GOTTA EAT TO LIVE, GOTTA STEAL TO EAT: THE INVESTIGATION OF SERIOUS DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR, TEMPERAMENT, AND EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION AMONG HOMELESS YOUTH

Background: Homeless youth are at risk for many adverse outcomes, including poor physical health, traumatic experiences, victimization, poor academic achievement, cognitive deficits, psychopathology, and substance use. Research demonstrates that these individuals engage in substantial disruptive behavior (e.g., stealing, dealing drugs, breaking and entering, engaging in prostitution), which further increases their risk of negative outcomes. Individual factors, including innate temperament and executive functioning skills have been shown to relate to one another and be independently related to behavior problems, as evidenced by research investigating housed youth. Homeless youth are shown to exhibit poor effortful control, high distress, executive dysfunction, and substance abuse; factors of which have not been fully examined in relationship to persistent behavior problems as reflected in antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Study Aim: The current study evaluated the association between temperament, executive functioning, and substance use disorders in their relation to the likelihood of meeting criteria for ASPD among homeless youth (ages 18-22). It was hypothesized that these variables would significantly relate to meeting criteria for ASPD in this population. Procedure: 87 homeless individuals (mean age = 19.27) who were residing at a homeless shelter at the time of the study (in Chicago or Los Angeles) participated over the course of two testing sessions. Each individual completed measures of ASPD and substance use disorders (MINI), temperament (ATQ), and executive functioning (D-KEFS), among other measures that are part of a larger studying conducted at University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC). Results: Results suggested that temperament (specifically effortful control) executive dysfunction (specifically cognitive shifting), and substance use disorder (specifically substance abuse) were significantly related to the likelihood of a homeless individual meeting criteria for ASPD. Youth who showed poorer effortful control, better ability to shift attention between sets of information, and substance abuse were at a greater likelihood of meeting criteria for ASPD. Conclusions: These findings indicate that aspects of temperament, specific executive skills, and substance abuse are important variables in determining the likelihood of ASPD among a population of homeless individuals. Clinical implications, limitations, and suggestions for interventions are discussed.Ph.D. in Psychology, July 201

Criminal history and future offending of juveniles convicted of the possession of child pornography

Most child pornography is distributed online. It is estimated that 3% to 15% of child pornography consumers are juveniles. The present study analyzed a consecutive sample of 54 male juveniles convicted of the possession of child pornography. Demographic characteristics, criminal history, and subsequent offending were assessed from criminal files and official reports. Juvenile possessors of child pornography were compared to three different groups of juveniles: Juvenile possessors of other illegal pornography (n = 42), juveniles who committed a sexual contact offense against a child (n = 64), and juveniles who committed a sexual contact offense against a peer or adult (n = 104). Juvenile possessors of child pornography were found to have downloaded the illegal material more frequently and over a longer time period than juvenile possessors of other illegal pornography. Furthermore, juvenile possessors of child pornography differed from juveniles who had committed a sexual contact offense in terms of demographics and showed fewer previous and subsequent offending than juveniles who sexually offended against a peer or adult. We conclude that juvenile possessors of child pornography need a specific target intervention focusing on dysfunctional Internet use and sexually deviant arousal