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Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Delinquency: A Theoretically Informed Investigation of Mediators during Middle Childhood

Author

Listed:
  • Dylan B. Jackson

    (Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Melissa S. Jones

    (Sociology Department, College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA)

  • Daniel C. Semenza

    (Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers, Camden, The State University of New Jersey, 405-7 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102, USA)

  • Alexander Testa

    (Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA)

Abstract

Objective: The purposes of this study are twofold. First, we explore the associations between cumulative ACEs at ages 5 and 7 and delinquency at age 14 in a national sample of youth in the United Kingdom (UK). Second, we explore the role of five theoretically relevant mediators in explaining this relationship. Methods: Analyses were based on data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study—a prospective, longitudinal birth-cohort study of more than 18,000 individuals in the United Kingdom. Results: The results indicate that early ACEs are significantly associated with adolescent delinquency, with effects becoming significantly larger as ACEs accumulate. Findings also reveal that child property delinquency, substance use, low self-control, unstructured socializing, and parent–child attachment at age 11 all significantly mediate the relationship between early ACEs and delinquency in adolescence, with early delinquency and low self-control emerging as the most robust mediators. Conclusions: Findings point to a need for early ACEs screening and a Trauma-Informed Health Care (TIC) approach in early delinquency prevention efforts. Early intervention efforts that bolster child self-control and curtail early-onset problem behaviors may also disrupt pathways from ACEs to adolescent delinquency.

Suggested Citation

  • Dylan B. Jackson & Melissa S. Jones & Daniel C. Semenza & Alexander Testa, 2023. "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Delinquency: A Theoretically Informed Investigation of Mediators during Middle Childhood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3202-:d:1065742
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Clark, Miriam & Watts, Stephen & McCuddy, Timothy & McLeod, Ellen, 2023. "Antecedents of legal cynicism unpacked: The impact of parental incarceration, race, and ACEs on its development," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    2. Jones, Melissa S. & Boccio, Cashen M. & Semenza, Daniel C. & Jackson, Dylan B., 2023. "Adverse childhood experiences and adolescent handgun carrying," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

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