Assessing Implicit Theories in Sexual Offending Using Indirect Measures: Feasibility, Reliability, and Incremental Validity.

This study assessed psychometric qualities of indirect measures assessing Implicit Theories (ITs) of sexual offending: Implicit Association Task (IAT), Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP), and Relational Responding Task (RRT). For comparison reasons, aggressive behavior was also assessed. In a male sample from the general population (N = 109), we assessed each measure's (a) feasibility (mean latency, error rate, passing criteria), (b) internal consistency, (c) convergent and discriminant validity, and (d) incremental and predictive validity. Results indicated that no indirect measure met all criteria. Although the IAT was reasonably feasible and reliable in measuring aggression, ITs could not be reliably assessed. The RRT was feasible and somewhat reliable in assessing ITs, whereas the IRAP showed limited feasibility, high task complexity, low reliability, and the presence of a method factor. No measure had incremental predictive validity over the use of self-report measures, although we note that the power to detect such associations was limited. As none of the indirect measures performed satisfactorily on the measured criteria, the use of these measures in clinical practice seems currently unwarranted to assess ITs.

Shaping Citizenship in the Classroom: Peer Influences on Moral Disengagement, Social Goals, and a Sense of Peer Community.

Despite the important role of peers in the social process of classroom citizenship, the peer influence related to moral disengagement, social goals, and a sense of peer community remain unclear. To this end, it was examined to what extent youth become similar to their friends in moral disengagement, social goals, and a sense of peer community. Participants were 283 South Korean third to sixth graders (Mage = 9.60 years, SD = 0.97; 51.6% girls) who completed an online survey for moral disengagement, social goals, the sense of peer community and friendship network across the beginning (Time 1) and end (Time 2) of the school semester (September to December). Longitudinal social network analyses indicated that youth became more similar to their friends concerning moral disengagement and a sense of peer community, but did not select friends based on these aspects. The strength of these influence effects varied in terms of different levels of these aspects. Specifically, youth were more likely to become similar to their friends at lower levels of moral disengagement. Youth tended to be similar to the friends' level of sense of peer community. This tendency was relatively strong at the lowest and the highest levels of a sense of peer community. Future research should address the role of friendship in shaping classroom citizenship and the importance of classroom daily teaching practice in youth citizenship development.

Understanding Violent Extremism: Identifying Motivational Classes in Male Jihadist Detainees.

An important step in understanding violent extremist behavior is to identify its underlying motivations. Insights into what drives violent extremists to their behavior may indicate what is needed to reduce existing risk factors. To this end, this study investigated violent extremist motivations in 124 male jihadi suspects and convicts residing in Dutch prison terrorism wings. A Latent Class Analysis resulted in three motivation profiles. The low motivated class scored in general low on risk and motivational indicators of violent extremism. The morally driven class adhered to an ideology justifying violence, experienced some degree of grievances but often saw limitations in the use of violence to achieve ideological goals. The hardened ideologically driven class had an ideology justifying violence, feelings of frustrations and criminal history of violence. This descriptive study provides an important stepping-stone for future studies on how motivation profiles can be used to reduce the risk of violent extremist (re)offending.

The Interplay Between Status and Affection Needs: Testing the Imbalanced Needs Theory of Aggression in Adulthood.

Status and affection are both goals related to social needs. The imbalanced needs theory of aggression proposes that although aggression can be used to realize status, this strategy is detrimental for realizing affection in the same social context. Thus, to the degree that the social circles overlap in which status and affection needs are realized, it becomes more costly (in terms of affection) to achieve status via aggression. This theory was tested for different forms of aggression, in different contexts, in a sample of adults from the general population (N = 253, M age = 29.95, SD = 2.60, 78% female). Participants reported on social needs with the Interpersonal Goals Inventory and reported on general measures of physical and social aggression, as well as rule breaking, and aggression at the workplace and in intimate partner relationships. As hypothesized, status needs were associated with physical aggression when affection needs were weak. This interaction, though to a lesser degree, also extended to social forms of aggression and rule breaking. At the workplace, aggression was only related to weak affection needs, whereas aggression in intimate partner relationships was, as expected, unrelated to both social needs. Together, these findings support the results of an earlier test of the imbalanced needs theory of aggression in adolescence, and encourage more research into the link between aggression and the satisfaction of social needs.

An empirically derived hierarchical tree typology of DSM-5 pathological personality traits in adolescence.

Traditional personality disorder (PD) taxonomies have been developed for adult populations. We aimed to identify an adolescent hierarchical tree typology of PD indicators to provide classification into broad severity classes but also more fine-grained classification within those classes. A large sample of community adolescents (N = 1,940) completed a validated dimensional measure that covers a comprehensive range of pathologically formulated personality traits, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. Latent class tree modeling suggested three classes at the first level of the tree representing high, medium, and low PD-trait levels-thus spanning the range between normal and pathological personality. These classes were divided into subclasses lower in the hierarchy, which suggested subclinical variants of patterns that are often found in clinical samples, medium levels of externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and differential profiles of thriving in the low-risk classes. The identified classes had promising initial criterion validity based on meaningful relations with self- and peer-reported measures of friendship and social functioning with peers. Our hierarchical PD tree typology may represent groups at differential risk for developing PDs and could therefore be useful for preventive purposes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive-motivational, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning in relationship to treatment and research engagement in forensic patients with ADHD.

OBJECTIVES: To provide more insight into treatment and research responsivity in offenders with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: Via self-reports and patients' scores on cognitive computer tasks, it was examined whether poorer cognitive-motivational, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning were related to treatment no-shows, longer treatment time duration intervals, and no-show at the research appointment in 52 forensic outpatients with ADHD (Mage = 35.3, SD = 9.38). Treatment adherence was tracked for 10 appointments after research participation. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed that higher self-reported impulsivity was associated with research no-show, and more alcohol use with longer treatment time intervals. Yet, self-reported delay aversion was associated with fewer treatment no-shows, and, uncontrolled for alcohol use, impulsivity was associated with shorter treatment time intervals in a subsample of patients. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results indicate that externalizing behaviors increase the risk for nonadherence in forensic ADHD patients, but that cognitive-motivational problems also motivate patients to be more engaged.

A latent profile analysis of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory in a representative sample of referred boys.

A long tradition of theoretical and empirical work has described different variants (or subtypes) of psychopathy, in an attempt to delineate similarities and differences among constellations of psychopathic traits. Research in this area has the potential to increase our understanding of the etiology of different psychopathy variants, their associated risk, and protective factors, as well as to inform the development of tailored interventions. Drawing on data from a large, representative sample of referred boys incarcerated in the United States (N = 629; Mage = 15.49 years, SD = 1.23), the current study adopted a person-centered approach to identify variants of incarcerated youth based on scores on the 8 Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Short Form (PPI-SF) subscales. Latent profile analysis results identified 5 variants of youth: a high-psychopathy variant, a variant with moderate psychopathy scores, and 3 variants with distinct elevations on some PPI-SF subscales. Over one third of the participants had substantially high levels of psychopathic traits, and high levels of psychopathy were associated with a severe history of delinquency. Latent profile analysis findings also supported traditional and contemporary perspectives on psychopathy variants according to which different constellations of psychopathic traits are associated with different degrees of delinquent behavior, internalizing symptoms, substance use, and victimization. Finally, it appears that, individually, none of the trait domains assessed by the PPI-SF can explain differences across variants, and that it is the co-occurrence of all of the features that characterizes the most severe form of psychopathy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Direct Aggression and the Balance between Status and Affection Goals in Adolescence.

Previous studies have shown that status goals motivate direct forms of interpersonal aggression. However, status goals have been studied mostly in isolation from affection goals. It is theorized that the means by which status and affection goals are satisfied change during adolescence, which can affect aggression. This is tested in a pooled sample of (pre)adolescents (N = 1536; 49% girls; ages 10-15), by examining associations between status goals and direct aggression and the moderating role of affection goals. As hypothesized, with increasing age, status goals were more strongly associated with direct aggression. Moreover, for older adolescents, status goals were only associated with aggression when affection goals were weak. These findings support the changing relationship between status goals and direct aggression during adolescence.

A healthy peer status: Peer preference, not popularity, predicts lower systemic inflammation in adolescence.

In adolescence, sensitivity to peers is heightened, which makes peer experiences highly salient. Recent work suggests that these experiences may influence individuals' immune system functioning. Although there is a need to investigate which types of developmental salient social experiences affect inflammation, no studies have examined the role of peer status in inflammatory activity so far. This study is the first to examine the unique role of different types of peer status (i.e., peer preference and peer popularity) on systemic inflammation in adolescence, and the extent to which this association is moderated by early childhood adversity. Participants were 587 Dutch adolescents from the TRacking Adolescents´ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Data were collected when participants were 11 (SD = .56), 13 (SD = .53) and 16 (SD = .71) years old, respectively. At age 11, early childhood adversity (e.g., hospitalization, death within the family) between 0-5 years was assessed via parent interviews. At age 13, peer preference and peer popularity were assessed with peer nominations of classmates. At age 16, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of low-grade systemic inflammation, was assessed with a venipuncture blood draw. Results showed that adolescents who were rated low on peer preference at age 13 exhibited higher levels of hsCRP at age 16. Importantly, these effects remained after controlling for several covariates, including age, sex, peer victimization, smoking behavior, SES, fat percentage, physical activity and temperament. Additionally, we found a positive effect of peer popularity on hsCRP that depended on early childhood adversity exposure. This suggests that for those adolescents who experienced little early childhood adversity, high levels of peer popularity were associated with high levels of hsCRP. Overall, these findings suggest that it is important to take into account the independent roles of peer preference and peer popularity, as specific types of peer status, to better understand adolescent systemic inflammation.

Disengaging from Evil: Longitudinal Associations Between the Dark Triad, Moral Disengagement, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence.

Previous work has identified important correlational linkages between the dark triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and antisocial behavior in adolescence. However, little is known about the longitudinal associations between these personality characteristics and antisocial behavior, and the processes underlying these linkages. We hypothesized positive bidirectional associations between the dark triad and antisocial behavior, and that increases in moral disengagement would underlie these longitudinal associations. In the current study, we examined these hypotheses in 502 Dutch adolescents (51.8% boys, Mage = 13.57, SD = 1.07) across three annual waves. Path models showed that antisocial behavior was positively associated with relative increases in moral disengagement, a general dark personality factor, and Machiavellianism specifically, but not the other way around. These paths were only observed in boys and more pronounced during the first year of the study. Finally, antisocial behavior was partly indirectly associated to psychopathy across time via antisocial behavior and moral disengagement at a later time point. Together, these findings suggest that dark personality characteristics and moral disengagement development are more likely to be the result of changes in antisocial behavior than the other way around.

Treatment no-show in forensic outpatients with ADHD.

BACKGROUND: 'No-show' is important in today's mental healthcare services, yet in forensic psychiatry, little is known about its relationship to general and disorder-specific patient characteristics. AIMS: The aim of this article is to determine the prevalence of no-show and any general and disorder-specific features associated with no-show in a cohort of offenders with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder registered at a specialist forensic mental health clinic. METHODS: Participants were 118 adult men with a mean age just over 32 years (SD 8.75) attending forensic mental health outpatient clinics in the Netherlands who had a primary diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and who had been aggressive and/or delinquent. RESULTS: Over a 1-year period, most patients (101, 86%) missed at least one appointment. The average number of appointments offered was 37.88 (SD = 27.27), and the average number of no-shows was 6.53 (SD = 5.99) per patient. Multivariate linear regressions showed a 10-fold likelihood of later no-shows if the first appointment was missed; not showing up after the intake procedure was also associated with higher rates of later no-show. None of the disorder-specific characteristics contributed to the problem. CONCLUSIONS: No-show is of particular concern in forensic mental health settings. In the current study, no-show was primarily associated with features related to the time of initial consultation. More attention should thus be paid at this stage to using a standard method of assessing a wider range of variables likely to affect attendance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Being Sexually Attracted to Minors: Sexual Development, Coping With Forbidden Feelings, and Relieving Sexual Arousal in Self-Identified Pedophiles.

This article aims to provide more insight into pedophilic attraction and risk and protective factors for offending in nonclinical pedophiles. Fifteen participants were interviewed about sexuality, coping, and sexual self-regulation. Many participants struggled with acknowledging pedophilic interest in early puberty and experienced psychological difficulties as a result. Furthermore, many committed sex offenses during adolescence when they were still discovering their feelings. Early recognition of risk factors and early start of interventions seem vital in preventing offending. Moreover, results suggest that risk for offending can be diminished by creating more openness about pedophilia and by providing pedophiles with social support and control.

The Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth in a large community sample of young adult males and females: The TRAILS study.

This study examined associations between the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY; Borum, Bartel, & Forth, 2002) risk and protective items, identified clusters of SAVRY items, and used these clusters to predict police contact and violence. SAVRY items were assessed in a community sample of adolescent boys and girls (N = 963, 46.5% boys) via self-, parent, and teacher reports at ages 11 and 13.5 as part of a longitudinal cohort study. Police contact and violence were assessed at age 19. Correlations between risk and protective items and police contact and violence were largely similar in boys and girls, though there were some differences with regard to outcome measure. Principal factor analysis on the SAVRY items yielded a 2-factor model, distinguishing between History of Violence/Dysregulation and Social Support factors. Follow-up analyses showed incremental validity of the Social Support factor over and beyond the History of Violence/Dysregulation factor and sex in the prediction of violence. The findings provide new insights into the SAVRY factor structure and show that the SAVRY was able to predict violence in a community sample of adolescents over a period of 4 to 7 years.

Friendship selection and influence in bullying and defending: effects of moral disengagement.

The current study examined the development of bullying and defending over a 1-year period as related to friends' influence and individual and friends' moral disengagement (i.e., self-justification mechanisms that allow one to avoid moral self-censure of transgressive actions) in children and young adolescents. Via longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena), it was tested whether similarity between friends in bullying and defending developed over time due to friends' influence, while controlling for friendship selection processes, and whether there were differences in these processes between children (age 9-10 years; n = 133; 42.9% girls) and young adolescents (age 11-14 years; n = 236; 40.6% girls). Results showed that individuals selected peers as friends who were similar in bullying and became more similar to friends in bullying over time, but only in early adolescence. Moreover, there was marginal support that friends' influence was stronger in young adolescents with higher moral disengagement. In early adolescence, bullying was also indirectly influenced through friends' moral disengagement, with different effects for boys and girls. With regard to defending, young adolescents maintained friendships with peers who were similar in defending, and became more similar to friends in terms of defending over time. These findings suggest important differences between late childhood and early adolescence in socialization processes and indicate that in early adolescence, friends' influence on the development of bullying is partially affected by moral disengagement.

Associations Between Dysfunctional Personality Traits and Intimate Partner Violence in Perpetrators and Victims.

In the current study, the role of borderline and antisocial personality traits and psychological and physical forms of intimate partner violence were examined. Using self- and partner-reports, 30 perpetrators (28 males) and 30 victims (29 females) of partner violence, including 23 (former) couples, were interviewed. Results showed that perpetrators (i.e., males) were higher on antisocial personality traits than victims (i.e., females), but the two groups did not differ on borderline traits and self-reported violence. Moreover, borderline traits were associated with partner violence in general, whereas antisocial personality traits were associated with physical, but not psychological, partner violence. Analyses on (former) couples suggest that there is little congruence between perpetrators' and victims' reports of partner violence. In conclusion, the findings of the current study not only emphasized the complex nature of intimate partner violence but also showed that dysfunctional personality traits and gender play a significant role in both the display and reporting of partner violence.

Peer influences on moral disengagement in late childhood and early adolescence.

Moral disengagement processes are cognitive self-justification processes of transgressive actions that have been hypothesized to be learned and socialized within social contexts. The current study aimed at investigating socialization of moral disengagement by friends in two developmentally different age groups, namely late childhood (age: 9-10 years; n = 133, 42.9% girls) and early adolescence (age: 11-14 years; n = 236, 40.6% girls) over a 1-year period. Specifically, the current study examined whether similarity in moral disengagement between friends was the result of friends' influence or friend selection. Moreover, gender (42% girls), individual bullying behavior, and perceived popularity status were examined as potential moderators of socialization for moral disengagement within friendship networks. Self-report measures were used to assess moral disengagement, sociometric questions and a peer-nomination scale for friendship networks and bullying behavior, respectively. Longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena) was used to study change of moral disengagement in friendship networks during a 1-year interval. In early adolescence, friends were more likely to be similar to each other over time and this was explained only by influence processes and not by selection processes. Gender, bullying, and perceived popularity did not moderate the friends' influence on moral disengagement over time. Results indicate that self-justification processes change over time already in late childhood, but only in early adolescence this change is likely to be dependent upon peers' moral disengagement.

Longitudinal associations between depressive problems, academic performance, and social functioning in adolescent boys and girls.

Depressive problems and academic performance, social well-being, and social problems in adolescents are strongly associated. However, longitudinal and bidirectional relations between the two remain unclear, as well as the role of gender. Consequently, this study focuses on the relation between depressive problems and three types of functioning in adolescents while testing gender differences. Depressive problems and functioning of 2,230 children were measured with structured questionnaires. The measurements took place biennially over 3 waves, from late childhood into adolescence (age range = 10-18 years). To examine the longitudinal relation between depression and functioning, path analyses with cross-lagged effects were conducted with structural equation modeling. Multigroup analyses were used to test for gender differences, which were only observed for academic performance. Other findings indicated substantial stability in depressive problems and functioning over time and within-wave correlations between depression and the 3 types of functioning. Poor social well-being was predicted by depressive problems but not the other way around. The relation between depressive and social problems was bidirectional, that is, they predicted each other. Finally, depressive problems and academic performance were bidirectionally related as well but only in girls.

Heart rate and antisocial behavior: mediation and moderation by affiliation with bullies. the TRAILS Study.

PURPOSE: Low heart rate (HR) has been linked to antisocial behavior (ASB). However, the effect of low HR may be mediated by affiliation with bullies. We hypothesized that individuals with low HR are more likely to affiliate with bullies and in turn are influenced by these peers. METHODS: Data come from two waves of a subsample of the TRAILS study (N = 809; 44.0% boys; mean age of 11.0 years at T1 and 13.5 years at T2). ASB was measured using the Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire at both waves. HR was assessed during rest at T1. Affiliation with bullies was assessed via peer nominations at T1. Possible gender differences were taken into account, and all analyses were adjusted for family context (i.e., family breakup and socioeconomic status). RESULTS: Regression analyses showed that lower HR was only associated with ASB in (pre)adolescents who affiliated with bullies. Moreover, the effect of lower HR on boys' ASB was partly mediated by affiliation with bullies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that (pre)adolescents, and in particular boys, seem to be in environments that match their biological disposition and in turn are shaped by this environment.

The association between valuing popularity and relational aggression: the moderating effects of actual popularity and physiological reactivity to exclusion.

The association between having a reputation for valuing popularity and relational aggression was assessed in a sample of 126 female children and adolescents (mean age = 12.43 years) at a 54-day residential summer camp for girls. Having a reputation for valuing popularity was positively related to relational aggression. This association was moderated by both popularity and physiological reactivity to social exclusion (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity [RSAR] and heart rate reactivity [HRR]). Popular girls with a reputation for valuing popularity were at greater risk for engaging in relational aggression when they also exhibited blunted reactivity to social exclusion. Conversely, girls who had a reputation for valuing popularity but were not popular (i.e., the "wannabes") were at risk for engaging in relational aggression when they exhibited heightened reactivity to exclusion.

Physiological reactivity and different forms of aggression in girls: moderating roles of rejection sensitivity and peer rejection.

Associations between physiological reactivity to exclusion (i.e., heart rate [HRR], respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSAR], and skin conductance [SCR]) and relational and physical aggression were assessed. It was hypothesized that blunted "fight or flight" responses to stress (i.e., blunted HRR, SCR, and RSA withdrawal) would be associated with relational aggression, whereas heightened "fight or flight" responses (i.e., heightened HRR, SCR, and RSA withdrawal) would be associated with physical aggression. In addition, it was hypothesized that heightened "fight or flight" responses would interact with social and cognitive risk factors in the prediction of physical aggression. Data were collected at an all-girls residential summer camp (mean age=12.47 years; N=119). Overall, findings indicated that blunted "fight or flight" was associated with relational aggression whereas heightened "fight or flight" was associated with physical aggression, particularly in the context of high social and cognitive risk. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relationship between physiological reactivity and different forms of aggression in girls.