Early-life adversities and youth offending patterns

• In Event: Causes and Correlates of Youth Offending and Delinquency

Abstract

Early life adversities contribute to adolescent criminal behavior, but it remains unclear if adversities are linked only to specific crime types. This study compares the effects of childhood adversities on youth criminal behavior across different crimes, drawing from a developmental and life course criminology perspective and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework. Using register data of Finnish children born between 1987 and 2000 (N = 835,512), we run series of Poisson regression analyses to study the associations between adversities at ages 0-14 and involvement in crimes at ages 15-20 (e.g., violence, drug-related, and property crimes). Adversities considered are parental hospitalization due to substance abuse or mental health problems, parental conviction for a violent crime, parental death, parental unemployment, and parental receipt of social assistance. The study also explores the cumulative effect of multiple ACEs and changes in the ACEs-crime relationship over time across birth cohorts. Findings suggest ACEs are linked to offending versatility rather than specialization, with parental violence and low socio-economic status showing the strongest associations. The accumulation of ACEs increased the likelihood of committing each crime studied. These findings provide detailed information on juvenile delinquency risk factors, aiding in identifying at-risk groups for early intervention.

Authors

• Janne Vepsäläinen, Tampere University

• Mikko Aaltonen, Faculty of Law, University of Eastern Finland

• Noora Ellonen, Research director

• Pekka Martikainen, Population Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Finland