Examining the Impact of Clinical Intervention on Juveniles with and without Psychopathic Traits

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Youth with psychopathic traits (habitual callousness, lack of emotionality, and general antisocial behavior) represent a particularly violent subgroup of youth offenders. Whether such youth can benefit from clinical interventions has been hotly debated, with research findings supporting both sides. To ensure that youth with psychopathic traits are served properly by the justice system, it is critical to move the research in this area forward. The focus of this study was to examine the impact of mental health services on outcomes in a large sample of youth offenders with and without psychopathic traits.
We analyzed data from the Pathways to Desistance project, which followed adjudicated juveniles and measured their progress over a period of seven years. We examined psychopathy levels as well as a variety of key outcome measures (violent and nonviolent offending, psychiatric symptoms) in relation to the nature and amount of targeted mental health services youth received. Overall, we observed that relatively few youth received mental health services. Further, we found that psychopathy generally had little effect on offending outcomes but appeared to increase anxiety over time. Our discussion will focus on the implications of our findings for clinical decision-making in juvenile justice settings.

Authors

• Adam Doyle, Rutgers University

• Meagan Docherty, Rutgers University

• Paul Boxer, Rutgers University