Exploring the relationship between criminal offending and mental health symptoms in adolescents and young adults: a longitudinal fixed-effects model

• In Event: Research from Emerging Scholars in Life-Course Criminology

Abstract

There is a large overrepresentation of mental illness within the juvenile justice system in the US leading many researchers to explore mental health disorders as predictors of criminal involvement. However, fewer studies have explored the psychological consequences of engaging in criminal activity. The current research uses a longitudinal sample of high-risk adolescents and young adults to explore how different types of self-reported offending are associated with mental health symptoms. Specifically, we explore how violent and non-violent offending is related to seven different mental health outcomes along 10 waves of data. We used longitudinal fixed-effects models to explore within individual effects. Findings from this research suggest that engaging in violent offending has negative impacts in mental health symptoms over time. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

Authors

• Emma Clarke, Augusta University

• Raquel V. Oliveira, Augusta University