David L. Burton

An exploratory evaluation of the contribution of personality and childhood sexual victimization to the development of sexually abusive behavior.

Scores on the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were collected from two samples of incarcerated delinquent males: 74 adjudicated sexual abusers and 53 nonsexual abusers. In comparison to non-sexually abusive youths, a larger percentage of the sexually abusive youths indicated a history of childhood sexual victimization. The scores were then entered into a logistic regression to assess the contribution of personality characteristics to a social learning “victim-to-victimizer” etiological model. After controlling for time in treatment, the model correctly classified 76.6% of the youths. The variables that contributed significantly to the social learning model were the CTQ Sexual Abuse and Physical Neglect scales and the Submissive and Forceful scales on the MACI. Research and treatment implications of these findings are discussed.

Exploring the Relationships Between Dissociation, Victimization, and Juvenile Sexual Offending

An etiological model of sexually abusive behavior including dissociation could have utility for researchers and treatment providers working with sexually abusive youth with trauma histories. This article explores relationships between dissociation, victimization, and juvenile sexual offending. Self-reported data on dissociation and 5 types of abuse were collected from 2 racially/ethnically diverse groups of sexually abusive and general delinquent male adolescents (n = 502). Bivariate analysis showed significant correlations between all types of child abuse and dissociation with the exception of emotional neglect. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis indicated that dissociation was significant in predicting sexual offender status. Moreover, dissociation, sexual victimization, and physical abuse showed significant effects in predicting membership in the sexual offender group. The results confirm the need for additional research in the areas of assessment and treatment of dissociation among sexually abusive youth.

Exploring the Overlap in Male Juvenile Sexual Offending and General Delinquency: Trauma, Alcohol Use, and Masculine Beliefs

Despite Burton and Meezans (2004) finding that sexually aggressive youth are three to four times more likely to recidivate nonsexually than sexually, there is little to no research to date that explores this overlap in criminality. With a sample of 290 male sexually violent adjudicated and incarcerated youth, this study was able to successfully predict those who are exclusively sexually violent from those who are both nonsexually and sexually violent with each of the following factors: childhood trauma, masculine beliefs, and alcohol use. While alcohol use accounted for the greatest variance between the groups, masculine beliefs offered the greatest basis for the discussion and future projects for the authors of the study. Treatment and research implications are offered.

An Evaluation of Prepracticum Helping Skills Training for Graduate Social Work Students

Although foundational practice classes play a key role in helping prepracticum students develop counseling skills, we know little about the effectiveness of this form of helping skills training. This study assessed the effect of helping skills training delivered in foundational practice classes on proximal indicators of counseling skills acquisition, including measures of counseling self-efficacy, empathy, anxiety, and hindering self-awareness or rumination. Participating students made significant gains in counseling self-efficacy that were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Reductions in anxiety, rumination, and personal distress in interpersonally challenging situations were observed at follow-up, indicating that students made a successful transition to the field following training. The frequency of large-group role plays in particular was related to gains in students’ counseling self-efficacy.

The Relationship of Trauma to Nonsexual Crimes Committed by Adolescent Sexual Abusers: A New Area of Research

In an early investigation on the topic of the relationship between trauma history and nonsexual crimes committed by sexual offenders, this study examined nonsexual crimes committed by a sample of 451 juvenile sexual abusers. More than 60% of this sample committed quite serious crimes (i.e., animal cruelty, arson, assault, burglary, car theft, drug-related crimes, or theft). Based on the delinquency literature, childhood victimization significantly predicted severity of criminal behavior for this sample. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Part II: differences between sexually victimized and nonsexually victimized male adolescent sexual abusers and delinquent youth: further group comparisons of developmental antecedents and behavioral challenges.

In a recent paper published in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, we assessed the differences between sexually victimized and nonsexually victimized male adolescent sexual abusers (Burton, Duty, & Leibowitz, 2011). We found that the sexually victimized group had more severe developmental antecedents (e.g., trauma and early exposure to pornography) and behavioral difficulties (sexual aggression, arousal, pornography use, and nonsexual offenses). The present study compares sexually victimized and nonsexually victimized adolescent sexual abusers with a group of nonsexually victimized delinquent youth. Findings included that delinquent youth had fewer behavioral and developmental problems than the comparison groups. In addition, sexually victimized sexual abusers had the highest mean scores on trauma and personality measures. Implications for research and treatment are offered.

Effects of Racial Discrimination, Childhood Trauma, and Trauma Symptoms on Juvenile Delinquency in African American Incarcerated Youth

To understand racial disproportionality in juvenile delinquency, we studied relationships between 2 possible contributors: effects of manifestations of a structural factor (racism) and psychological consequences of trauma. Informed by Carter’s (2007) theory of race-based trauma, we explored the role of experiences of racial discrimination, childhood trauma, and trauma symptoms in juvenile delinquency through self-reported experiences of incarcerated African American youth. We found that childhood trauma, trauma symptoms, and racial discrimination experiences all significantly contributed to juvenile delinquency, but participants who experienced greater racial discrimination had higher posttraumatic stress symptoms and elevated delinquency rates. Considering the well-documented effects of trauma symptoms on juvenile delinquency, race-based trauma experiences might help us understand one aspect of racial disproportionality in juvenile delinquency.

Victimization, substance use, and sexual aggression in male adolescent sexual offenders

Relations among childhood victimization, substance use prior to the commission of a sexual offense, and force used during a sexual offense were examined in a sample of residentially based, male juvenile sex offenders (n = 406; Mage = 16.6). Marshall and Marshall’s (2000) theory of sex offending proposes that childhood victimization, among other factors, creates a vulnerability to offend, which when paired with disinhibition (e.g., from substance use) may lead to sexual offending. Guided by this theory, we examined whether substance use prior to the commission of a sexual offense mediated the relation between trauma and force used in sexual offending. Six mediation analyses were used to examine subtypes of childhood victimization and the effects of cumulative victimization. Results provided support for partial mediation of substance use prior to a sexual offense on the effects of cumulative victimization on force used during a sexual offense. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Five Types of Child Maltreatment and Subsequent Delinquency: Physical Neglect as the Most Significant Predictor

Past researchers have often reported that childhood and adolescent maltreatment increases the likelihood of, or is related to, juvenile criminality. However, research examining how specific types of maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect) relate to later delinquent offense (violent crime, nonviolent crime, status offending, property offending) is minimal. The aim of this study was to augment and expand upon this scant literature. One hundred and sixty one male juvenile delinquents held in six residential treatment facilities in a Midwestern state, were the subjects of this study. Each participant filled out the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Self-Reported Delinquency measure (SRD) in addition to demographic information. We found that physical neglect is the most significant predictor of violent crime, nonviolent crime, property offending, and status offending. Implications are discussed.

An Exploration of Racial Differences in Deviant Sexual Interests Among Male Adolescent Sexual Offenders

In many research studies and findings from federal statistics, one of the few areas wherein African Americans are less overrepresented in incarcerated settings is for male juvenile sexual assault. In this study, using a large sample the authors hypothesized that perhaps this was due to less deviant sexual interest among these youth (as reported in prior studies) after controlling for relevant variables that might explain differences in deviant arousal between Caucasian and African American youth. The result supported this hypothesis. The authors offered discussion, implications, and suggested individually and culturally based treatment for male adolescent sexual offenders.