Juvenile Delinquency with Psychopathic Traits: An Examination of Stress and Social Support

• In Event: Mental Health and Psychopathic Traits

Abstract

In recent years, violent juvenile delinquency has grown crueler, and in response to these increasing rates, many scholars are looking for the best way to reduce or prevent crime related to juvenile delinquency. During the past several decades, a significant quantity of accumulated research suggests that people with mental disorders are considerably more likely to engage in violence than people without mental disorders.
According to Teplin and his colleagues’ studies of adolescent psychology (2002), there exists a prevalence of mental health disorders among juveniles. But studies remain inconsistent: although Vermerien (2003) stated that the presence of various psychiatric disorders may place juveniles at a greater risk of engaging in delinquent behavior, Vogel and Messner (2012) insist that “the major criminological perspectives have generally not incorporated psychological disorders into their causal explanations for delinquency” (p. 547).
This paper will examine what happens to the relationship between juvenile delinquents with psychopathic traits and violence when considering the factors of stress and social support. This relationship draws on the criminology literature which focuses on the role that stressful life events and social support play in producing emotional and behavioral outcomes for individuals.

Author

• Hyejung Kim, Indiana University of Pennsylvania