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Guo S, Liu J, Pak A. Examining the causal effects of exposure to violence on crime among youth involved in the justice system: Experienced, witnessed, and experienced-witnessed violence. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2024. [PMID: 38499980 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies on exposure to violence lack a nuanced understanding of the causal effects of different exposure types on offending behaviors. This study, drawing on Pathways to Desistance Study (PDS) data tracking 1354 adjudicated youths aged 14-18 over 7 years, explores the contemporaneous (cross-sectional), acute (after 1 year), enduring (after 3 years), and long-term (after 6 years) causal effects of violence exposure on property and violent offending. The sample, predominantly male (86%), consisted of White (20%), Black (42%), and other (38%) individuals. The generalized propensity score is used to match unbalanced covariates across multiple exposure types, namely noninvolved (n = 392), witnessed (n = 577), experienced (n = 31), and experienced-witnessed violence (n = 305). Results demonstrate the contemporaneous, acute, enduring, and long-term effects of violence exposure on both violent and property offending, with varying durations and strengths across exposure types. The most pronounced risk effects are immediate, diminishing over time and potentially reversing in the long term as youth transition into adulthood. Among exposure types, experienced-witnessed violence exhibits the most potent effects on offending, followed by witnessed violence and then experienced violence-a pattern consistent across the observed time points. Noteworthy is the finding that the impact of violence exposure is more pronounced for violent offending, diminishing more rapidly compared to the effects on property offending.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siying Guo
- Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Jianxuan Liu
- Department of Mathematics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Anna Pak
- Department of Marketing, Global Business, and Economics, Kean University, Union, New Jersey, USA
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Gajos JM, Boutwell BB. Evolution, the Cognitive Sciences, and the Science of Victimization. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 22:14747049231225146. [PMID: 38225172 PMCID: PMC10793188 DOI: 10.1177/14747049231225146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite clear aversion to such labels, one of the most impactful criminological theories is rooted in cognitive science. Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory has been repeatedly tested, replicated relatively well, and has since reached beyond its original scope to explain other important outcomes like victimization. However, the work never viewed itself as part of a larger scientific landscape and resisted the incursion of neuroscience, cognitive science, and evolutionary theory from the start. This missed opportunity contributes to some of the theory's shortcomings. We begin by considering relevant literatures that were originally excluded and then conduct a new analysis examining the cognitive underpinnings of victimization in a high-risk sample of adolescents. We used the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 3,444; 48% female; 49% Black, 25% Hispanic) which contained sound measures of self-control and intelligence, as well as four types of adolescent victimization. Self-control was robustly associated with all forms of victimization, whereas intelligence had generally no detectable effect. We discuss how these findings fit into a broader understanding about self-control and victimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie M. Gajos
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Brian B. Boutwell
- Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, School of Applied Sciences, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA
- John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
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Turanovic JJ. Exposure to Violence and Victimization: Reflections on 25 Years of Research From the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. J Adolesc Health 2022; 71:S14-S23. [PMID: 36404015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Over the past 25 years, across a wide range of academic disciplines, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health has facilitated a wealth of research on the sources and consequences of victimization and exposure to violence (ETV). In this review, I reflect broadly on the knowledge gleaned from this impressive data source. METHODS The review is situated within an integrated, multilevel framework that (1) emphasizes differential risks for ETV and victimization (at the individual, peer, school, family, and neighborhood levels), (2) allows for the dynamic study of violence exposures, (3) recognizes an overlap between multiple forms of victimization and ETV, (4) allows for the study of moderating factors and mediating mechanisms, and (5) allows for a wide array of developmental consequences to be identified. RESULTS Major correlates and consequences of ETV and victimization in the data are described, along with mediators and moderators that influence the link between violence exposures and negative life outcomes. DISCUSSION Gaps and challenges are discussed. Several directions for future research are put forth, including the need to further uncover the dynamic sources and consequences of victimization and ETV over the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian J Turanovic
- College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
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Posick C, Rocque M. Integrating Individual Risk and Social Exposure to Violence: A Multilevel Victimization Perspective. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2022; 37:NP4840-NP4864. [PMID: 32962493 DOI: 10.1177/0886260520958640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We test two major hypotheses in this article: (a) macrolevels of school disorganization and individual levels of low self-control will be directly, and positively, linked to victimization and (bi) low self-control will have the largest impact on exposure to victimization (ETV) when it interacts with negative environments consistent with a social enhancement perspective, or (bii) low self-control will have a weaker impact on ETV when it interacts with negative environments consistent with saturation or social push models. The data for the current study were collected as part of the second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-II). A total of 49,685 individuals from 30 countries are nested within 1,427 schools. We use multilevel generalized linear regression models with violent victimization (robbery and assault) regressed on demographic, family, school, and neighborhood variables. Multiplicative interaction terms are included in separate models to examine key moderation effects consistent with expectations drawn from the victimization literature. Analyses reveal that low self-control and perceptions of school disorganization are both associated with an increase in the odds of experiencing victimization. Interactions between low self-control and school disorganization are also found to be consistent with saturation/social push models. Our regulation approach offers a foundation for theorizing about ETV and provides a testable model for future research. However, elements of the regulation model are in need of further refinement and testing before the perspective can be moved toward a broader theory of victimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Posick
- Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, United States
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Boccio CM, Beaver KM. Low Self-Control, Victimization, and Financial Hardship: Does Low Self-Control Moderate the Relationship Between Strain and Criminal Involvement? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2021; 65:3-23. [PMID: 32114855 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x20909211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
General strain theory has been widely supported by empirical research. Research concerning possible individual-level moderators of the effects of strain, however, has yielded considerably mixed results. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by examining whether levels of self-control moderate the relationship between strain and criminal involvement in a large nationally representative sample. Our findings reveal that strain and levels of self-control have both additive and interactive effects on criminal involvement. To illustrate, respondents who were exposed to higher levels of strain reported more criminal involvement than respondents exposed to lower levels of strain. Similarly, lower levels of self-control were associated with higher levels of criminal involvement. In addition, levels of self-control were found to moderate the association between experiencing strain and two of the criminal involvement measures. Furthermore, the results suggest that the relationships among strain, self-control, and criminal involvement may vary across gender and forms of strain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kevin M Beaver
- Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA
- King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Tanksley PT, Barnes JC, Boutwell BB, Arseneault L, Caspi A, Danese A, Fisher HL, Moffitt TE. Identifying Psychological Pathways to Polyvictimization: Evidence from a Longitudinal Cohort Study of Twins from the United Kingdom. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL CRIMINOLOGY 2020; 16:431-461. [PMID: 32831812 PMCID: PMC7115958 DOI: 10.1007/s11292-020-09422-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Examine the extent to which cognitive/psychological characteristics predict later polyvictimization. We employ a twin-based design that allows us to test the social neurocriminology hypothesis that environmental factors influence brain-based characteristics and influence behaviors like victimization. METHODS Using data from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study (N = 1986), we capitalize on the natural experiment embedded in a discordant-twin design that allows for the adjustment of family environments and genetic factors. RESULTS The findings indicate that self-control, as well as symptoms of conduct disorder and anxiety, are related to polyvictimization even after adjusting for family environments and partially adjusting for genetic influences. After fully adjusting for genetic factors, only self-control was a statistically significant predictor of polyvictimization. CONCLUSION The findings suggest polyvictimization is influenced by cognitive/psychological characteristics that individuals carry with them across contexts. Policies aimed at reducing victimization risks should consider interventions that address cognitive functioning and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter T Tanksley
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - J C Barnes
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Brian B Boutwell
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA
- John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Oxford, MS 38677, USA
| | - Louise Arseneault
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University Box 104410, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Box 90338, Durham NC, 27708, USA
| | - Andrea Danese
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
- National and Specialist Child Traumatic Stress and Anxiety Clinic, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Helen L Fisher
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University Box 104410, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Box 90338, Durham NC, 27708, USA
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Kavish N, Helton J, Vaughn MG, Boutwell BB. The association of externalizing and internalizing problems with indicators of intelligence in a sample of at-risk children. INTELLIGENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2020.101448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Linear and non-linear: An exploration of the variation in the functional form of verbal IQ and antisocial behavior as adolescents age into adulthood. INTELLIGENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2019.101375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Bhavsar V, Bhugra D. Violence towards people with mental illness: Assessment, risk factors, and management. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2018; 72:811-820. [PMID: 30084514 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIM Violence is an important problem for clinicians, for public health, and for victims. Aside from greater risk of perpetrating violence, people with mental illness are also more commonly victimized than the general population. However, guidance on the assessment and management of violent victimization in clinical settings is limited. METHODS We carried out a review and consolidation of clinical and research literature on violent victimization in people with mental illness. RESULTS Assessment of mental state in someone who has been victimized should evaluate both historical factors (such as pattern, timing, perpetrator characteristics, and contextual factors) and clinical factors (including affective and cognitive changes). CONCLUSION Concerted clinical and policy attention to factors that might increase vulnerability, such as alcohol use, lack of support, and the social environment, could improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishal Bhavsar
- Department of Health Services and Population Research, King's College London, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK
| | - Dinesh Bhugra
- Department of Affective Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
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Beckley AL, Caspi A, Arseneault L, Barnes JC, Fisher HL, Harrington H, Houts R, Morgan N, Odgers CL, Wertz J, Moffitt TE. The Developmental Nature of the Victim-Offender Overlap. JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND LIFE-COURSE CRIMINOLOGY 2018; 4:24-49. [PMID: 29581934 PMCID: PMC5865449 DOI: 10.1007/s40865-017-0068-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE It is well-established that victims and offenders are often the same people, a phenomenon known as the victim-offender overlap, but the developmental nature of this overlap remains uncertain. In this study, we drew from a developmental theoretical framework to test effects of genetics, individual characteristics, and routine-activity-based risks. Drawing from developmental literature, we additionally tested the effect of an accumulation of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). METHODS Data came from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Study, a representative UK birth cohort of 2232 twins born in 1994-1995 and followed to age 18 (with 93% retention). Crime victimization and offending were assessed through self-reports at age 18 (but findings replicated using crime records). We used the classical twin study method to decompose variance in the victim-offender overlap into genetic and environmental components. We used logistic regression to test the effects of childhood risk factors. RESULTS In contrast to past twin studies, we found that environment (as well as genes) contributed to the victim-offender overlap. Our logistic regression results showed that childhood low self-control and childhood antisocial behavior nearly doubled the odds of becoming a victim-offender, compared to a victim-only or an offender-only. Each additional ACE increased the odds of becoming a victim-offender, compared to a victim-only or an offender-only, by approximately 12%, pointing to the importance of cumulative childhood adversity. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that the victim-offender overlap is, at least partially, developmental in nature and predictable from personal childhood characteristics and an accumulation of many adverse childhood experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber L. Beckley
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- Demography Unit, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- Centre for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Louise Arseneault
- MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - J. C. Barnes
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Helen L. Fisher
- MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Honalee Harrington
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
| | - Renate Houts
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
| | | | - Candice L. Odgers
- Center for Child and Family Policy and the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
| | - Jasmin Wertz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
| | - Terrie E. Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- Centre for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
- MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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Boutwell BB, Connolly EJ, Barbaro N, Shackelford TK, Petkovsek M, Beaver KM. On the genetic and environmental reasons why intelligence correlates with criminal victimization. INTELLIGENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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