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Protective Factors Against Aggression and Antisocial Attitudes Among Probation Youth with Childhood Adversity Histories

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Abstract

Childhood adversity is linked to adolescent aggression and antisocial attitudes, which are common predictors of delinquency and violence. Early interruption of these negative trajectories is important for preventing serious criminality. Efforts to bolster protective factors such as social-emotional skills and positive relationships may attenuate this link, but research is needed to clarify salient factors for court-involved youth. Using risk assessment data for a diverse sample of youth on probation (N = 5378), this study investigated the role of adverse childhood experiences in increasing aggression and antisocial attitudes and the degree to which protective factors (self-regulation, future orientation, positive parenting, prosocial connections) mitigated those relationships. Multivariate models controlling for antisocial peers demonstrated that childhood maltreatment was the most salient form of adversity for increasing both aggression and antisocial attitudes. All protective factors were associated with reduced aggression and antisocial attitudes and, in moderation models, muted the impact of childhood adversity on both outcomes. These findings highlight the need for practice efforts geared toward bolstering protective factors for youth on probation, especially among those with child maltreatment histories.

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Funding

This research utilized resources provided by a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development research infrastructure grant, P2C HD042828, to the Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology at the University of Washington.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Buffalo, USA

    Patricia Logan-Greene

  2. School of Social Work and Criminal Justice, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, USA

    Asia S. Bishop

  3. University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Los Angeles, USA

    Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim

  4. University of Washington School of Social Work, Seattle, USA

    Paula S. Nurius

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Correspondence to Patricia Logan-Greene.

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Access to this data was obtained with approval from the local juvenile court administrators, and study methods were approved by the University at Buffalo Institutional Review Board. All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Logan-Greene, P., Bishop, A.S., Kim, BK.E. et al. Protective Factors Against Aggression and Antisocial Attitudes Among Probation Youth with Childhood Adversity Histories. Prev Sci 24, 161–172 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-022-01472-3

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