ABSTRACT

Previous research has established that trauma exposure and subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms confer risk for adolescent offending and involvement in the juvenile justice system. However, recent research and theory have called attention to the contributions of specific posttraumatic reactions, including posttraumatic dissociation (PD) and reckless or self-destructive behavior (RSDB), to offending behavior among adolescents. Therefore, this study investigated direct and indirect associations among trauma exposure, PD, RSDB, and offending in a sample of justice-involved adolescents. Participants were 301 adolescents (Mage = 16.03, SD = 1.24; 21% girls) recruited from a detention center in the Mountain West. The sample was racially and ethnic diverse, with 63% identifying as a racial or ethnic minority. Youth completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, PD, RSDB, and offending. As hypothesized, results of multiple mediation analysis demonstrated a significant indirect effect linking trauma exposure and offending through PD and RSDB. Results testing an alternative multiple mediation model were non-significant. These findings suggest that PD and RSDB may serve as key links accounting for the association between trauma exposure and offending behavior and reinforce the value of incorporating trauma-informed practices within juvenile justice systems.

摘要

先前的研究已经确定，创伤暴露和随后的创伤后压力症状会增加青少年犯罪和参与少年司法系统的风险。然而，最近的研究和理论呼吁关注特定的创伤后反应，包括创伤后分离 (PD) 和鲁莽或自毁行为 (RSDB)，对青少年的冒犯行为的影响。因此，本研究在涉及正义的青少年样本中调查了创伤暴露、PD、RSDB 和犯罪之间的直接和间接关联。参与者是 301 名青少年（M年龄 = 16.03，SD = 1.24; 21% 的女孩）从西部山区的拘留中心招募。样本具有种族和民族多样性，63% 的人被确定为种族或少数民族。青少年完成了创伤暴露、PD、RSDB 和犯罪的自我报告测量。正如假设的那样，多重中介分析的结果证明了通过 PD 和 RSDB 将创伤暴露与犯罪联系起来的显着间接影响。测试替代多重中介模型的结果不显着。这些发现表明 PD 和 RSDB 可能是解释创伤暴露与犯罪行为之间关联的关键环节，并加强了将创伤知情实践纳入少年司法系统的价值。