Incarcerated adolescent girls: personality, social competence, and delinquency. 2003

Jan ter Laak, and Martijn de Goede, and Liesbeth Aleva, and Gerard Brugman, and Miranda van Leuven, and Judith Hussmann
Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.

The aim of this study was to gain greater insight into the relationship of delinquency to personality and social competence in incarcerated girls. It was hypothesized that agreeableness and conscientiousness would correlate negatively with delinquency, and that the sensation-seeking aspect of extroversion would correlate positively. Two theoretical views were used to predict the relationship between social competence and delinquency: (a) delinquency as an expression of lack of social competence (i.e., social deficit), and (b) delinquency as socially competent and rationally analyzed behavior. The first view implies a negative correlation between delinquency and social competence, while the second indicates a positive one. The participants were thirty-three 12- to 18-year-old incarcerated girls. An adaptation of the Self-Reported Delinquency Scale was used for measuring delinquency; personality was measured using the Five-Factor Personality Inventory; and the Scale for Interpersonal Behavior was used to measure social competence. Agreeableness was not found to correlate with the overall delinquency score or with any specific type of delinquency or crime. The more crimes the girls reported, the less conscientious they were, and the more neurotic and open they were. The correlation between delinquency and extroversion was not statistically significant. A higher level of delinquency was accompanied by higher social competence when negative self-assertion was required (i.e., a low level of tension was felt in expressing negative feelings that were appropriate to the situation). In other social situations, however, the girls reported more situation-inappropriate feelings of tension. It was concluded that some personality factors and aspects of social competence can predict delinquency.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007398 Interpersonal Relations The reciprocal interaction of two or more persons. Social Relationships,Husband-Wife Communication,Partner Communication,Communication, Husband-Wife,Communication, Partner,Husband Wife Communication,Husband-Wife Communications,Interpersonal Relation,Partner Communications,Relation, Interpersonal,Relationship, Social,Social Relationship
D007604 Juvenile Delinquency The antisocial acts of children or persons under age which are illegal or lawfully interpreted as constituting delinquency. Delinquency, Juvenile
D009426 Netherlands Country located in EUROPE. It is bordered by the NORTH SEA, BELGIUM, and GERMANY. Constituent areas are Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, formerly included in the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. Holland,Kingdom of the Netherlands
D010551 Personality Behavior-response patterns that characterize the individual. Personalities
D011329 Prisoners Persons deprived of their liberty; those held is against their will, or who are kept in confinement or custody. Detained Persons,Hostages,Imprisoned Individuals,Incarcerated Individuals,Inmates,Detained Person,Hostage,Imprisoned Individual,Incarcerated Individual,Individual, Imprisoned,Individual, Incarcerated,Inmate,Person, Detained,Prisoner
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000297 Psychology, Adolescent Field of psychology involving the study of normal and abnormal behavior of adolescents. It includes mental processes as well as observable responses. Adolescent Psychology

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