EARLY CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY, SOCIOECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES, AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIORS IN A TREATMENT SAMPLE OF MALE ADOLESCENTS
Location
WhiteTop Mountain Room 225
Start Date
4-5-2018 8:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2018 12:00 PM
Poster Number
101
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Jill D. Stinson
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Psychology
Type
Poster: Competitive
Project's Category
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have long been linked to poor physical, mental, and behavioral outcomes in adulthood. Individuals with exposure to more types of ACEs are at greater risk of engaging in delinquent and criminal offending and also are relatedly more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. The high prevalence of ACEs and other co-morbid risk factors in forensic populations calls for further investigation into how differential exposure to adversities influence the onset and nature of offending behaviors. Additionally, there are few studies investigating structural elements that precede offending behaviors (e.g., social and economic factors) in varied communities. Thus, the present study aims to examine the role of individual adversities and community factors on the development of nonsexual delinquent behaviors and juvenile justice involvement in a treatment sample of male adolescents. Data for the present study were derived from two sources. First, data were collected from archival records at a private nonprofit facility in rural Appalachia that provides treatment to adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior. Variables of interest include exposure to ACEs, indicators of sexual boundary problems within the home of origin (exposure to pornography by adult in home, witnessing sexual behaviors between others), and lifetime arrest history. Second, county-level secondary data were downloaded and delineated by county from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) program website, which provides publicly available data compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The CHR&R data has been published annually since 2010 and includes county-level markers of overall health and various factors that impact the health of counties. A standardized z-score was calculated to indicate social and economic environment compared to other counties in the state. Participants were assigned a z-score based on documented zip code of origin. To test the hypothesized model, confirmatory factor analysis was used, first examining indicators of individual adverse experiences and exposure to sexual behaviors in the home of origin. A three-factor model emerged: Factor 1 represented emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect; Factor 2 included indicators of household dysfunction; and Factor 3 included sexual abuse and more passive indicators of sexual boundary concerns in the home. Next, structural equation modeling revealed the association between individual experiences of adversity, county-level social/economic environment, and nonsexual delinquent behaviors with socioecological influences as a moderator. Results reveal varying relationships between exposures to adversity and arrest-related outcome variables. Additional discussion regarding findings, implications, and areas for future research will be explored.
EARLY CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY, SOCIOECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES, AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIORS IN A TREATMENT SAMPLE OF MALE ADOLESCENTS
WhiteTop Mountain Room 225
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have long been linked to poor physical, mental, and behavioral outcomes in adulthood. Individuals with exposure to more types of ACEs are at greater risk of engaging in delinquent and criminal offending and also are relatedly more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. The high prevalence of ACEs and other co-morbid risk factors in forensic populations calls for further investigation into how differential exposure to adversities influence the onset and nature of offending behaviors. Additionally, there are few studies investigating structural elements that precede offending behaviors (e.g., social and economic factors) in varied communities. Thus, the present study aims to examine the role of individual adversities and community factors on the development of nonsexual delinquent behaviors and juvenile justice involvement in a treatment sample of male adolescents. Data for the present study were derived from two sources. First, data were collected from archival records at a private nonprofit facility in rural Appalachia that provides treatment to adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior. Variables of interest include exposure to ACEs, indicators of sexual boundary problems within the home of origin (exposure to pornography by adult in home, witnessing sexual behaviors between others), and lifetime arrest history. Second, county-level secondary data were downloaded and delineated by county from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) program website, which provides publicly available data compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The CHR&R data has been published annually since 2010 and includes county-level markers of overall health and various factors that impact the health of counties. A standardized z-score was calculated to indicate social and economic environment compared to other counties in the state. Participants were assigned a z-score based on documented zip code of origin. To test the hypothesized model, confirmatory factor analysis was used, first examining indicators of individual adverse experiences and exposure to sexual behaviors in the home of origin. A three-factor model emerged: Factor 1 represented emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect; Factor 2 included indicators of household dysfunction; and Factor 3 included sexual abuse and more passive indicators of sexual boundary concerns in the home. Next, structural equation modeling revealed the association between individual experiences of adversity, county-level social/economic environment, and nonsexual delinquent behaviors with socioecological influences as a moderator. Results reveal varying relationships between exposures to adversity and arrest-related outcome variables. Additional discussion regarding findings, implications, and areas for future research will be explored.