSD symptoms, SUD symptoms, and externalizing behaviors. Commission of a violent crime was based on parole officer report.
RESULTS:
Findings indicated that SUD symptomology was associated with greater externalizing behaviors at high levels of PTSD symptomology. At low levels of PTSD symptomology, SUD symptoms were inversely associated with externalizing behaviors. An interactive relationship was not observed for commission of violent crimes.
CONCLUSIONS:
Findings suggest that the association between SUD symptoms and externalizing behaviors among juvenile offenders may be best explained by the presence of PTSD symptomology.
SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Addressing PTSD rather than SUD symptoms may be a better target for reducing risk for externalizing behaviors among this population of youth (Am J Addict 2019;28:29-35)
General strain theory and violent behavior in a military sample.
The present study examines violent behavior in a military sample through an examination of General Strain Theory (GST). The overall sample (n = 21,449) is made up of active-duty, national guard, and reserve U.S. Army soldiers surveyed from 2011 to 2013 for the All Army Study (AAS) component of the Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS). The present study is a secondary analysis of the STARRS’ data. Overall, the results of the present study produce empirical support for GST. Binomial logistic regression analyses show that all measures of strain (e.g., deployment, health, and life spheres strain), anger, and coping skills are significant predictors of violent behaviors. Soldiers who are younger, male, and a minority are more likely to report violent behavior than soldiers who are older, female, and White. Self-control, religiosity, work support, and level of education are not significant predictors of violent behavior. The results of the analyses are interpreted and the limitations of the present study, suggestions for future research, and practical implications are then discussed
Physical Health and Delinquency
While physical health can impact a variety of outcomes, little research has looked at health and delinquency. Through a lens of GST, this study examines whether health moderates the relationships between strain and delinquency and drug use. Data from the 2011 NSDUH were analyzed; results indicated that, for certain strains, very good and excellent health predicted lower risks of committing some types of delinquency and poor/fair health predicted the higher risk. For youth in “no parent” homes in very good health and from some youth with chronic illness, however, the risk of delinquency increased. The overall results dictate the expansion of health programming and the complex findings suggest increased research on the nexus of health and delinquency
Coping with Exposure to Community Violence: Assessing the Role of Avoidance in Reducing Delinquency and Aggression in Low-Income Urban Adolescents
Exposure to community violence has disabling effects on the mental health of youth in the US, with high rates of exposure for African American adolescents from underserved, urban communities. Past literature suggests that avoidant coping, specifically behavioral avoidance, may be most useful for youth exposed to uncontrollable stress. The current study assessed the utility of coping strategies in reducing aggression and delinquency in 267 sixth through eighth grade African American youth. First, confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure of coping: cognitive approach, behavioral approach, and avoidance. Next, moderated moderation findings showed that for boys, avoidance and approach strategies increased risk for delinquency and aggression. For girls, high use of avoidance was protective, but low use of avoidance and approach was harmful. These results suggest that in general, more coping is helpful for girls but unhelpful for boys. This research enhances understanding of how youth adaptively cope with community violence
A structural equation analysis of the relationships between PTSD, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation : is general strain theory a viable framework for explaining suicide risk among correctional staff?
There is a large body of evidence, which suggests PTSD is strongly related to increased suicide risk, however, some studies suggest the true nature of their relationship is better explained through the development of depression due to the effects of PTSD. While a majority of the studies examining this relationship focus only on general populations, a growing body research suggests that high-risk occupations such as police, firefighters and correctional staff are developing PTSD at rates as high as 8 to 10 times that of the rate of these general samples. This study, then, aims to fill a small gap in this nascent research into PTSD and suicide among high-risk occupations. Guided by a General Strain Theory framework, this study uses structural equation modeling to examine whether depression is capable of mediating the effect PTSD has on suicide risk. The results of this study support the use of GST as a viable framework for examining these relationships within high-risk samples, revealing depression mediated a negative direct relationship exhibited by PTSD on suicidal ideation. This suggests that while PTSD may still play a role in increased suicidal behavior, the main effect PTSD displays on increased suicidal thought is instead a product of the depression developed alongside other PTSD symptoms. These findings have implications for the treatment of PTSD and the handling of workplace-related trauma for individuals in high-risk occupations, especially correctional facilities
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