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Child maltreatment and criminal convictions in youth: The role of gender, ethnicity and placement experiences in an Australian population

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  • Malvaso, Catia G
  • Delfabbro, Paul H
  • Day, Andrew

Abstract

A number of previous studies have shown that out-of-home care (OHC) placement experiences can influence the pathway from maltreatment to offending, and that these pathways may differ depending on gender and ethnic backgrounds. Even though Australian welfare and justice systems are unique in terms of the over-representation of Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) young people, there have been few Australian longitudinal studies that explore the role of placement experiences in examinations of the maltreatment-offending association. The present study uses linked child protection and youth justice data for 17,671 young people and aims to provide insight into the way ethnicity, as well as gender, moderates the association between maltreatment, placement in OHC and youth convictions. The data were analyzed using logistic regression and the findings varied systematically depending on the type of conviction examined. There was some strong evidence that gender, ethnicity and placement factors moderated the relationship between maltreatment and convictions in general, and for violent convictions more specifically. Interaction effects revealed that placement experiences were more consequential for female than for male youth, but less consequential for Indigenous than for non-Indigenous youth. A one-size-fits-all approach to understanding, treating and preventing the consequences of child maltreatment could not be considered the most appropriate best practice given the gender- and ethnic-specific pathways found in this study.

Suggested Citation

  • Malvaso, Catia G & Delfabbro, Paul H & Day, Andrew, 2017. "Child maltreatment and criminal convictions in youth: The role of gender, ethnicity and placement experiences in an Australian population," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 57-65.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:73:y:2017:i:c:p:57-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.12.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jonson-Reid, Melissa & Barth, Richard P., 2000. "From placement to prison: The path to adolescent incarceration from child welfare supervised foster or group care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 493-516, July.
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    8. Osborn, Alexandra L. & Delfabbro, Paul & Barber, James G., 2008. "The psychosocial functioning and family background of children experiencing significant placement instability in Australian out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 847-860, August.
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    1. Malvaso, Catia G. & Delfabbro, Paul H. & Day, Andrew & Nobes, Gavin, 2018. "The maltreatment-violence link: Exploring the role of maltreatment experiences and other individual and social risk factors among young people who offend," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 35-45.
    2. Yoon, Miyoung & Bender, Anna E. & Park, Jiho, 2018. "The association between out-of-home placement and offending behavior among maltreated youth: A systematic review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 263-281.
    3. Ball, Rubini & Baidawi, Susan, 2021. "Aboriginal crossover children’s characteristics, service needs and service responses: The views of Australian key stakeholders," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    4. White, Jordan & Evans, Phillipa & Katz, Ilan, 2024. "Children dually involved with statutory child protection and juvenile justice in Australia: A developmental cascade framework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

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