NCJ Number
224160
Journal
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: 2008 Pages: 177-189
Date Published
2008
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study compared native and non-native adolescents in the Netherlands with and without a violence history on personality traits and problem behaviors.
Abstract
The study found that native and non-native adolescent outpatients did not differ from each other on any measure. The outpatients scored higher than the students on hostility but not aggressive behavior, but there were differences within the student group according to descent, with the native students having higher agreeableness scores and lower hostility and aggressive behavior scores than the students of non-Dutch descent. The work sought to compare, in the Netherlands, native and non-native adolescents with and without a violence history on personality traits and problem behaviors. The study suggests that any differences in behavioral or personality traits seen in the general adolescent population according to descent are not reflected in a violent offender group of similar age. It therefore seems unlikely to be necessary to run different treatment programs for native and non-native adolescent offenders. In a previous study of the dynamic criminogenic needs of violent outpatients the authors did not differentiate between native and non-native adolescents, but differences between personality traits and problem behaviors may require adaptations to any treatment program. Forty-eight native and 71 non-native violent male adolescents were recruited from consecutive referrals to a forensic outpatient clinic after a violent offense and compared with randomly selected male youths in secondary vocational schools, but without a violent history, 82 of whom were from Dutch and 79 from non-Dutch descent. Each took part in an individual interview to complete a range of personality and behavioral rating scales. Tables, references