The Impact of LGBT+ Status, Future Orientation, and PTS on the Relationship Between ACEs and Delinquency

• In Event: Gender, Race, and Distress

Abstract

Decades of research has documented the deleterious effects of cumulative and co-occurring adverse child experiences (ACEs) particularly among youth with a history of child welfare involvement. Less understood is the association between early child adversity and delinquent behavior among older youth who are aging out of foster care. The current longitudinal study employs a sample of 1,245 foster youth to examine the effect of ACE exposure on future delinquent behavior. A secondary data analysis was conducted from data derived from the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs (MEFYP), 2001-2010. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether higher ACE exposure predicts future juvenile delinquent behavior (i.e., Time 2) and whether symptoms of post-traumatic stress mediate the ACE-delinquency relationship. We further explored the moderating role of sexual minority status and protective factors, operationalized as positive future orientation, on the association between ACEs, PTS and delinquency. Results indicate ACEs exposure predicts juvenile delinquency, and further that youth with more ACEs have higher levels of PTS which translates into a higher risk of delinquent behavior. Sexual minority status and future orientation moderated the effect of ACEs on PTS but not delinquent behavior.

Authors

• Alexandria Nicole Remillard, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

• Gia Elise Barboza, University of Colorado Colorado Springs