Wesley T. Church

The Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Scale: The Development of a Psychometric Assessment Instrument

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the nature of individual attitudes toward sex offenders. Because the term “sex offender” tends to evoke strong emotions, and given that open-ended self reports tend to be highly subjective, particularly in the context of such pointed terminology, this study sought to develop an attitude assessment tool that addresses specific domains found in the literature. Methods: Through a number of iterations, the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Scale was developed. Results: Exploratory and subsequent confirmatory factor analyses found a four-factor, 18-item version to best represent the domains of interest. Factor and item characteristics are reported. Conclusions: Replication and extension to other populations appears warranted.

An Examination of Differential Association and Social Control Theory Family Systems and Delinquency

This study applies differential association and social control theories to juvenile delinquency. Using a path analysis model, relationships between family, self-image, and behavior are explored. Analyses suggest that positive self-image leads to decreased delinquency, and association with delinquent peers is the greatest predictor of delinquent behavior, regardless of race.

The Effects of Victimization on Drug Use: A Multilevel Analysis

Agnews general strain theory suggests that negative life experiences constitute stress that may lead to deviance, unless effective coping strategies are forthcoming. In the present study, the principles of general strain theory were employed to examine the age-varying effects of three types of victimization on drug-using behavior: sexual victimization, physical victimization, or other victimization. Study data came from seven waves of the National Youth Survey, a longitudinal survey of youth ages 11 to 17 years when the study began in 1976. The broad hypotheses of general strain theory were supported, by the data, with some qualifications. Results of the data analysis also showed that victimizations impact on drug use is type-specific and/or drug-specific. Further studies with more sophisticated measures of drug use should clarify the role of victimization (by type) in various drug-using behaviors. The studys limitations are noted.

Assessing Probation and Community Corrections Workers’ Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders Using the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (CATSO) Scale in a Rural State

This study explores the factor structure of the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (CATSO) scale using a population of rural corrections and probation professionals. Using Dillmans (2007) tailored design method, Internet surveys were deployed online though e-mail contacts, with a link to the survey host Web site. Data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Descriptive statistics clearly display this populations unique attitudes. Exploratory factor analysis reveals a 2-factor solution for the scale; this provides relatively weak support for factor structure of the original scale.

The measurement of concern about victims: Empathy, victim advocacy and the Victim Concern Scale (VCS)

Purpose. In a series of studies, the authors developed the Victim Concern Scale (VCS) to assess levels of concern for diverse types of crime victims. The goal was to derive a psychometrically sound instrument and to assess victim concern in relation to other crime-related attitudes and victim advocacy endorsements. Methods. Through several scale iterations, participant responses to the VCS were examined. Participants also completed measures of empathy and provided judgments about specific victim/crime scenarios. In addition, in two large samples (college [N ¼ 276] and community [N ¼ 478]), victim concern was compared with other attitudes, attributions and participant demographics. Results. Participants readily distinguished among different victims. Four factors emerged from the VCS. Raters endorsed the highest levels of concern for victims of violent crimes and the lowest level for ‘culpable’ victims. Women and older respondents showed higher levels of concern across all categories of victims. Both victim concern and emotional empathy influenced advocacy responses to victimization. Victim concern was unrelated to such traits and attitudes as authoritarianism, political ideology or punishment goals; moreover, a high level of concern for victims did not preclude endorsement of rehabilitative goals for offenders. Conclusions. The VCS appears to be a valid instrument for assessing levels of concern for victims. It differs meaningfully from measures of general empathy. The VCS could be used to assess differential attitudes across demographic groups or as a measure of change following exposure to educational or other persuasive intervention.

Attitudes Toward the Treatment of Sex Offenders: A SEM Analysis

Evidence suggests that public attitudes toward sex offenders are often complex, which is partly due to the lack of sophisticated measures that capture different dimensions of individual attitudes. This article examined public attitudes toward sex offenders and their specific attitudes toward sex offender treatment using 2 validated attitudinal scales among a group of 316 psychology students at a southern public university. Structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used to test the relation between the general attitude and treatment specific attitude. Findings indicated an acceptable model fit with the data (e.g., CFI = .95, SRMR = .07, and RMSEA = .06). Attitudes toward sex offenders and the level of concern for victims are significantly related to individual attitudes toward the treatment of sex offenders. Females were found to hold less negative attitudes toward sex offenders than males. The implications of the findings in relation to policy and program development are discussed.

Predictors of Gang Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data From the Mobile Youth Survey

Using linear growth modeling and data from the Mobile Youth Survey—a 14-year multiple cohort study of adolescents living in low-income neighborhoods in Mobile, Alabama—we investigate the roles of peer influence, family cohesion, and self-worth on gang involvement. The study finds that peer influence, family cohesion, and self-worth have an effect on initial gang involvement, but only family cohesion and gender have any influence on gang involvement across time. Males are more likely to be gang involved than females. Greater family cohesion reduced gang activity across time. This research suggests that family-based interventions and efforts to promote positive peer relationships might decrease the likelihood of gang involvement.

Predicting Adult Criminality Among Louisiana’s Urban Youth: Poverty, Academic Risk, and Delinquency

Objectives: School truancy, school failure, and dropout are highly correlated with delinquency and criminality. There are also racial inequalities regarding the relationship between education and crime. The current study asks, “What risk do demographic, academic, and behavioral factors contribute to later adult justice system contact for urban youth residing in Louisiana?” Method: Using administrative data from the Louisiana Department of Education, the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LADOC), hierarchical, mixed-effects logistic regression models (N = 507,613) explored whether youth later encountered the LADOC and were incarcerated, and whether they committed a violent crime leading to their contact. Results: The most significant predictors of any adult contact with the LADOC were being male (p < .01; odds ratio [OR] 4.74), contact with the state Office of Juvenile Justice (p < .01, OR 3.742), and school expulsion (p < .01, OR 2.46). The most significant predictors of adult incarceration were being male (p < .01, OR 9.932), contact with the state Office of Juvenile Justice (p <.01, OR 4.637), and expulsion (p < .01, OR 2.368). The most significant predictors of contact with the LADOC after a violent crime were being male (p < .01, O.R. 7.726), contact with the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice (p < .01, OR 3.606), and being African American (p < .01, OR 2.651). Conclusions: Despite its intent, punishment-oriented approaches such as suspension, expulsion, and the juvenile justice system seem to encourage further deviant behavior among youth. Reform is necessary to decrease adult criminality for those engaging in risky behavior during adolescence. Additional considerations must be made for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Relations among suicidality, recent/frequent alcohol use, and gender in a Black American adolescent sample: a longitudinal investigation

OBJECTIVE Examine longitudinally select factors that may contribute to suicide ideations and attempts in adolescents. METHOD Using a multiple cohort research design, surveys were administered to a longitudinal sample of Black American adolescents aged 11-18 years. RESULTS Two logistic growth models were tested with the probability of a suicide ideation (n = 977) and identified suicide attempt (n = 457) as the outcome variables and the recency and frequency of alcohol use and gender as the predictor variables. The recency and frequency of alcohol use was significantly related to suicide ideations and identified attempts in both females and males. These findings were differentiated based on the age effects for recency and frequency of alcohol use. More recent and frequent alcohol use among younger adolescents exacerbated probabilities of suicide ideations and identified suicide attempts compared to older adolescents. CONCLUSION Results indicate that early systematic assessment of suicidal behavior and alcohol use in Black American adolescents can inform developmentally and culturally responsive prevention and intervention efforts.

Does Biology Matter in Parent–Child Relationships? Examining Parental Warmth Among Adolescents From Low-Income Families

Family structure has long been a consideration in research focused on adolescent outcomes. The current study uses data derived from the Mobile Youth Survey to examine how parental warmth differs over time for male and female adolescents reporting biological parents and other parental figures (e.g., grandparents, aunts, and siblings). Using estimation of random and fixed growth effects, significant differences were noted for parental type and for adolescent gender. Paternal warmth trajectories decreased across time for biological fathers, while maternal warmth remained stable for biological mothers. Conversely, maternal and paternal warmth trajectories increased from ages 11 to 18 for other parental figures. Implications for adolescent–parent relations are discussed, with an emphasis on family structure and the contributions of other parental figures on adolescent outcomes in Black American families.