The role of delinquency, proactive aggression, psychopathy and behavioral school engagement in reported youth gang membership

Does Executive Functioning Moderate the Association Between Psychopathic Traits and Antisocial Behavior in Youth?

This study examined the interplay of psychopathic traits, executive functioning, and antisocial behavior among adjudicated youth, with a focus on the potential moderating role of executive function. The current study uses data from the Pathways to Desistance dataset was examined, utilizing the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL-YV) and the Stroop Color-Word Task to measure psychopathic traits and executive functioning, respectively. Violent and property offending frequencies were self-reported. Both psychopathic traits and lower executive functioning were initially associated with higher frequencies of both violent and property offending. Crucially, a significant interaction emerged: Youth exhibiting higher socially deviant/lifestyle psychopathic traits and weaker executive function were most likely to engage in property offenses. These findings offer insights into specific risk profiles for offending behaviors and underscore the importance of interventions promoting executive function, especially for youth with these characteristics. This study highlights the complex ways in which individual differences contribute to antisocial outcomes.

Injury by knife crime amongst children is associated with socioeconomic deprivation: an observational study

PURPOSE

Children who live in areas of socioeconomic deprivation may be at higher risk of being victims of violent crime such as knife wounds. The current study investigated whether socioeconomic disparity was associated with higher risk of knife crime.

METHODS

An observational study included patients aged ≤ 17 years at a UK Major Trauma Centre injured by knife trauma from 2016 to 2022. Indices of deprivation were recorded according to the zip code of residence and compared with those of all of England. These included Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD); income; employment; education and skills; health and disability; crime; barriers to housing and services; living environment; and Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI).

RESULTS

There were 139 patients (96% male) with median age of 16 years. When compared with the whole of England, patients had worse indices of IMD (p = 0.021); income (p < 0.001); employment (p < 0.001); education and skills (p < 0.001); health and disability; and IDACI (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in indices of crime, barriers to housing and services or living environment.

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric knife injury was associated with poor socioeconomic status in multiple domains. Focussed efforts to address socioeconomic disparities should be a priority as a public health measure for vulnerable children.

What makes young people get involved with street gangs in London? A study of the perceived risk factors

This study examined the perceived determinants of street gang-related antisocial behavior (ASB) and crime of young people (YP) in a deprived and ethnically diverse community in London. Twenty-six participants were recruited from two youth centers (one sport and one art-based program) from the borough of Tower Hamlets. Participants took part in four focus groups (FGs) organized into two youth (N = 14) and two adults (N = 12) subgroups. The FG questions explored participants' understanding of their community and social environment, their social interaction with the local YP and youth gangs. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach and key factors associated with youth gang membership, ASB, and crime were identified. Participants highlighted a series of determinants, which were centered on social predispositions and psychological factors. Associated risk factors were heavily embedded in the racial and religious tensions within the borough. Therefore, context-specific to the individual communities' risk factors should be identified before the development and implementation of intervention strategies to enhance their potential for impact.

Longitudinal Associations between Callous-unemotional (CU) Traits and School-based Affiliative Relationships among South Korean Children

OBJECTIVE

Callous-unemotional traits (CU) traits are characterized by low empathy, guilt, and reduced sensitivity to others' feelings, along with a reduced drive for social affiliation. However, little is known about the relationships between CU traits and social affiliation in the school context, or the influence of gender on these associations. This study tested reciprocal associations between CU traits and school-based affiliative relationships and explored gender as a potential moderator.

METHOD

The sample included South Korean children aged 10 to 12 years (N = 218, M = 11.03, SD = .65, 52% boys). Children reported on CU traits, antisocial behavior, teacher-student relationship quality, and peer affiliation. Three-wave longitudinal cross-lagged models tested reciprocal associations between CU traits and affiliation with both teachers and peers, with multi-group modeling employed to test the moderating effect of gender.

RESULTS

Higher CU traits at time 1 predicted decreases in teacher affiliation at time 2 controlling for CU traits, teacher-child affiliation, and antisocial behavior at time 1, while lower teacher-child affiliation at time 2 predicted increases in CU traits at time 3 accounting for CU traits, teacher-child affiliation, and antisocial behavior at time 2. However, there were no reciprocal associations between CU traits and teacher affiliation nor significant associations between CU traits and peer affiliation. Gender did not moderate any pathways between CU traits and teacher or peer affiliation.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate CU traits may reduce teacher-child affiliation, potentially escalating risk for further increases in CU traits. Thus, teacher-child affiliation may represent an important target for school-based intervention for children with elevated CU traits regardless of gender.

Sex Differences in the Relationship between Student School Burnout and Problematic Internet Use among Adolescents

BACKGROUND

The Internet has many positive sides, but it can also have a negative impact on human emotional-cognitive and behavioral functioning, especially during adolescence. To the most common consequences, the authors add addiction of the teenager to the Internet. This addiction is related to many negative physical and mental problems, including depression, substance abuse and social isolation.

METHODS

In the study, SSBS (Student School Burnout Scale) was used to measure the level of burnout, and the level of Internet addiction was measured using PUI (Internet Addiction Test). The research was carried out among 230 individuals aged 17-20 years.

RESULTS

The results of the research showed that higher level of school burnout is related to higher Internet addiction indicators, and connection was stronger in the male group. Gender significantly predicted Internet addiction and moderated the link between school burnout and Internet addiction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses confirmed different predictors of Internet addiction for male and female students. However, for both groups, higher burnout due to parents was a significant predictor of Internet addiction (IA).

DISCUSSION

Internet addiction was predicted by school burnout, appearing as a result of parental pressure for high school achievements. In addition, school burnout and school-related characteristics have greater prediction power of Internet addiction and its indicators in a male group.

Gangs and Adolescent Mental Health: a Narrative Review

This study presents a narrative review of the literature on gang culture and its association with mental health, including an in-depth overview of the topic area and reference to key systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This review will define gang culture, discuss the multiple interacting reasons (biological, psychological and social) why some young people may be attracted to gangs; and the psychiatric morbidities associated with being part of a gang. Gang culture and some adolescent mental health problems are intricately linked. This paper highlights ways in which research, practice and policy could be extended to minimise the injurious effects of gang culture on adolescent mental health.