Chapter 9 Trauma and Delinquency

Chapter 9 Trauma and Delinquency Introduction - Trauma impacts many children, adolescents, and their families - Poly -victimization - Crossover Youth: dynamic between child maltreatment and delinquency, with yo ung people having contact with both systems simultaneously Prevale...

Chapter 9 Trauma and Delinquency Introduction - Trauma impacts many children, adolescents, and their families - Poly -victimization - Crossover Youth: dynamic between child maltreatment and delinquency, with yo ung people having contact with both systems simultaneously Prevalence of Childhood and Adolescent Trauma - Acute trauma: single traumatic event that is time limited - Chronic trauma: varied and multiple traumatic events, often occurring over time, including domestic violence - Complex trauma: chronic tra uma caused by adults or caregivers of children that is also long term in nature - Child Maltreatment o Four child maltreatment victimization ▪ Physical abuse: injuring or death of a child not by accident ▪ Sexual abuse : act of sexual contact ▪ Emotional abuse : chron ic acts or attitudes by caregivers that impact development ▪ Neglect : inadequate child -rearing practices o Maltreatment reports are provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration of Children and Families ▪ Concern that counts underrep ort actual victimizations o Males and females were equally at risk ▪ Racial bias of the investigation o National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence: most comprehensive nationwide survey of the incidence and prevalence of children’s exposure to violence o Na tional Comorbidity Study: First large -scale national study of mental health in the United States; replicated most recently in 2010 and included in findings for the first time on the adolescent population. - Physical Assault and Abuse o Once people involved with the juvenile justice system, risk for abuse and assault exponentially grows - Sexual Victimization o 8-10% victims before the age of 18 - Sexual victimization in Juvenile Facilities o He or she is turned out and fair game for further abuse - Witnessing Violence/Domestic Violence o Domestic violence acts can be either witnessed by a family members, or the family member could be the victim ▪ Intimate partner violence or domestic abuse - Deaths -Violent and Nonviolent o Violent deaths: deaths caused by different vi olent events, including accidents, suicides, and homicides o Can be highly traumatic to children o Cause traumatic grief: children cannot understand the death and experiences severe grief symptoms that lead to frightening thoughts and images of the deceased o No nviolent deaths: deaths by natural causes or accidents - Poverty o Increase the number of trauma experiences o Impact black and Latino families twice as more likely - Poverty, Violence, and Unsafe Schools - Bullying and Cyberbullying o Physical, social, and verbal o Cyb erbullying: including hurtful information on the internet, sharing private information, unwanted contact via email, texting, and etc o Younger grades are more prone to get bullied than older ones o Do not perform well and skip class and are truant o National Sch ool Climate Survey: series of national surveys of schools identifying the heightened difficulties of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population - Poly -victimization o Exposure to, and experience of, multiple forms of trauma and victimization Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - Post -traumatic stress disorder diagnosis o Intrusion o Avoidance o Negative alterations in cognitions and mood o Alterations in arousal and reactivity that last at least a month - Hypervigilance and Physiological Impact o Abnormally increased arousal, responsiveness to stimuli, scanning of the environment for threats o Fight -to -flight response ▪ Look like symptoms of other problems ▪ Stay and fight the threat ▪ Live in this stress for a long time ▪ Growth and developmental imp act - PTSD Prevalence Resiliency to Trauma Experiences - Resilient: capacity for children to thrive in the face of risks and difficulties, avoiding many of the deleterious effects - Depends on a complex interaction of risks factors balanced with protective fact ors Maltreatment and Academic Performance - Primary School o Cognitive and language delays are greater o One -half year behind o Lead to behavior problems and increased placement into special education programs - Secondary School o Academic outcomes and social relationships o Three or four grade levels behind o Aging out ▪ When a young person reaches the age of majority in his or her sate and is in foster care, by legally becoming and adult and no longer is supervised by the child welfare system Maltreatment and Deli nquency - Most children and adolescents who are maltreatment victims never become involved with the juvenile courts - High risk for involvement in delinquency - Mental health and abuse problems are outcomes - Gender Differences o Girls are more likely to have been v ictims of sexual abuse and are equally likely to have experienced physical abuse o