Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency
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| Language: | English |
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2020
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586803829836885 |
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English |
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Social Work |
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Social Work Dillard, Rebecca Logue Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency |
| author |
Dillard, Rebecca Logue |
| author_facet |
Dillard, Rebecca Logue |
| author_sort |
Dillard, Rebecca Logue |
| title |
Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency |
| title_short |
Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency |
| title_full |
Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency |
| title_fullStr |
Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency |
| title_sort |
maltreatment, emotional responses to abuse, and trauma among adolescents engaging in sexual or non-sexual delinquency |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586803829836885 |
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AT dillardrebeccalogue maltreatmentemotionalresponsestoabuseandtraumaamongadolescentsengaginginsexualornonsexualdelinquency |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu15868038298368852021-08-03T07:14:18Z Maltreatment, Emotional Responses to Abuse, and Trauma among Adolescents Engaging in Sexual or Non-Sexual Delinquency Dillard, Rebecca Logue Social Work The present dissertation study sought to explore the relationships between types of maltreatment, emotional attributions to victimization experiences (how children feel about the abuse they have experienced), trauma symptomology, and sexual and non-sexual delinquent offending among a high risk sample of incarcerated adolescents. The current study had three objectives: (1) to understand the role of maltreatment history and trauma symptoms as they relate to sexually abusive or non-sexual delinquent offending in adolescence, (2) to determine the psychometric properties and construct validity of two newly developed scales measuring emotional attributions, and (3) to explore how emotional attributions to sexual abuse are associated with demographic characteristics, trauma symptoms, and adolescent sexual and non-sexual delinquent offending. Social learning theory and general strain theory were guiding frameworks in this study. Data was collected as part of a larger study using a cross-sectional survey of incarcerated youth in Ohio who have been adjudicated of sexual or non-sexual delinquent offenses. The final sample (N = 136) was recruited from seven youth residential treatment and community corrections facilities in the state of Ohio. The survey included measures of maltreatment history, emotional attributions to experiences of sexual abuse (if applicable to the youth), trauma symptoms, delinquency, and sexually abusive behaviors. In analyses of the collected data, confirmatory factor analyses were completed to validate the factor structure of relevant measures. Structural equation modeling was used to model relationships between latent variables of interest. Item response theory was used for the pilot testing of two researcher developed measures and informed the refinement of those scales. Univariate and bivariate analyses allowed for an exploratory description of the relationship between the characteristics of youth and outcomes of interest. Results from this study are presented in three separate chapters outlined below: Chapter Two Findings: Data were collected via paper and pencil surveys completed by 136 incarcerated youth in the state of Ohio. Experiences of neglect were significantly associated with non-sexual delinquency, and childhood sexual abuse was associated with subsequent sexual offending. Trauma symptoms did not mediate any of the relationships between maltreatment experiences and offending outcomes. On average, youth who engaged in sexual offending had higher levels of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and higher levels of trauma symptomology compared with non-sexual delinquent youth. Chapter Three Findings: Two new scales measuring the negative and positive emotions that youth attribute to experiences of childhood sexual abuse were developed, pilot tested, and refined with the subsample of youth who had experienced childhood sexual abuse (n = 40). The final negative emotional attributions scale had 25 items, response options on a 3-point Likert scale of agreement, and high internal consistency reliability (α = .935). The final positive emotional attributions scale had 18 items, also offered response options on a 3-point Likert scale of agreement, and returned high internal consistency reliability (α = .945). The two scales were highly correlated, suggesting that a cognitive dissonance approach may be useful in understanding the emotions that youth attribute to experiences of childhood sexual abuse. The findings of this chapter constitute the first empirical evidence that youth may attribute positive emotions to their maltreatment experiences.Chapter Four Findings: Among the subsample of youth who experienced childhood sexual abuse (n = 40), positive and negative emotional attributions and trauma symptoms were unrelated to offending outcomes. Youth demographic characteristics were related to constructs of interest, with female youth reporting significantly higher levels of negative emotional attributions compared with males, males exhibiting a higher likelihood of disclosing sexual offending outcomes, and the level of domestic hardship encountered by a participant was related to their negative emotional attributions to childhood sexual abuse. These findings suggest that maltreatment, emotional processing, trauma symptoms, and offending outcomes must be considered within the broader context of youth characteristics and experiences.Implications: This dissertation study highlighted the relationship between maltreatment and delinquency, underscoring the need for improved measurement capacity and a more nuanced understanding of intervening mechanisms according to maltreatment types experienced and the form of offending in which youth engage. Findings from the current study provide impetus for longitudinal research examining multi-mediational pathways from maltreatment to delinquency, validation of new and improved scales for measuring intervening mechanism, utilization of community-based alternatives to incarceration, and reform of legislation governing the lives of youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. The results of the project have improved current understanding of etiological pathways from childhood maltreatment to offending behaviors in adolescence. The study has culminated in a completed dissertation consisting of three academic manuscripts to be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. 2020-10-07 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586803829836885 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586803829836885 restricted--full text unavailable until 2025-05-13 This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |