Psychosocial Profiles Of Male Juvenile Delinquents
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Date
2015-10
Authors
MD SHARIFF, NADIAH SYARIANI
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Juvenile delinquency is illegitimate behaviours that are against the law committed by individuals under the age of 18 years old. In the local setting, research addressing the psychosocial and criminogenic factors of juvenile delinquents is warranted following a ten-year trend analysis of juvenile crimes in Malaysia, population, social marker and onset of criminal involvement, as well as versatility of juvenile crimes. Related to these, this research aimed to construct psychosocial and criminogenic profiles of Malaysian male juvenile delinquents. In order to achieve this, four specific objectives were formulated. The theoretical framework of this research is rooted in psychological, sociological, and criminological theories. Investigation of psychosocial variables involved measurements of self-control, self-esteem, cognitive distortion, familial discord, authority problem, attachment to teacher, commitment to school, delinquent belief and delinquent peers. This was a comparative cross-sectional study which was mixed-method in design, using quantitative and qualitative phases. In the quantitative phase, self-administered Psychosocial Assessment Battery – for Juveniles (PSAB-J) was distributed to 101 juvenile delinquents and 317 non-delinquent youths. Sampling recruitment for both groups were through purposive and convenience sampling, respectively. PSAB-J collected information on socio-demographic, socio-moral background and psychosocial characteristics of respondents. Data analyses were performed through descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. The descriptive findings successfully identified prevalent psychosocial variables among the delinquents and non-
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delinquents. The correlation analyses highlighted several significant associations among the psychosocial variables. The regression analyses revealed that several psychological variables have significant relationships and are predictive of sociological variables. Mean analyses through independent t-test indicated that delinquents and non-delinquents differ significantly in certain psychosocial variables. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 male juvenile delinquents. An interview guide, Psychosocial Risk Assessment for Youth – Interview Guide (PRAY-IG) containing series of open-ended questions was used as a research instrument throughout the interview session. Thematic analysis was used to extract related main themes and sub-themes. Six themes were explored (delinquent behaviour, delinquent history, familial background, school background, delinquent association and psychological characteristics) and one new theme emerged. Discussion of results was linked to juvenile delinquency, theories that underpin the present research and context of criminology. The present findings are limited to the study sample or male youths with similar inclusion and exclusion criteria. However, the findings are extensive in exploring the juvenile delinquency issue through psychosocial and criminological aspects of male delinquents which would be useful for proactive preventive measure in delinquency.
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Keywords
Psychosocial Profiles , Juvenile Delinquents