Ch. van Nieuwenhuizen

Parental Awareness of Sexual Experience in Adolescent Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Parent report and adolescent self-report data on lifetime sexual experience in adolescents with ASD were compared in 43 parent-adolescent dyads. Parents tended to underestimate the lifetime sexual experience of their sons, particularly solo sexual experiences such as masturbation and experience with orgasm. Parental underestimation and unawareness of adolescents’ sexual experience may influence communication and education about sex and sexuality in families. These findings have implications for the interpretation of earlier research, based on parent and caregiver reports, on sexuality in adolescents with ASD.

Profiles of individually defined recovery of people with major psychiatric problems

Background: Research on factors associated with individually defined recovery is limited. Several phases of recovery have been described in the literature. Individuals in these distinct phases have different characteristics and problems. Aims: To identify classes of people with major psychiatric problems who have comparable profiles of individually defined recovery, to relate these classes to the phases of recovery as described by Spaniol, Wewiorsky, Gagne, and Anthony (2002), and to associate the classes to demographic and psychiatric characteristics, and health-related variables. Methods: Data of 333 participants with major psychiatric problems were used. A latent class analysis was conducted on the mean scores of four proxy measures of recovery. Results: Three well-defined classes were found that differed on the recovery measures. The classes differed significantly on variables corresponding to Spaniol’s phases of recovery (Spaniol et al., 2002) and on health care utilization, health care needs and anxiety disorder, but not on demographic variables. Conclusions: It is possible to identify classes of people with major psychiatric problems who have comparable profiles of individually defined recovery that seem to correspond to phases of recovery. More knowledge of the characteristics of people in different phases of recovery will contribute to more fine-tuned and recovery-oriented health care.

Stability and change in subjective quality of life of adolescents in secure residential care

Subjective quality of life (QoL) is an outcome measure often used in the field of psychiatry. While upcoming strength-based rehabilitation theories place strong emphasis on subjective QoL, it has hardly ever been investigated in adolescents with severe psychiatric problems who are admitted to secure residential care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the stability and change of subjective QoL of adolescents with severe psychiatric problems. Additionally, the effect of discharge and re-entering society on subjective QoL was studied. In a four-wave longitudinal study, the subjective QoL of 172 male adolescents with severe psychiatric problems was examined. Five subjective QoL domains remained stable over time, while five other domains changed. A decrease in satisfaction with family relations and social participation was observed for discharged adolescents. These results warrant for continuing guidance of adolescents in order for them to positively adapt to a new life outside secure residential care.

Quality of life, delinquency and psychosocial functioning of adolescents in secure residential care: testing two assumptions of the Good Lives Model

BackgroundIn this study, two assumptions derived from the Good Lives Model were examined: whether subjective Quality of Life is related to delinquent behaviour and psychosocial problems, and whether adolescents with adequate coping skills are less likely to commit delinquent behaviour or show psychosocial problems.MethodTo this end, data of 95 adolescents with severe psychiatric problems who participated in a four-wave longitudinal study were examined. Subjective Quality of Life was assessed with the ten domains of the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile and coping skills with the Utrecht Coping List for Adolescents.ResultsResults showed that adolescents who reported a lower Quality of Life on the health domain had more psychosocial problems at follow-up. No relationship was found between Quality of Life and delinquent behaviour. In addition, active and passive coping were associated with delinquent behaviour and psychosocial functioning at follow-up.ConclusionsBased on the results of this longitudinal study, the strongest support was found for the second assumption derived from the Good Lives Model. Adolescents with adequate coping skills are less likely to commit delinquent behaviour and have fewer psychosocial problems at follow-up. The current study provides support for the use of strength-based elements in the treatment programmes for adolescents in secure residential care.

Autism in adult and juvenile delinquents: a literature review

BackgroundHere we present an overview of the literature on autism in adult and juvenile delinquents. We analyzed both the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in groups of delinquents and the prevalence of offending in people with ASD. There is a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders amongst people in custody, but there is disagreement about the prevalence of ASD in this population. Some studies have found overrepresentation of people with ASD in forensic populations whereas others have found that people with ASD have a similar rate of offending to the general population.MethodsWe carried out a systematic search of literature published between 1990 and 2016 and identified studies on the co-occurrence of autism and delinquency using standard search engines.ResultsThe prevalence of delinquency in the ASD population varied from 5 to 26%, whilst ASD was found in 2–18% of the forensic populations studied. The reported prevalence of ASD in delinquents and of offending in people with ASD varied widely. This might be due to the use of different diagnostic instruments, the diversity of the samples, the high rate of comorbid psychiatric disorders and the various types of offending behavior.ConclusionsWe cannot conclude from our analysis that people with ASD are more likely to offend than the general population.