Christopher Lennings

Profiles of Time Perspective and Personality: Developmental Considerations

Time perspective is an important but subtle cognitive construct underlying personality, decision making, and goal setting. This study identified 3 temporal dimensions--temporal extension, temporal attitude, and temporal structure--and reviewed the associations among them. T. J. Cottles (1969, 1977) work on temporal profiles was briefly reviewed; it suggested that 3 types of temporal profiles can be isolated and that 3 broad personality dimensions--human agency, mood, and temperament--from characteristic associations with each of the temporal profiles. The authors expected the profiles to reflect developmental sensitivities as a person moves from adolescence into early adulthood. Two samples (159 high school students and 236 university students) participated in the study. The results provided some limited support for the actualizer and atomist profiles; somewhat surprisingly, the role of temporal extension appeared to be insignificant. No evidence was found for a developmental transition of time perspective between middle adolescence (15-17 years) and early adulthood (18-25 years).

Time perspective: temporal extension, time estimation, and impulsivity.

It has been proposed that time perspective is an important variable that can, in part, explain the differences between people in terms of the development of self-control. One corollary of this position is that time perspective is somehow related to systematic biases in the way people perceive the passage of time. Such a bias may or may not be augmented by an association between time perspective and impulsivity. Two studies were conducted using measures of temporal extension, time estimation, and impulsivity. In general, no consistent effects were found. Neither time perspective nor impulsivity was related to any characteristic pattern of errors. In the second study, time perspective (mediated by age) was associated with predicting very brief time estimation scores, but not longer time estimation periods. It was concluded that whatever the mechanism might be that underlies the purported effect between time perspective and self-control, it is not related to a differential ability to perceive time moving more or less quickly.

Suicidal Behavior in a Young Offender Population

Young offenders have numerous problems, including increased psychopathology, housing, and psycho-social stresses and increased rates of substance abuse. The current study investigated the contribution that substance use might make to a particularly vulnerable group of young people. Of the 300 young people approached for the study, 23.7% reported a prior suicide attempt. For this group, the most significant predictors of a prior suicide attempt were negative affect, prior exposure to violence, and housing stress. Life-time substance-use variables were most predictive of the number of suicide attempts a young person might make. Self-reported lethality (the expectation that on the last attempt the young person expected to die) was not strongly predicted by any variable. The research identifies the important role that dynamic risk factors (such as mood, substance use, and psychosocial stressors) play in increasing the risk of self-harm for young offenders, and raises the need to provide for more comprehensive discharge planning and support in order to manage these needs.

Risk Factors for Self-Harm and Suicide in Incarcerated Young Offenders: Implications for Policy and Practice

Abstract This study identified common and unique risk factors for suicidal and self-harming (SSH) behavior in 242 incarcerated young offenders. Lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation was 19.2% and was 18.2% for self-harm ideation; 8.4% had attempted suicide (44% in detention), and 9.1% had inflicted self-harm in the past 12 months (75% in detention). SSH young offenders reported more severe psychopathology, childhood trauma, and psychological distress than non-SSH young offenders. Past emotional abuse, current psychological distress, and depersonalization disorder were significant risk factors for suicidal ideation. Past physical abuse and current psychological distress were significant risk factors for self-harm ideation. Suicidality and self-harm co-occurred. Two approaches to the assessment of self-harm risk—past behavior and scores on a scale of self-harm risk—were compared. Some support for the equivalence of assessment methods was found; however, significant differences emerged that indicated that a multi-factorial approach to the assessment of self-harm risk is advised. Screening on entry to detention could identify young offenders at risk and direct them into treatment. The high rates of self-harm in detention suggest that the detention environment and management practices should be reviewed to identify structural elements that contribute to distress in some young offenders that for a significant minority is associated with SSH ideation and behavior.

The Mental Health of Young Offenders Serving Orders in the Community: Implications for Rehabilitation

Abstract Young offenders internationally have a higher incidence of mental health problems compared with adolescents in the general population. Mental health issues, particularly comorbid presentations, affect the response to and outcome of rehabilitation and hence recidivism of offending. Most information on the mental health of young offenders has derived from studies of incarcerated young offenders, potentially a more disturbed sample of young people than the majority of young offenders who are placed on community orders. Our study investigated young offenders serving community-based orders (n = 800); the sample comprised almost 29% of the available population. Approximately 40% had at least one score in the severe range for psychopathology as assessed by the Adolescent Psychopathology Scale-Short Form (APS-SF) and 17% reported at least one comorbid condition. Twenty-six percent (26%) and 19% of young offenders scored in the severe range on the Substance Abuse and Conduct Disorder scales respectively and 8% scored in the severe range on both scales. Eighteen percent (18.5%; n = 145) had scores in the severe range for Substance Abuse and at least one other subscale (excluding Conduct Disorder); 10.8% (n = 85) had scores in the severe range for Conduct Disorder and at least one other subscale (excluding Substance Abuse); and 2.7% (n = 21) had scores in the severe range for at least two scales excluding Substance Abuse and Conduct Disorder. Young women reported between two and four times greater internalizing pathology and self-harm behavior than young men; however, young women were more characterized by externalizing disorders and anger than they were by depression or anxiety. Notwithstanding, high/very high levels of psychological distress were reported (25%) on the Kessler-10. This sample also reported high rates of child abuse and neglect on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and these experiences were associated with more severe externalizing pathology. In the year prior to the study, 8% of the sample had considered suicide, 5% had attempted suicide and 16% had considered or attempted other forms of self-harm. Although as a group the sample revealed high levels of behavioral disturbance and high needs for treatment, a low number reported engagement in any treatment. Recommendations for early intervention as well as tertiary treatment programs are considered.

Cultural Group Differences in Social Disadvantage, Offence Characteristics, and Experience of Childhood Trauma and Psychopathology in Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders in NSW, Australia: Implications for Service Delivery

The current study investigates the relationships among ethnicity and culture and offending in an incarcerated sample of 242 young offenders in New South Wales, Australia. Findings indicated greater similarities between young offenders from Indigenous and English speaking background (ESB) than between these two groups and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) young offenders. CALD young offenders made up 15% of the sample and were disproportionably more likely to commit a violent offence. Compared with Indigenous and ESB offenders, CALD offenders reported less social disadvantage and lower levels of substance abuse. Compared with CALD offenders, ESB and Indigenous offenders were more likely to commit a crime either under the influence of, or to obtain drugs or alcohol. Indigenous offenders began offending earlier than the other two groups and committed a larger number of offences. CALD offenders were more likely to commit the more serious offences of aggravated sexual assault and homicide than ESB or Indigenous young offenders. Compared with both ESB and CALD groups, Indigenous offenders reported more troubled family backgrounds and higher levels of conduct disorder. A number of factors amenable to policy interventions contribute to such observations, such as differential levels of substance use and social disadvantage, and issues leading to overrepresentation of particular cultural groups in the juvenile justice system. The similarities between ESB and Indigenous young offenders on most of the factors assessed in this study, based on commonalities in the kind and relative degree of social disadvantage experienced by these two groups, warrants closer attention.

Grooming for Terror: The Internet and Young People

The use of the Internet to spawn hate sites and recruit advocates for hate began as early as the mid-1980s in bulletin boards, and the first acknowledged hate site was Stormfront, in the early 1990s. Since then hundreds of hate sites and other websites advocating terror have been developed, some with stated aims of recruiting young people and influencing extreme action. This article reviews what is currently known about the development of hate sites into sophisticated recruitment and attitude-influencing mechanisms. The questions asked are: how do hate sites recruit members who might normally not be involved in hate and extreme action, how may hate sites radicalize the actions of young people already accepting of the mindset advocated by the website, and how effective is Internet recruitment?

Work-place screening of mine employees using the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) and alcohol breathalyzation

Although public health campaigns focusing on alcohol in the work-place are receiving increasing attention, there is little empirical evidence regarding the use of screening. In this work-place study, 152 mining personnel (67% of the work-force) completed a self report screen using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). One hundred and thirty-three of these (58.5% of the work-force) also consented to be breathalysed and one (0.75%) recorded a BAC just over threshold for detection. Forty-eight males (37.7% of the male work-force) recorded AUDIT scores of eight or more consistent with hazardous alcohol use and one female registered a cumulative score above the female cut-off level for hazardous alcohol use. Eighty males (67% of the work-force), recorded binge drinking at least monthly and 81 males recorded a cumulative AUDIT score of less than eight; however, on item analysis, 64 (83%) of these recorded binge drinking at least sometimes. There is substantial hazardous alcohol use in this sample work group and younger males had higher alcohol consumption, more adverse consequences and higher total AUDIT scores identifying them as particularly at risk. The Cronbach & AUDIT was 0.72, confirming adequate internal consistency.

Qualitative Review of Community Treatment With Sex Offenders: Perspective of the Offender and the Expert

Despite growing research in the area, there remains much uncertainty about the effectiveness of community-based treatments for sexual offenders. The present study aims to add to the literature by evaluating an existing Sydney-based group community programme in two ways. First, eight prior participants of the programme were interviewed, and themes that emerged were analysed using qualitative methods. The participants discussed their treatment experiences and personal development following treatment. The eight participants discussed what aspects of the programme they found helpful and unhelpful. These areas were then matched with the opinions of four experts on the effectiveness of sex offender treatment. The findings are reviewed with reference to the current literature available and in terms of implications for future treatment. We conclude by providing some suggestions about how to improve community-based sex offender treatment programmes by focusing on motivational processes within treatment.

Psychopathic and Neuropathic Pathways to Homicide: Examination of Harris and Rice's Two-Path Model of Criminal Violence in Homicide

The present research examined a two-path model of homicide defined by psychopathic and neuropathic pathways. Twenty-six forensic psychiatric inpatients found not guilty due to reason of insanity of homicide or attempted homicides were assessed. A large number of variables derived from standardized neuropsychological psychometric assessment, actuarial and structured risk assessment tools and structured interviews were analysed. Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and the Answer Tree program showed that independence of the two pathways was observed from a nomothetic analysis with individual variations understood by the complex variable relationships at an idiographic level.