Psychosocial Contributors to Delinquent Decision Making: Toward a Conceptual Framework for Adolescent Female Offending |
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| Authors: | Brett Johnson Solomon Jannee Campero Jasmin Llamas Carrie Brecht Sweetser |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Liberal Studies Program , Santa Clara University , Santa Clara , California , USA bsolomon@scu.edu;3. Rossier School of Education , University of Southern California , Los Angeles , California , USA;4. Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology , University of California at Santa Barbara , Santa Barbara , California , USA;5. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology–Stanford PsyD Consortium , Palo Alto University , Palo Alto , California , USA |
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| Abstract: | The integration of psychosocial characteristics that play a critical role in delinquent decision making is crucial to conceptualizing adolescent female offending. This study found that adolescent female offenders (N = 213), despite making a delinquent decision, had high perceived decision-making competence. There was a significant negative association between delinquent decision making and the psychosocial characteristics of anger, substance abuse, and depression. This association was stronger for those with more exposure to trauma. Substance abuse appeared to provide a pathway between psychosocial characteristics and delinquent decision making. The results emphasize the fact that a conceptual framework for adolescent female offending should incorporate the complex interaction of psychosocial characteristics and their impact on delinquent decision making. |
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| Keywords: | adolescent decision-making delinquent female psychosocial |
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