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Background: Although the link between substance use and criminal behavior is well-established, associations between the use of specific substances and specific criminal charges remains unclear. That is, there are mixed findings in the literature, and the majority of extant literature focuses only on associations between alcohol and marijuana use and a limited range of charges. Objective: The current study examined 30-day frequency of use of various substances (i.e., traditional tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, e-cigarettes, and prescription drugs) prior to detainment, percentages of youth charged with various offenses, and whether certain offenses were associated with more frequent use of particular substances prior to detainment among detained youth. Additionally, differences in substance-charge associations among Black and White youth were evaluated. Method: Detained youth (N = 235; 71.9% male; M age = 15.59 years) from two facilities self-reported on their substance use and the facilities provided charge data. Results: Marijuana was the most frequent substance used and violent-related offenses were the most common charge received. Interestingly, several charges (i.e., sex-, weapon-, and violent-related offenses) were associated with less frequent use of tobacco and/or marijuana use, but youth who were detained for non-criminal reasons (i.e., children in need of care) reported more frequent use of various substances than youth detained for criminal charges. Findings were more similar than different for Black and White youth, with very few differences evident. Conclusions: Children in need of care appear more at risk for certain substances than those detained for criminal offenses, with associations similar for detained Black and White youth.

Aggression and victimization increase negative outcomes for legal system involved girls. While aggression is often enacted against multiple targets (e.g. peers, dating partners), most interventions only target one violence type (e.g. teen dating violence [TDV]). However, TDV shares risk factors with other violence forms; therefore, TDV-specific interventions may reduce other types of violence (e.g. general aggression). The current study explored the effects of a TDV intervention, Date SMART, on general physical and verbal aggression (i.e. aggression not tied to dating) in legal system involved girls (N = 239, Mage = 15.57) and how victimization history (including sexual abuse) moderated treatment effects compared to a Knowledge Only (KO) group. Hierarchical restricted maximum likelihood linear mixed effect models evaluated differences in aggression from baseline to post-intervention and 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-ups. Findings indicated that from baseline to post-intervention, verbal and physical aggression initially increased in Date SMART relative to KO, but then decreased at a greater rate in the Date SMART group than the KO group throughout follow-ups. Exploratory analyses indicated that victimization history moderated response to Date SMART and KO. Findings suggest that rates of multiple forms of violence can be reduced by Date SMART but may benefit from tailoring for peer relationships and victimization histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant research indicates that peer victimization is an important factor in the development of internalizing symptoms for youth. However, few studies have examined contextual factors that may impact how peer victimization contributes to these symptoms in middle childhood, especially in the form of victimization. The current study evaluated associations between relational and physical victimization and symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of third through fifth graders. In addition, the influence of perceived school safety as a moderator of these associations was examined. Findings indicated that relational victimization was more strongly associated with symptoms of both depression and anxiety than physical victimization. Further, low levels of perceived school safety contributed to symptoms of depression and anxiety and exacerbated the associations between relational victimization and these symptoms, particularly for anxiety. Implications for findings are discussed.

A better understanding of how childhood adversity (CA) patterns influence the effectiveness of Trauma Informed Care (TIC) for youth in residential programs is needed. Utilizing a longitudinal design, the study examined how CA patterns influenced aggression and self-injurious behavior during treatment and emotional and conduct outcomes for 1,343 racially diverse adolescents in a TIC residential program. Latent class analysis identified five CA patterns. Subsequent mixed, two-factor ANCOVAs indicated youth from all CA patterns experienced parallel decreases in emotional problems from intake to discharge while changes in conduct problems during this same period differed by CA pattern. Likewise, Hierarchical Linear Modeling revealed that youths' self-injurious behavior and aggressive behaviors over the first 12 months of the program also differed by CA pattern. Some demographic differences based on sex and race were found, which are discussed in turn. Findings indicate that while the program is functioning as TIC, more tailored support is needed for youth with specific CA patterns and demographics. Trauma-informed practices are important for improving emotional well-being in residential care. Tailored interventions for youth with specific trauma histories may help reduce self-injurious behavior and behavior problems. TIC programs may better serve youth with a variety of trauma histories by incorporating interventions that target social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A link between aggression and disciplinary actions has been established; however, specific associations between reactive and proactive functions of aggression and disciplinary actions in the elementary school setting have not been evaluated. A better understanding of links between functions of aggression and disciplinary actions could directly inform whom to target and how to intervene to reduce infractions at school before more serious consequences (i.e., suspension or expulsion) occur. Objective: The present study evaluated unique associations between reactive and proactive aggression and increases in disciplinary actions at school over the course of 1 year. Methods: A sample of 173 elementary school-age youth (ages 8-10, 55.5% female) participated in the current study, with teacher and student reports as well as school record data collected. Results: Correlation analyses indicated that both reactive and proactive aggression were associated with increases in disciplinary actions; however, the magnitude of effects was stronger for reactive aggression. Further, path analyses indicated that when simultaneously evaluating reactive and proactive aggression, only reactive aggression was uniquely positively associated with increases in disciplinary actions. Conclusions: Reactive aggression appears to be the function of aggression to target for the prevention of disciplinary actions in the elementary school setting. Findings and their implications for intervention and future research are discussed.

Further research is needed to evaluate associations between perceived containment and proactive and reactive aggression to further inform prevention and intervention approaches. The current study advanced extant research by examining associations between perceived containment and overt and relational subtypes of proactive and reactive functions of aggression and by examining anger dysregulation as a moderator of these associations among elementary school-age youth (51.4% female; Mage = 9.3 years). Youth self-reports of measures were obtained and used for analyses. Findings indicated that perceived containment and anger dysregulation are both more strongly linked to reactive aggression than proactive aggression, and the association between perceived containment and reactive relational aggression was only evident at high levels of anger dysregulation. These results suggest that both perceived containment and anger dysregulation need to be targeted for the prevention of both overt and relational reactive aggression, but not necessarily proactive aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Peer victimization has been shown to be a robust predictor of depressive and anxiety symptoms over time. Relatively little is known, however, regarding what protective factors may attenuate these associations and render youth more resilient to this interpersonal stressor. Therefore, the current study examined sadness and worry regulation as moderators of the prospective links from peer victimization to internalizing symptoms over a 1-year period. Method: Participants included 464 predominantly Caucasian children (54.7% boys; ages 7–10), as well as their homeroom teachers, from an elementary school located in the Midwestern United States. Child and teacher reports of peer victimization and child reports of sadness and worry regulation were assessed at Time 1. Children also provided ratings of depressive and anxiety symptoms at Time 1, approximately 6 months later (Time 2), and again approximately 1 year later (Time 3). Moderating effects were evaluated using a series of multivariate latent growth curve models. Results: Consistent with expectations, sadness regulation attenuated the prospective links from both child- and teacher-reported peer victimization to internalizing symptoms. Worry regulation also attenuated the prospective links from teacher-reported peer victimization to internalizing symptoms. The moderating effects of emotion regulation did not differ according to gender. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the ability to effectively manage feelings of sadness and worry may serve as a buffer against the internalizing symptoms associated with peer victimization. Additional research is needed to determine whether interventions focused on enhancing victims' emotion regulation skills reduce their subsequent risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived containment, the belief that authorities can effectively set limits on behavior, may explain why behavioral interventions produce moderate effects in youth exhibiting callous-unemotional traits. Examining whether callous-unemotional traits and perceived containment work together to confer risk for antisocial behaviors has implications for both screening and intervention in detained populations. In a sample of detained youth (Mage = 15.94; 70.4% Male), path analyses indicated that perceived containment mediated the association between callous-unemotional traits and behavioral problems characterized by challenging the authority of facility staff. Implications for screening and identification of individuals in need of additional support as well as a potential cognitive target for intervention are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence to suggest differential associations between perceived containment (one's belief about the influence of adult authority on behavior) and proactive and reactive functions of aggression; however, the findings have been inconsistent, and additional consideration of potential moderating variables is needed. The current study further evaluates the link between perceived containment and proactive and reactive functions of aggression and examines the potential moderating effects of callous-unemotional traits and anxiety symptoms in a sample of detained youth. Findings suggest that perceived containment is most robustly associated with reactive aggression and that neither callous-unemotional traits nor anxiety symptoms moderate this link. Findings and their implications are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this article is to investigate the symptom dimensions of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD; irritability, defiance) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity) as predictors of academic performance, depressive symptoms, and peer functioning in middle childhood. Children (N = 346; 51% female) were assessed via teacher-report on measures of ODD/ADHD symptoms at baseline (Grades K–2) and academic performance, depressive symptoms, peer rejection, and victimization on 7 occasions over 4 school years (K–2 through 3–5). Self-report and grade point average data collected in Grades 3–5 served as converging outcome measures. Latent growth curve and multiple regression models were estimated using a hierarchical/sensitivity approach to assess robustness and specificity of effects. Irritability predicted higher baseline depressive symptoms, peer rejection, and victimization, whereas defiance predicted higher baseline peer rejection; however, none of these ODD-related effects persisted 3 years later to Grades 3–5. In contrast, inattention predicted persistently poorer academic performance, persistently higher depressive symptoms, and higher baseline victimization; hyperactivity-impulsivity predicted subsequent peer rejection and victimization in Grades 3–5. In converging models, only inattention emerged as a robust predictor of 3-year outcomes (viz., grade point average, depressive symptoms, peer rejection, and relational victimization). Broadly, ODD dimensions—particularly irritability—may be linked to acute disturbances in social-emotional functioning in school-age children, whereas ADHD dimensions may predict more persistent patterns of peer, affective, and academic problems. By examining all 4 ODD/ADHD symptom dimensions simultaneously, the present analyses offer clarity and specificity regarding which dimensions affect what outcomes, and when. Findings underscore the importance of multidimensional approaches to research, assessment, and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]