Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Moral Mechanisms Explaining Their Effects on Delinquency and Substance Use

• In Event: Childhood Strain and Crime: Empirical Approaches

Abstract

Research examining the consequences of adverse childhood experiences (i.e., ACEs) has shown that they are associated with a range of antisocial outcomes among youth, including delinquency and substance use. Relatedly, a large body of literature acknowledges that moral beliefs represent a strong barrier against delinquency, especially when other controlling influences are weak. While empirical work examining the factors that mediate the link between ACEs and antisocial outcomes is presently expanding, whether adolescents who are exposed to ACEs might be more likely to reject conventional moral norms is an unexplored line of inquiry. Specifically, through the lens of Agnew’s general strain theory, ACEs may represent a salient form of strain that can produce deviant psychological responses, and a weakened belief in the moral wrongfulness of certain behaviors may be one such delinquent coping mechanism. Using data from the high school subsample of the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS), the current study examines whether moral beliefs mediate the links between ACEs and several delinquent behavioral outcomes. The findings have theoretical and practical implications for intervention programs addressing youths’ trauma to reduce their risk of developing maladaptive coping behaviors. Conclusions and avenues for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Anne Catherine Wingert, Sam Houston State University

• Peter S. Lehmann, Sam Houston State University