Experienced child maltreatment and violent juvenile delinquency: The role of working memory and social information processing

Child maltreatment is highly prevalent among juvenile delinquents and can result in numerous negative life outcomes, one of which could be violent delinquency. The current study aimed to provide new insights into the relation between child maltreatment and violent delinquency, as well as the mediating roles of working memory (WM) and three aspects of social information processing (SIP) on this relation. This was done using a cross-sectional design with a questionnaire, WM task, SIP task and file analysis. In total, 58 Dutch juvenile delinquents were included in the study. No relation was found between child maltreatment and violent delinquency in a juvenile delinquent population. In addition, WM and SIP did not mediate the relation between child maltreatment and violent delinquency. Child maltreatment was however related with more hostile attribution bias and more aggressive response evaluation, indicating that juvenile delinquents who have experienced child maltreatment have more...Show moreChild maltreatment is highly prevalent among juvenile delinquents and can result in numerous negative life outcomes, one of which could be violent delinquency. The current study aimed to provide new insights into the relation between child maltreatment and violent delinquency, as well as the mediating roles of working memory (WM) and three aspects of social information processing (SIP) on this relation. This was done using a cross-sectional design with a questionnaire, WM task, SIP task and file analysis. In total, 58 Dutch juvenile delinquents were included in the study. No relation was found between child maltreatment and violent delinquency in a juvenile delinquent population. In addition, WM and SIP did not mediate the relation between child maltreatment and violent delinquency. Child maltreatment was however related with more hostile attribution bias and more aggressive response evaluation, indicating that juvenile delinquents who have experienced child maltreatment have more hostile attributions in social situations and see aggressive responses as more appropriate than their non-maltreated peers. Furthermore, all three aspects of SIP were related to each other, and WM was related to more hostile attributions. This study highlights the fact that hostile attributions and aggressive response evaluations can be targeted in interventions that aim to improve social skills and reduce recidivism for maltreated juvenile delinquents. Further research is needed to unravel the consequences and underlying mechanisms of child maltreatment and violent delinquency in juvenile delinquent populations.Show less

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Experienced child maltreatment and violent juvenile delinquency: The role of working memory and social information processing