Nadine Lanctôt

Predicting Adolescent and Adult Antisocial Behavior Among Adjudicated Delinquent Females

Studies identifying the mechanisms underlying the causes and consequences of antisocial behavior among female delinquents as they transit to adulthood are scarce and have important limitations: Most are based on official statistics, they typically are restricted to normative samples, and rarely do they gather prospective data from samples of high-risk females. By contrast, this research is based on a longitudinal sample of females who were interviewed initially in 1982 (n = 127) when they were institutionalized adolescent offenders, and subsequently as young adults in 1995 (n = 109). Our analyses, focusing on the impact of a variety of family factors derived from social control and strain theory, show that physical and sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence are potent predictors of adult criminality, though not of adolescent delinquency. The implications of the long-term negative impact of childhood and adolescent abuse are discussed, and concrete policy recommendations offered.

Girls in residential care: From child maltreatment to trauma-related symptoms in emerging adulthood

The current study examined the association between child maltreatment and trauma-related symptoms in emerging adulthood--over and above the incidence of such symptoms and conduct problems during adolescence--among a sample of female adolescents in residential care. This study used data from a longitudinal study. The sample was composed of 89 adolescent females who were first interviewed at time of admission in a residential center (M(age)=15.33 years, SD=1.31) and later in young adulthood (M(age)=19.27, SD=1.55). At time 1, trauma-related symptoms were assessed with the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children and conduct problems with a composite measure. At time 2, child maltreatment was assessed retrospectively with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and trauma-related symptoms were reassessed with the Trauma Symptom Inventory-2. Results indicated that child maltreatment, especially emotional abuse and neglect, was related to anxious arousal, depression, and anger in emerging adulthood. This study showed that females from our sample often reported different types of maltreatment during childhood and that these traumatic experiences were significantly associated with poor adult psychological functioning.

Child maltreatment among boy and girl probationers: does type of maltreatment make a difference in offending behavior and psychosocial problems?

This study examined differences in offending behavior and psychosocial problems between juvenile offenders who have been sexually abused (n=231), physically abused (n=1,568), neglected (n=1,555), exposed to multiple forms of maltreatment (n=1,767), and non-victims (n=8,492). In addition, the moderating effect of gender in the association between type of maltreatment and offending behavior/psychosocial problems was examined. Results showed that violent offenses were more common in victims of physical abuse and victims of multiple forms of abuse than in non-victims, both in boys and girls. In boys, sexual offenses were far more common in victims of sexual abuse than in victims of other or multiple forms of maltreatment or in non-victims. In girls, no group differences were found in sexual offending behavior. For both boys and girls, externalizing problems were relatively common in victims of physical abuse and neglect whereas internalizing problems were relatively common in victims of sexual abuse. In victims of multiple forms of maltreatment, both internalizing and externalizing problems were relatively common. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

The value of a safe, connected social climate for adolescents girls in residential care

ABSTRACT This article described adolescent girls’ (n = 153) perceptions of the social climate that prevailed in their residential care unit and explored to what extent these perceptions related to their pre-treatment individual characteristics. Social climate was examined with a gender-responsive approach and through empathetic interactions with practitioners, healthy connections with the peer group, and just and collaborative practices within the residential care setting. Results indicated that adolescent girls’ configuration of risks and needs impact how they perceive their program environment. We conclude the article with specific recommendations for enhancing gender-responsive programs in residential care setting in regard to non-programmatic features.

How the Working Alliance with Adolescent Girls in Residential Care Predicts the Trajectories of Their Behavior Problems

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine how well the working alliance between adolescent girls and staff in residential centers predicted the trajectories of their behavior problems from mid-adolescence to emerging adulthood. Findings showed that even after controlling for intake characteristics, the working alliance reported by the girls has a predictive effect on the trajectories of behavior problems. The weaker the alliance the girls reported, the more likely they were to follow a trajectory characterized by more behavior problems instead of trajectories of low and declining problems. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

25 Development of Antisocial Behavior in Adolescent Girls

This chapter assesses the state of knowledge concerning adolescent girls’ trajectories of antisocial behavior. Specifically, I start by reviewing findings related to differences and similarities in the distribution of antisocial behavior among girls and among boys. Then, I assess evidence from studies of specific developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in girls and of how these trajectories compare with those in boys. Lastly, I present a gender-sensitive theoretical model of girls’ pathways to antisocial behavior. At this stage, there is robust evidence of a gender gap in antisocial behavior. The exact nature of this gap, the ways that it is manifested, and the ways that it evolves from a developmental perspective all need to be further explored. To do so, it might be more helpful to compare boys’ and girls’ trajectories of antisocial behavior using qualitative measures as well, rather than focusing solely on quantitative measures such as prevalence and number of trajectories. Theoretical models designed to explain girls’ antisocial behavior could also benefit from the inclusion of gender-sensitive constructs.

Gender-Responsive Programs and Services for Girls in Residential Centers: Meeting Different Profiles of Rehabilitation Needs

Although research has established the need to provide adolescent girls in care with programs and services that are gender-sensitive, further research is needed to better understand their rehabilitation needs. The goals of this study were to more clearly define the nature and extent of gender differences in the rehabilitation needs of adolescent girls and boys placed in residential centers, and to identify the differing profiles of needs among girls in particular. The sample was drawn from 219 adolescents (92 boys and 127 girls) who had been placed in care and their 131 designated educators. Both groups completed questionnaires about their perceptions of the adolescents’ rehabilitation needs. Findings give added weight to the new generation of studies that clearly demonstrate the importance of going beyond overall comparisons between the genders to instead recognize the heterogeneity of the experiences, characteristics, and needs of adolescent girls placed in residential care.

Association Between Unstable Placement Patterns and Problem Behaviors in Adolescent Girls

ABSTRACT The literature on youths in residential care links instability in their placements with problems in their behavior, but to date, limitations in the operationalization of these concepts have limited knowledge regarding this relationship. To address this gap, this study of 249 adolescent girls in residential care examined three configurations of placement patterns and their effects on five problem behaviors: aggression, stealing, gang affiliation, substance use, and sex-trade activities. Those girls who experienced the “physical instability” pattern (the most moves into and out of care) were the ones most likely to engage in sex-trade activities. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Can Institutionalized Adolescent Females With a Substantiated History of Sexual Abuse Benefit From Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Targeting Disruptive and Delinquent Behaviors

The present study examined to what extent adolescent females in residential care with a substantiated history of sexual abuse can benefit from a cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) targeting disruptive and delinquent behaviors. In total, 104 adolescent females in the treatment group and 78 adolescent females in the comparison group were included in the evaluative design. Latent growth models (LGM) were performed to model change in adolescent females’ conduct and anger problems. In the short term, 3 months after the treatment, adolescent females with sexual abuse experiences receiving CBT showed stronger declines in trait anger and anger expression compared with the other groups. Furthermore, in the long term, 18 months after admission, this group of females showed larger declines in proclivity for trading sex compared with the other groups. Results are discussed in the light of the “what works” literature for effective interventions.

Between parental efficacy and parental distress: how early maladaptive schemas contribute to the motherhood experience of young mothers who have aged out of care:

The present study aims to explore, using Young’s early maladaptive schemas (EMS), the cognitive and emotional dimensions associated with the experience of motherhood of young women ageing out of care. It also assesses the relationships between EMS and two dimensions of the parental role (parental efficacy and parental distress). The sample is composed of 29 young mothers who were placed in care as adolescents. Parental efficacy was significantly correlated with only one EMS: Social Isolation/Alienation. Parental distress was moderately and positively correlated with the following EMS: Mistrust/Abuse, Emotional Deprivation, Social Isolation/Alienation and Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self. Results showed a more comprehensive picture of these young mothers’ pervasive patterns of emotions and cognitions. This picture is more balanced than the poor mothering outcomes typically associated with early motherhood in the scientific literature, or the overly positive depictions of young motherhood that have emerged from some qualitative studies. Implications for intervention are discussed.