Juvenile Delinquency by Tom D. Kennedy & David Detullio & Danielle H. Millen

Author:Tom D. Kennedy & David Detullio & Danielle H. Millen
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030382506
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

3.1.2 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Among community and clinical samples, ADHD symptoms have shown an association with delinquent and aggressive behaviors (Bussing, Mason, Bell, Porter, & Garvan, 2010; Gudjonsson, Sigurdsson, Adalsteinsson, & Young, 2013; Herrenkohl, Lee, & Hawkins, 2012; Ruchkin, Lorberg, Koposov, Schwab-Stone, & Sukhodolsky, 2008; Sibley et al., 2011; Walther et al., 2012). However, some of these researchers did not incorporate measures of CD symptoms (i.e., Herrenkohl et al., 2012) or statistically control for CD symptoms if they were measured (i.e., Bussing et al., 2010). This raises the question as to whether ADHD symptoms would be consistently associated with delinquent behaviors above and beyond CD symptoms. Moreover, as part of the delinquency variables, some study designs (e.g., Ruchkin et al., 2008; Walther et al., 2012) included behaviors that may not be viewed as delinquent, such as lying or carrying a knife. This could have inflated the association between ADHD symptoms and delinquency as such behaviors are more common than acts that would result in legal action. Pardini and Fite (2010) found that only the hyperactive and impulsive symptoms of ADHD were predictive of violent behaviors after controlling for CD symptoms. Other authors found no relationship between ADHD symptoms and aggressive or delinquent behaviors after controlling for relevant covariates (Bernat, Oakes, Pettingell, & Resnick, 2012; Henry, Tolan, Gorman-Smith, & Schoeny, 2012; Sittner Hartshorn et al., 2015). Bernat et al. (2012) had similar methodological characteristics to Herrenkohl et al. (2012). One possible reason for the discrepant findings between these studies were the means of measuring ADHD. That is, Herrenkohl et al. used parent and teacher reports of adolescents’ ADHD symptoms, and Bernat et al. had participants recall their prior ADHD symptoms at a later follow-up. The participants in Bernat et al. may not have accurately recalled their ADHD symptoms. Consequently, if participants who did not engage in delinquent behaviors inaccurately recalled having more ADHD symptoms, it would have reduced the relationship between such symptoms and delinquency. This is not to say that the measurement in Herrenkohl et al. was infallible. Namely, the parents and teachers participating in Herrenkohl et al. may have inaccurately rated the adolescents’ signs of ADHD.

Regarding delinquent samples, ADHD symptoms are predictive of recidivism (Baglivio et al., 2017; Van Der Put, Asscher, & Stams, 2016; Wibbelink et al., 2017). Though, higher rates of recidivism have been observed among juvenile offenders with ADHD and a comorbid disorder (Van Der Put et al., 2016). Plattner et al. (2009) did not find that ADHD was a significant predictor of time to reincarceration among male or female delinquents, and Young et al. (2011) did not find ADHD was correlated with prior delinquent behaviors after including covariates. Gordon, Diehl, and Anderson (2012) observed that ADHD was not associated with recidivism after taking into account the facility within which delinquents were confined. Most of the researchers that did and did not find relationships between ADHD symptoms and recidivism had many similarities. For example, Baglivio et al. (2017), van der Put et al. (2016), Plattner et al. (2009), and Gordon et al.

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