Hyunzee Jung

Does Child Maltreatment Predict Adult Crime? Reexamining the Question in a Prospective Study of Gender Differences, Education, and Marital Status

Bivariate analyses of adult crime and child maltreatment showed that individuals who had been maltreated as children, according to child welfare reports, subsequently committed more crime than others who had not been maltreated. Analyses of crimes by category—property, person, and society—provided further evidence of a link between child maltreatment and crime at the bivariate level. Tests of gender differences showed that crime generally is more prevalent among males, although females with a history of maltreatment were more likely than those in a no-maltreatment (comparison) group to report having had some prior involvement in crime. Surprisingly, multivariate analyses controlling for childhood socioeconomic status, gender, minority racial status, marital status, and education level showed that, with one exception (crimes against society), the significant association between child maltreatment and crime observed in bivariate tests was not maintained. Implications for future research are discussed.

Positive Family Social Support: Counteracting Negative Effects of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse to Reduce Jail Ex-inmate Recidivism Rates

The incarceration and recidivism rates in United States jails are marked by high mental health and substance use problems and racial disparity. Nearly 9 million people cycle through approximately 3,500 jails. For this longitudinal study to identify factors predicting recidivism, data came from a study of Allegheny County Jail inmates (N = 301) that concluded in 2008. Eligible participants were adult men, enrolled in jail collaborative services at recruitment, and were 30 days from release. Examinations were based on multinomial logistic regression methods; positive family social support was found to reduce the effect of factors known to predict higher recidivism rates: substance abuse, Black race, and younger age. Negative perceptions of the helpfulness and support of community-based services were counteracted by positive family social support. Policy and practice implications are discussed.

Mediating and moderating effects of social support in the study of child abuse and adult physical and mental health

A number of cross-sectional and a few longitudinal studies have shown a developmental relationship between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. Published findings also suggest that social support can lessen the risk of adverse outcomes for some abused children. However, few studies have investigated whether social support mediates or moderates the relationship between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. Structural equation modeling was used to examine data on these topics from a longitudinal study of more than 30 years. While a latent construct of physical and emotional child abuse did not predict adult health outcomes directly, child abuse did predict outcomes indirectly through social support. A test of variable moderation for child abuse and social support was nonsignificant. Results suggest that social support may help explain the association between child abuse and health outcomes at midlife. Implications of the findings for prevention and treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Gender Differences in Jail Populations: Factors to Consider in Reentry Strategies

Jail populations have declined by 6.4% since 2009 as policy and practice shifts toward offender rehabilitation. However, the U.S. female jail population rose about 45% between 1996 and 2011, which suggests that a greater focus on gender-based needs in reentry strategies may further reduce recidivism. This study examined gender differences in social, medical and human needs in an urban jail population. Results revealed significantly greater problems for women than men. More women than men reported needs for chemical dependency and mental health services, and a greater willingness to receive treatment. Implications suggest that gender-responsive programs are essential for jailed women.

Gendered Pathways From Child Abuse to Adult Crime Through Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Childhood and Adolescence

Gender differences in externalizing and internalizing pathways from child abuse to adult crime were examined across four waves of an extended longitudinal study (N = 186 males and 170 females) using multiple-group structural equation modeling. Results show that child abuse was associated with both internalizing and externalizing behaviors in the elementary school years for both males and females. However, gender differences were found such that internalizing behaviors increased the risk of adult crime for females only, and externalizing behaviors increased the risk of adult crime for males only. Internalizing behaviors among males actually lessened the risk of adult crime, and externalizing behaviors were unrelated to adult crime among females. Findings confirm distinct pathways leading from child abuse to later crime for males and females, which is important for prevention and intervention strategies.

Effects of Physical and Emotional Child Abuse and Its Chronicity on Crime Into Adulthood.

Analyses tested hypotheses that pertain to direct and indirect effects of parent-reported physical and emotional abuse on later self-reported criminal behavior in a sample of 356 adults of a longitudinal study of more than 30 years. Childhood antisocial behavior was included in analyses as a potential mediator. Physical abuse only predicted adult crime indirectly through childhood antisocial behavior, whereas emotional abuse predicted adult outcome both directly and indirectly. Chronicity of physical abuse was indirectly related to later crime in a subsample test for those who had been physically abused (n = 318), whereas chronicity of emotional abuse was neither directly nor indirectly related to adult crime in a test of those who had been emotionally abused (n = 225). Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Does Educational Success Mitigate the Effect of Child Maltreatment on Later Offending Patterns

Analyses examined offending patterns during adolescence and adulthood and their relation to child maltreatment subtypes and education factors measured during adolescence and adulthood. A total of 356 participants were followed from preschool to adulthood in a prospective longitudinal study. Child maltreatment subtypes include physical-emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Offending patterns were analyzed as latent classes of (a) chronic offending, (b) desistence, and (c) stable low-level or non-offending. Physical-emotional and sexual abuse were associated with a higher likelihood of chronic offending relative to stable low-level offending. Education variables, including high educational engagement and good academic performance, predicted a higher likelihood of low-level offending relative to desistence, but not desistence relative to chronic offending. Only educational attainment predicted desistence relative to chronic offending. There was no moderating effect of education variables on the association between child maltreatment subtypes and later offending patterns. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Gender Differences in Intimate Partner Violence: A Predictive Analysis of IPV by Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Exposure During Early Childhood:

This study focused on gender differences in the prediction of adult intimate partner violence (IPV) by subtypes of child abuse and children’s exposure to IPV. Latent classes of adult IPV consisted of a no violence (20.3%), a psychological violence only (46.2%), a psychological and sexual violence (9.2%), a multitype violence and intimidation (6.8%), and a psychological and physical violence with low intimidation class (17.5%). Physical–emotional child abuse and domestic violence exposure predicted a higher likelihood of multitype violence for males. Sexual abuse predicted a higher likelihood of this same class for females. Implications for future research and prevention are discussed.

Effects of child abuse, adolescent violence, peer approval and pro-violence attitudes on intimate partner violence in adulthood

BACKGROUND Childrens exposure to violence increases their risk for later victimisation and perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, the relative influence of child abuse, adolescent violence, peer approval of violence and pro-violence attitudes on later IPV is not well established. AIMS Analyses focus on the prediction of adult IPV from variables measured in childhood and adolescence to establish the unique influence of earlier victimisation and perpetration of violence, as well as other variables grounded in theory and empirical findings. METHODS Data are from a longitudinal study that began in the 1970s with a sample of 457 preschool-aged children who were reassessed as adults. Outcomes of adult IPV victimisation and perpetration types were regressed on predictors of parent-reported child abuse, officially recorded child maltreatment, adolescent victimisation, violence perpetration, pro-violence attitudes and peer approval of violence during adolescence, controlling for childhood Socio Economic Status (SES), age in adolescence and gender. RESULTS Dating violence victimisation and peer approval of dating violence in adolescence emerged as the unique predictors of IPV victimisation and perpetration in adulthood. Official child maltreatment predicted IPV perpetration. CONCLUSIONS Results underscore the importance of prevention programmes and strategies to disrupt the cycle of violence at its early stages, as well as interventions during adolescence targeting peer influences. Copyright